Delta vs. United

ajm757

ajm757

Well-Known Member
If you had CJOs from both, who would you choose?

For context, you live less than an hour from a junior United base, but you’re not sure if you’ll continue living there and are open to moving.
 
Just from hearsay and no facts, if you're into international flying, United has more of that during normal times. whereas Delta is more interested in JVs and codesharing. I could be terribly wrong about that.

Depends on what you want really...

so im basically talking out my butt. but for me id choose United.

edit: There's fine people in both companies, I don't think you could go wrong with either one tbh.
 
I have zero skin in the game. But EVERYONE seems to have a hard-on for DL. I dare to be different. I'd easily go United. More especially if you live close to a junior base. But things like culture, growth, JV's, codesharing, fleet planning, hiring numbers in the future and other things that I'm forgetting should all be in major consideration as well.
 
Maximilian_Jenius said:
I have zero skin in the game. But EVERYONE seems to have a hard-on for DL. I dare to be different. I'd easily go United. More especially if you live close to a junior base. But things like culture, growth, JV's, codesharing, fleet planning, hiring numbers in the future and other things that I'm forgetting should all be in major consideration as well.
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Delta has hired something like almost half the airline since Jan 2014 and the average newhire age was 37. If you get hired at Delta now, you're gonna have a long list of young people ahead of you. United may be in the middle, but AA is where movement is the best of the big 3. If you can look beyond their debt and other issues, AA has hired over 50% as military pilots that tend to be older and flows from places like Eagle where people have been patiently waiting 10+ yrs. For age vs movement, I'd recommend AA as #1, United as #2, and then Delta as #3.


And for the love of god, please take CULTure out of your list. Irrelevant, zero relevance.
 
Maximilian_Jenius said:
But EVERYONE seems to have a hard-on for DL. I dare to be different. I'd easily go United.
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A0EC0E63-B64B-4FFB-97CC-D9E5135BF47A.gif
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Delta has hired something like almost half the airline since Jan 2014 and the average newhire age was 37. If you get hired at Delta now, you're gonna have a long list of young people ahead of you. United may be in the middle, but AA is where movement is the best of the big 3. If you can look beyond their debt and other issues, AA has hired over 50% as military pilots that tend to be older and flows from places like Eagle where people have been patiently waiting 10+ yrs. For age vs movement, I'd recommend AA as #1, United as #2, and then Delta as #3.


And for the love of god, please take CULTure out of your list. Irrelevant, zero relevance.
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Huh? Half of our seniority list is gone by the end of the decade (pre-covid included). Your movement at all of the big 3 is going to be great over the next decade, I don't know why people use so much brain power to argue about a 5-10% difference of projected seniority.

For me financial security is way more important than a 10% difference of overall seniority, so I'm kind of shocked you even bring up AA.

UA has the widebodies if you so wish, but really I'd just pick based off your opinions because this thread is going be to 10 pages long arguing about what's more important to you. And hiring and staffing seniority progression charts looking 10 years in advance is such a funny thing to me when this industry eats and spits those things out with its natural cycles. You're gonna make good money, good retirement, good QOL, and good seniority progression at both. Just sit down and evaluate what and where you want to fly.
 
tcco94 said:
Huh? Half of our seniority list is gone by the end of the decade (pre-covid included). Your movement at all of the big 3 is going to be great over the next decade, I don't know why people use so much brain power to argue about a 5-10% difference of projected seniority.

For me financial security is way more important than a 10% difference of overall seniority, so I'm kind of shocked you even bring up AA.

UA has the widebodies if you so wish, but really I'd just pick based off your opinions because this thread is going be to 10 pages long arguing about what's more important to you. And hiring and staffing seniority progression charts looking 10 years in advance is such a funny thing to me when this industry eats and spits those things out with its natural cycles. You're gonna make good money, good retirement, good QOL, and good seniority progression at both. Just sit down and evaluate what and where you want to fly.
Click to expand...

Sept 2021 seniority list, Excel download. Total around 12,571
Take retirement date column, and check boxes for 2021-2029. Net result = 4015. So 4k out of 12.5k are gone this decade. That's 1/3rd.
Bottom line, as far as newhires go at major airlines, Delta hired the most and the avg newhire age of 37.
Jan 1, 2014 hire falls at ~6,900 total on the list. That's at 55%. So almost half the Delta seniority list is guys hired in the last 7 years. That is a *tremendous* amount. Half of United pilots or AA pilots were not hired since Jan 2014.

For a guy in his mid 40s, the best movement would be AA as #1. That's just based on simple math of current retirement age and pilots hired since late 2013 when AA really started hiring. AA, UA, and then DL in that order. If you are in your 20s or early 30s, then it doesn't really matter. But a guy who is in his 40s and has 10, 15 or max 20 yr career left, then absolutely should look at how many people have been hired since the last hiring wave (2013/2014) and the avg age of those hires.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Delta has hired something like almost half the airline since Jan 2014 and the average newhire age was 37. If you get hired at Delta now, you're gonna have a long list of young people ahead of you. United may be in the middle, but AA is where movement is the best of the big 3. If you can look beyond their debt and other issues, AA has hired over 50% as military pilots that tend to be older and flows from places like Eagle where people have been patiently waiting 10+ yrs. For age vs movement, I'd recommend AA as #1, United as #2, and then Delta as #3.
Click to expand...

