Originally Posted by
Tacos
Honest question for the career Atlas guys. Can Atlas be a career and are there guys with families, WHO KEEP THEM? I have an interview coming up and it's a place I'd like to be, but I am married and believe it or not, I'd rather keep it that way. We are both aware of the long trips and I don't think it'd be a problem. International travel, I don't believe would be a problem for us either. I know the money isn't Delta, but I have a sugar momma so it's not a major concern for me.
What appeals to me are the ability to live where I want and not "commute", and I like being able to lump everything together into larger days of days on/off. Not to mention the variety of payload, destinations, bases...etc.
So are there guys who work there who stay married and have kids and actually enjoy the place? All I've ever heard is that it's not a place for married people.
So far my wife complains less than when I was flying at a regional. Long stretches off are nice, but by day 14 or 15 of a pattern, she starts to get irritated. I also have a toddler. I hate being away from him, and he is aware enough now where he asks when I'm coming home a lot and gets a little upset, but when my wife brought him into the airport to pick me up after this pattern, he lit up like I've never seen before and that was pretty cool.
All in all it seems like it will this tolerable, but hopefully a future contract will get us home some more. If not, my efforts to move on from here will increase!
I'm still in my first year, so things may change, but researching this place a lot (reading majority of this thread was very helpful), and discussing realistic expectations with my wife were key to this working out. I love the job, and would like to stick around, but we really do need some serious improvements in this contract.
Also, for those wondering about bases, things change of course, but I was able to hold CVG starting next month, and I was a March hire.