[READER QUESTION] If I Can Work for One Airline, Which Would it be?

Which airline would I work for? If you know people who work for airlines, we know that they generally get a lot of fight discount perks. There are many benefits for working for an airline, so which airline would be the best to work for?

This answer depends on so many different factors. But here are some of the factors that I would consider:

1) Which airport to operate out of. If you are operating out of a major airport, you will definitely have way more choices. So is the city that you will need to be based out of important to you? This factor involves more of personal reasons. For example, if you need to be closer to family, then you may not have a choice of airport anyway.

2) Do I like to travel and where? For example, if Europe is my favourite continent to travel to, then there are two additional factors to consider. Do I want to constantly fly international for work? And when I have leisure time and can use my airline perk, I would use that perk to go to Europe. If I like to fly to a wider variety of places, then it would not as much sense to work for an airline that flies to a minimal amount of destinations.

3) Do the perks extend to airline alliances? This is a major factor if you really enjoy flying. Would the flight discount extend to airline alliances? And to what extent?

4) Do you have family at the other end? If for example you have a life in Canada, but you have lots of family in another country, then I would find it amazing to be able to travel back and forth between the two places. You can essentially be at two places on the same day on a consistent basis.

Personally, in light of all these factors, I feel that I would actually work for a different airline depending on which city I live in. For example, if I worked out of: (from east to west)

• Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) – Air Canada
• Greater Moncton International Airport (YQM) – Air Canada
• Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) – Air Canada
• Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) – United Airlines
• Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – American Airlines
• Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG) – WestJet Airlines
• Regina International Airport (YQR) – WestJet Airlines
• Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) – WestJet Airlines
• Calgary International Airport (YYC) – United Airlines
• Edmonton International Airport (YEG) – United Airlines
• Vancouver International Airport (YVR) – Air Canada

What reasons would motivate you to work for an airline? Which airport would you want to work out of? Which airline would you want to work for?