I think that United says that they're projecting to hire 12k in the next decade. And that they're all going to be black men and women. Okay, if you haven't stroked out already after reading that, I was kidding. But seriously I think it was 12k for UA in the next decade.

Cherokee_Cruiser said:
And for the love of god, please take CULTure out of your list. Irrelevant, zero relevance.
Click to expand...

True, true. Alaska did acquire you.
 
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Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Sept 2021 seniority list, Excel download. Total around 12,571
Take retirement date column, and check boxes for 2021-2029. Net result = 4015. So 4k out of 12.5k are gone this decade. That's 1/3rd.
Bottom line, as far as newhires go at major airlines, Delta hired the most and the avg newhire age of 37.
Jan 1, 2014 hire falls at ~6,900 total on the list. That's at 55%. So almost half the Delta seniority list is guys hired in the last 7 years. That is a *tremendous* amount. Half of United pilots or AA pilots were not hired since Jan 2014.

For a guy in his mid 40s, the best movement would be AA as #1. That's just based on simple math of current retirement age and pilots hired since late 2013 when AA really started hiring. AA, UA, and then DL in that order. If you are in your 20s or early 30s, then it doesn't really matter. But a guy who is in his 40s and has 10, 15 or max 20 yr career left, then absolutely should look at how many people have been hired since the last hiring wave (2013/2014) and the avg age of those hires.
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Don't forget Spirit, Frontier, Sun Country and maybe Jetblue too. Once the legacies really start hiring next year and the people who have been hibernating and using at least the ULCC's as a resume builder and for the type rating jump ship--again to a legacy. There's going to be some awesome movement at the ULCC's, and maybe the LCC's too.
 
Both obviously solid choices, probably comes down to where you live or want to live along with how important driving vs. commuting is. Both are stable, on good footing with reasonable leadership at the helm it seems, though that’s subject to how my week is going. This trip not many grievances to air so far.

DL called and UAL never did so I ended up hanging wearing my hat in Widgetville. I’m a Denver chap, so obviously UAL was the top choice for me. Though to be faaaiiir DL has been a great ride (bit of light chop if I’m honest) even though I’ll likely commute the rest of my career I’m pretty content with how things worked out. Plenty of opportunity and the whole Double Breasted Hotel Van Admiral thing thankfully doesn’t really exist. Five years in and it’s been mostly great guys and gals I’ve flown with.

It’s a good problem to have if you have the choice. Choose wisely, which of course you won’t know until you set the parking brake for the last time ;)
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Sept 2021 seniority list, Excel download. Total around 12,571
Take retirement date column, and check boxes for 2021-2029. Net result = 4015. So 4k out of 12.5k are gone this decade. That's 1/3rd.
Bottom line, as far as newhires go at major airlines, Delta hired the most and the avg newhire age of 37.
Jan 1, 2014 hire falls at ~6,900 total on the list. That's at 55%. So almost half the Delta seniority list is guys hired in the last 7 years. That is a *tremendous* amount. Half of United pilots or AA pilots were not hired since Jan 2014.

For a guy in his mid 40s, the best movement would be AA as #1. That's just based on simple math of current retirement age and pilots hired since late 2013 when AA really started hiring. AA, UA, and then DL in that order. If you are in your 20s or early 30s, then it doesn't really matter. But a guy who is in his 40s and has 10, 15 or max 20 yr career left, then absolutely should look at how many people have been hired since the last hiring wave (2013/2014) and the avg age of those hires.
Click to expand...
Fair enough for that perspective I see what you mean. I mean the post was so vague on priorities and the situation. Which makes it really hard to give advice on. These two were always my top 2 I really wanted, but like someone else mentioned above the LCC/ULCC route is also a great Avenue, I put my apps out everywhere
 
Maximilian_Jenius said:
I think that United says that they're projecting to hire 12k in the next decade. And that they're all going to be black men and women. Okay, if you haven't stroked out already after reading that, I was kidding. But seriously I think it was 12k for UA in the next decade.



True, true. Alaska did acquire you.
Click to expand...
Decade long hiring forecasts in this industry... We don't need to go over how useless they are. If it ends up being 12k, that's fantastic achievement for pilots. But seriously I think after this event we can all say let's just focus on the short term.

And they are hiring a hell of a lot right now, like 240/mo. I know we are just back 4 classes a month and shooting for 200/mo. So this scenario of multiple offers is definitely happening. But I also agree with your post about the other major airlines. I think it could be real interesting to see the movement going on for the next few years.

Which you know what I'm gonna say next.... Get ya hours! :cool: Don't bank on a 10 year outlook.
 
tcco94 said:
Fair enough for that perspective I see what you mean. I mean the post was so vague on priorities and the situation. Which makes it really hard to give advice on. These two were always my top 2 I really wanted, but like someone else mentioned above the LCC/ULCC route is also a great Avenue, I put my apps out everywhere
Click to expand...

He has a name!

tcco94 said:
Which you know what I'm gonna say next.... Get ya hours! :cool: Don't bank on a 10 year outlook.
Click to expand...

There is now a plan in place! ;)
 
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