shoelu

We have the same problem, although I have never done the long haul flying, only near international, I have thousands of hours flying freight on the back side of the clock. It was extremely difficult for me to deal with. I spent close to three years of my life feeling like a zombie. I already had partial insomnia and when I added in backside of the clock flying it really took its toll on me. I went from a minor problem with getting adequate rest to a major league insomniac. My body simply does not have the ability to switch back and forth between backside wakeful periods and front side wakeful periods.

It is not the equipment or the destinations that are a problem for me personally, it's the mission. I would love to fly larger aircraft to more distant destinations but when that mission requires switching back and forth between wakeful periods during the middle of the night, I personally am not well suited for it. It's not a dislike of the equipment or the destination it is the backside of the clock that steers me well away.

I realize many individuals do not have my issues, but for me insomnia is simply not worth working that type of schedule ever again. One of the reasons SWA was high on my list was the fact that there was no backside of the clock flying. We have red eyes coming, and I am thankful that I think I'm senior enough to bid away if and when they arrive.

The destinations sound cool, and the long layovers sound nice and I'm sure there is some long haul flying that does not take place on the backside, but going back and forth between front side to backside is simply not a viable option for this individual. I think I could eventually adjust to living my entire life nocturnally but that is simply not a real option when you have a family. The back and forth regimen is the real root of my sleeping issues.