I’m in my 1st year at an ACMI and absolutely love it. Sure, I’ll keep my resumes refreshed and apps current at purple and brown for consideration somewhere down the line, but I live in a small, rural town in the south and I enjoy making one trip a month to the airport. Every month has a two week vacation. No commuting. No crash pads. After 15 years at a regional, there’s not enough money in the world to make me go back to “people haulin”.
While it does stink that whether you’re the plug or number 1 on the seniority list, everyone works 16 days, you start throwing vacation weeks in, and you work less than half the year. I did so many 4 on/2 off months at my previous carrier, that it made me dread going to work.
Now, I get it that everyone’s thoughts are different. If I lived in a major hub, sure, I could suck it up and try to get on with a Legacy. Problem is, I don’t want to live in a crime infested city like Chicago, away from friends and family, just so I can “maybe” have a better career.
Best of luck, but I really don’t think you can go wrong with ACMI. Get out. Fly something heavy. Get real world experience. F the regionals and the sham that the legacies run.