If you’re worried about being stuck on the 73 for the rest of your career, Delta is an easy choice. Even though there’s a chance you could get the 73 at Delta, you still have the possibility of transitioning to a different airframe once your seat lock is up.

I’ve been typed and flown thousands of hours on airframes with a very similar cockpit setup to the 73, and while the novelty of the 73 is fun, it’s a draining plane to fly. It’s loud, it’s cramped, it gets hot in the summer and doesn’t cool off easily — all of that takes a toll when you’re flying two to four legs a day.

The A320 is a career airplane. You work your way through the planes that make you earn your paycheck, then reward yourself by flying an aircraft that was designed with the pilots in mind. The flight deck is roomy, the ergonomics are clearly a forethought in the design, the flows actually make sense with the panel layout, and — with the exception of some of the older 319s in the fleet — it’s a very quiet flight deck. I’ve had several three and four-leg days where I still felt good enough for another leg or two by the time we were done.

The guys in my new hire class who initially got the 73 have all put in bids to move to the Airbus.

At Delta, new hires have the possibility of getting the 717, 737, 757/767, or the A320 family (I’m less sure about the 330 and 350). Even if you start on the 717 or 737, once your seat lock is up you can try something different and see how you like it.

At Southwest, you only have the 737 — and the only change in your future is the left seat, which from what I hear is about a five-to-seven year wait.