Best Regional for a Family Life
- Thread starter ppragman
- Start date
CFIscare
Well-Known Member
Boy, that's a tough question with no clear answer. There are so many variables that I am sure you would get a different answer from everybody. For me personally, it has been great for me at Eagle thus far. I had to commute for the first few months, but living in DFW and being based on the ATR was great for my wife and I while it lasted. Commuting to reserve sucked, but reserve was great in base on the ATR (for the one month I had to do it). My first line I held was day trips with 15 days off. I only had to to four day trips once, every other month was either day trips or two day back-to-backs. I got Thanksgiving and Christmas off my first year on the line. Actually, I didn't just get Christmas off, I got 9 days off around it. I had to work New Year's Eve, but was able to take my wife with me and spend it with her.
Of course, all of this has changed since I have been displaced. (Although getting a forced paid vacation for over two months ain't a bad life!) I expect to be working four day trips and not getting my top few choices, like I was before. The bankruptcy could change a lot of things for the worse, but even still, I expect to continue having a good family life. It's been great for me thus far.
However, this is only one tiny part of one story. I got on at Eagle at a great time and being on the ATR was absolutely amazing for my QOL. I guarantee, though, that for my good story, there is a handful of horrible stories to counteract that. I am sure it won't be this good for me for the rest of my career, but it has been great thus far. So I guess the answer to your question depends on timing and luck.
Of course, all of this has changed since I have been displaced. (Although getting a forced paid vacation for over two months ain't a bad life!) I expect to be working four day trips and not getting my top few choices, like I was before. The bankruptcy could change a lot of things for the worse, but even still, I expect to continue having a good family life. It's been great for me thus far.
However, this is only one tiny part of one story. I got on at Eagle at a great time and being on the ATR was absolutely amazing for my QOL. I guarantee, though, that for my good story, there is a handful of horrible stories to counteract that. I am sure it won't be this good for me for the rest of my career, but it has been great thus far. So I guess the answer to your question depends on timing and luck.
Dan208B
Well-Known Member
Yeah, this biggest thing here is living in base. Particularly if you are on reserve. If you're a reserve commuter, you won't be home much at all. Maybe 8 days per month. Some are obviously better companies than others but I would figure out which either have bases where you live, or would be a 1 leg commute with lots of flights, and then do more research as to which one of those is the best to work for.
TUCKnTRUCK
That guy
I live in base with 14-15 days off a month. I make enough to be happy, and I get my 1-4 choice of lines each month. So its good for me. Others, not so much
etflies
Keeping calm, Chiving on.
I have to go with what everyone is saying, go with a regional where you can live in base. Commuting sucks, and I can only imagine it is worse with a family. If you can't/don't want to move your family to a base, make the commute as easy as possible. The shorter the flight, the better, and the more frequency, the better.
RPM
Well-Known Member
I laughed when I read the first line of the question.
Constant 4-6 day trips are family killers. I don't know how guys with kids can handle doing it in good conscience. I've overheard so many distraught phone calls and listened to so many problems with home life I feel like Dr. Phil sometimes at work. I know I couldn't handle doing that to a family and small kids. The constant time away is what I dislike the most about this job really and I don't even have kids. I really wouldn't mind this job if it was only day trips or 2 day trips, hell even 3 day trips aren't bad, I enjoy those short trips, but I don't care for 4 day+ trips every week. Once in a while it's ok but every week doing it over and over again you just miss out on everything, it feels like you are living in hotels, and it's not fair to your kids or your wife to abandon them like that all the time IMO... Go someplace you don't have to do those and you will be ok. Unfortunately I don't know any regional like that until you are senior enough to avoid it (some places that happens a lot quicker than others).. then you upgrade and the process starts all over again but worse because seniority moves slower on the Captain side generally. I have never been able to hold day trips at Eagle in my domicile and likely never will. The people at Eagle that have day trips on the Embraer in ORD, DFW and LAX have been here over 10 yrs. 20+ for Captains. Obviously Eagle isn't the best example because it's such a senior airline but the others I assume are similar just not to this extreme. I held Captain bid before I ever held day trips here. The Jet FO's at Eagle that hold day trips are pretty much lifer FO's with side jobs or a supportive spouse so they have no desire to upgrade and lose QOL. The other Eagle guys situation above is rare because he was on the ATR, and the ATR is pretty much gone now so those days of avoiding 4 days when junior are over. My advice would be to AVOID the regional's all together if you really care about your family. Too much uncertainty, schedule changes, displacement's, domicile closures, it's never ending..
