Airsupport,
A layover like BOS is great, a layover like ILM is good. A layover in EWR, at the Holiday Inn, next to the prison? not so much. But at least you can watch some hoops. Orange on Orange scrimmage. At the Metropolitain in DTW there is the bar, and nothing else. In Tri-Cities, TN, there isn't even that. At the Amerisuites RDU you are literally in an industrial park, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, not even a sidewalk to follow.
The cities you layover in, the hotel you get, and the duration make all the difference in the world.
One of the (many) superior things about Eagle vs PSA, is that Eagle doesn't lay over in as many shoddy one horse towns. Even staying in the same city, the RDU layover at PSA was horrendous, the Eagle short layover at the La Quinta is not bad at all. My cousin is a DL FA, she was raving how the CVG Days Inn treats them so well... the crew room has a fully stocked fridge with samacehs, as well as breakfast fare, and until someone screwed it up, even free beer! The PSA overnight at the Drawbridge is widely despised. Lastly, if you're stuck in a crappy hotel, in a nothing town, and have a minimum overnight, its ok. But stay in a nice hotel in a happening place, for that reduced rest overnight and then get stuck in nowheresville for the long overnight, well that just makes you think they are planning on making things as bad as they can.
I had a long overnight in DCA on the 4th of July. My wife & son came down. It was great. But that's only the second time in two years that I had a long overnight in a cool place where they were able to come with me.
Skyhigh presents a valid point of view, which is under represented. Being an airplane driver is not all fun & games, carrying home wheelbarrows full of money and trying to pick between the blond or brunette, or both. The sacrifices that come with this lifestyle need to be more transparent. So skyhigh, is one sided? Ok. But he is the other side of the coin. Stop dumping on him for showing the downside, his perspective is a valuable counterpoint to the obvious positive aspects of this career.