Originally Posted by
Pancake
Beside pay, what makes flying for a cargo carrier better than a legacy pax carrier?
I'm new to the cargo threads, and have generally had my focus on DL. However, as I transition from active duty to a civilian career, I can't ignore the pay and general business model that seems less affected by economic downturns and rising fuel prices than the majors.
I’ve done both. I prefer cargo by a landslide. I’m sure there are plenty of guys who really would be unhappy flying cargo. So, cargo being “better” than legacy pax is really in the eye of the beholder.
You’ve hit the main points. Pay and stability. The stability has always been there. It just became way more appreciated over the last decade. After my furlough experience, stability is worth way more than pay in my house. The pay is great in comparison to the legacies – but only because they’ve been beat down. So, I would put pay in a temporary category (hopefully). If the airlines get healthy, pay should swing back in their direction.
Other things I like at Fedex over a legacy pax:
The schedules allow longer trips and more trips to be put together, resulting in bigger “chunks” of work and days off. As a commuter, I go to work twice a month, max. Commuting 4-5 times a month for 2-4 days of work at a time would drive me to move to my domicile (yes, even Memphis).
A wider variety of flying available at a much broader seniority level. I was flying international widebody trips within 2 years of getting hired and that was longer than many others had to wait.
No pax, No F/As, No drama.........No hats (for now 
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Last edited by Adlerdriver; 03-19-2012 at 04:17 AM.