Originally Posted by captwannabe
I'm looking for people's opinions about with which airline is the best place to spend a considerable length of your career. ).
This question is almost impossible to answer due to the shifting fortunes of the airline industry, no matter where you live/work.
In general terms, however, the best place to spend one's career is with a company that will keep you employed and paid for an entire career...and even thereafter.
It may seem like an obvious statement, but each person's criteria will be different and even change over time as his/her life changes. Long haul/shorthaul, narrowbody/widebody, upgrade times, etc. don't really matter as you are still a person trying to earn a living. And that means steady income, some benefits, and a modicum of decent treatment from the employer.
This set of criteria will also change over time but a reasonably consistent bottom line to each of them is the best one can hope for.
There are no guarantees, particularly long term. Having spent almost 31 years at a now bankrupt US carrier that was, until quite recently, considered THE place to be, I can tell you making your career choice is just playing "pin the tail on the donkey".
Save your money, live below your means, and realize that everything you counted on previously is like trying to nail Jello to the wall. Maybe you'll hit the inevitable airline cycle just right and get to spend 30+ years with one outfit, but these days, I wouldn't bet on that.
Good luck to you.