Hey guys. I'm a mil guy considering making the jump to the good life. Specifically curious about the following items w/ respect to a major airline:
1. Daily routine flying the line (i.e. play-by-play of the day, from driving to the airport to crashing in bed at the La Quinta)
2. Ease of "commuting" to your hub. Is jumpseating a guaranteed/smooth process every time?
3. As a new hire, how easy is it to get domiciled in a big city of your choice? (specifically Chicago)
4. How do guys pass the time in the cockpit? Do Captains expect endless small talk or is it normal to quietly chill out with a kindle/magazine while the other guy monitors A/P and does radios?
5. Average days off per month vs time spent flying the line. New guy vs senior guy?
Appreciate any insight into these questions!
1. When you get to the airport, if it's your domicile you'll take the crew bus to the terminal where you go through security. Most airports have Known Crew Member now, so security is generally painless although occasionally they make you jump through some ridiculous hoop. Depending on company policy you can either go to the crew room to check in, or go straight to the airplane and get your work day started. Perform your pre-flight checks, do the walk around, board the folks and bags and go. Depending on your base and equipment you'll fly 1-5, maybe 6 legs in a day. At the end you head to the hotel for rest where you try and find time to eat, exercise, etc. Whatever floats your boat during your down time.
2. Commuting sucks. Period. It's added time away from home on your personal time and generally speaking, flights are mostly full these days so it serves a commuter well to leave plenty of options. You will, as others have said, miss time at home. If you can help it, drive to work. If you must commute, for your own sanity do your best to keep it one leg, on mainline equipment, in the same time zone and under 2 hours if at all possible.
3. It depends on the company and the circumstances. I was speaking with a new hire at a certain grey colored legacy who said ORD was the most senior base at the company at the moment. 2 years in and he'd be one of the bottom reserves on the list. For other companies you can probably get there faster but it all depends on movement. If they stop or slow hiring, get comfortable where you sit because it could be a while. Where I work it is the second most senior base, but because of hiring and upgrades it can be held within a few months for new hires.
4. Talking, reading, watching the world go by. Much depends on how you get along with your cohort but by and large it ebbs and flows between talking and busying yourself with some sort of activity.
5. At my company new hires on reserve get 12 days off. Junior line holders can usually count on 12-14, maybe more depending on how well you can do dropping and swapping trips when open time becomes available. With some seniority holding 15 or 16 off isn't unheard of and senior types regularly get 16-18 off. The pay generally clocks in somewhere between 75 and 85 hours of credit per month depending on how you work your schedule and how well you know the contract. This varies by company but in my estimation it seems to be relatively common with most airlines.
I hope this helps, it isn't a whole lot different than what others have said. Overall I love what I do and I am grateful for it every time I strap in. That said, the job can be downright tedious, lonely and boring at times but it does beat having a "real" job by a wide margin.
