Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Unless you're senior and only do plum locals and standups, the opportunity cost of being on the road eats pretty deeply into those 15 days off.
By the time I catch up on all the stuff I missed while I was gone, 15 days off is about a wash with 9-5 jobs. At 18 days off I start to feel good about life.
If you're single and are attracted to FA's then being on the road may not be so bad, but people with families pay a price.
Not trying to be an ass, but when you got into the career you did know that travel and time away from home is all part of being a pilot? I have family too, and yes it sucks being gone, but I usually have more quality time with my family than the 9-5 stiffs in my neighborhood. In fact most of the folks I know work more like 10 and 12 hour days and other than dinner with the family have very little personal time until the weekend. A few years back I had the best flying job out there in term's of quality of life... average 7 days a month flying, very few overnights, never weekends or holidays. Sadly, that job doesn't exist anymore.