Living in base is FAR superior for maintaining maximum time home for family BUT.. this is the regionals we are talking about. Your base could change at a moments notice. I have been through I believe 4 major displacements in under 6 yrs where people got shuffled around the system with little notice due to base closures and fleet changes. So your base is certainly no guarantee.. EVER.. at the regionals. Just ask around..
Allegiant has good schedules for a family.. only day trips! Not a regional though..
Constant 4-6 day trips are family killers. I don't know how guys with kids can handle doing it in good conscience. I've overheard so many distraught phone calls and listened to so many problems with home life I feel like Dr. Phil sometimes at work. I know I couldn't handle doing that to a family and small kids. The constant time away is what I dislike the most about this job really and I don't even have kids. I really wouldn't mind this job if it was only day trips or 2 day trips, hell even 3 day trips aren't bad, I enjoy those short trips, but I don't care for 4 day+ trips every week. Once in a while it's ok but every week doing it over and over again you just miss out on everything, it feels like you are living in hotels, and it's not fair to your kids or your wife to abandon them like that all the time IMO... Go someplace you don't have to do those and you will be ok. Unfortunately I don't know any regional like that until you are senior enough to avoid it (some places that happens a lot quicker than others).. then you upgrade and the process starts all over again but worse because seniority moves slower on the Captain side generally. I have never been able to hold day trips at Eagle in my domicile and likely never will. The people at Eagle that have day trips on the Embraer in ORD, DFW and LAX have been here over 10 yrs. 20+ for Captains. Obviously Eagle isn't the best example because it's such a senior airline but the others I assume are similar just not to this extreme. I held Captain bid before I ever held day trips here. The Jet FO's at Eagle that hold day trips are pretty much lifer FO's with side jobs or a supportive spouse so they have no desire to upgrade and lose QOL. The other Eagle guys situation above is rare because he was on the ATR, and the ATR is pretty much gone now so those days of avoiding 4 days when junior are over. My advice would be to AVOID the regional's all together if you really care about your family. Too much uncertainty, schedule changes, displacement's, domicile closures, it's never ending..
Living in base is FAR superior for maintaining maximum time home for family BUT.. this is the regionals we are talking about. Your base could change at a moments notice. I have been through I believe 4 major displacements in under 6 yrs where people got shuffled around the system with little notice due to base closures and fleet changes. So your base is certainly no guarantee.. EVER.. at the regionals. Just ask around..
Allegiant has good schedules for a family.. only day trips! Not a regional though..
granlistillo
Well-Known Member
Sure living in base helps, but this job is not very compatible with family life at all. I would rather worry about a wife's support system/ job and suck up the commute if the base you can hold would be detrimental to her (family, job, friends, leisure, QOL, safety and security). When you have kids I would have to say this job is not good.
Welcome to the dark side. They've been waiting for you.....
There are few guarantees, as you well know. Seems aviation is one of those careers where it and family don't seem to go hand-in-hand often.....
Baronman
Well-Known Member
+1 for living in base wherever you go.....Your life, be it on reserve or as a lineholder will be much more manageable. I've almost always lived in base and the difference between locals and commuters when it comes to their feelings about the job (and life in general) is noticeable.
z987k
Well-Known Member
lol, the "home every night" freight isn't doing it?
ppragman
No pasa nada.
Well, actually, I'm not on my run. We're setting up a rotation where you do standby every 3rd week which involves very little work, that's not a problem, rather, disappearing and sitting at an outstation all day doesn't bode well for a family.
Goodspeed
Well-Known Member
Standups, CDOs, or highspeeds at the regionals are ok for a family, IF you live in base.
I would leave my house at 8 pm do the last flight out of the hub, sleep at the hotel for 4 or 5 hours, be back home by 8 am. Plenty of time to hang out with my wife and kid during the day, plus I would take another nap in the afternoon.
If you really want to do nothing bid standup reserve, one month I only worked 3 days. You won't break guarantee or get a lot of hours though.
I would leave my house at 8 pm do the last flight out of the hub, sleep at the hotel for 4 or 5 hours, be back home by 8 am. Plenty of time to hang out with my wife and kid during the day, plus I would take another nap in the afternoon.
If you really want to do nothing bid standup reserve, one month I only worked 3 days. You won't break guarantee or get a lot of hours though.
sherpa
Well-Known Member
The best regional for a family life is the one that isn't EWR, JFK, LGA or PHL based and is based within comfortable driving distance from home.
z987k
Well-Known Member
Hell it's not good for single life either.