Originally Posted by
mainlineAF
Didn't mean to touch a nerve. I'm just saying time away from home is time away from home. Sure, I'd rather be skiing the alps or what not. But for every time you're doing that how many times are you sitting in Little Rock or Fresno?
It's cool to see the world, but I personally wouldn't choose my job because of it.
It definitely touches a nerve at FedEx because the difference in many of our trips is vast, unlike many airlines, where you are going to get up in the morning and work all day, then do it again the next day. I think we have some of the best trips in the system, and some of the worst. There is a huge difference. Oddly enough, though, some people hang on to the trips that I think are awful and don't even try to trade them.
But I've never flown into Little Rock or Fresno, though if I had enough time off there, I'm sure I could find something fun to do. Even if you have a long layover at some place that many would consider boring (like Laredo, Harlingen or Des Moines), you can always rent a car and find something interesting to do. Home is great, but it's fantastic to be able to enjoy layovers when you're working.
Though I wouldn't choose a job because of layovers, I definitely would consider 300 block hours superior to 1,000. And flexibility to work the types of trips, as much or as little as you want to work, and length of layovers as a bonus. I flew for a major carrier before this, and the schedule you were awarded is what you flew. You built your life around it. At FedEx, for the most part, your life is your own.