Originally Posted by
cactusmike
Our wide body trips are very productive. One month I flew two 6 day trips for 89 hours. Not bad for 12 days work. Normally I will work 12 to 14 days a month for 85 to 92 hours. Our shortest trip in LAX on the 777 is 22+30 for 3 days. 787 is about the same, unless they throw a domestic trip in during the winter. Most F/Os I fly with were 737 or A320 captains. Life with a bunk is good.
There was a time in my career when I wanted to do the long range international stuff, but that has long passed.
FWIW, I am pretty senior, and typically work 12 days or less ( I take the better part of 3 months off over the winter too). Our min guarantee is between 85 and 89 trips (which translates to around the mid/high 90 hours, depending on which conversion you believe). The biggest difference is in the hourly rate between what we make and a WB at other carriers, which is what I keep telling the new guys.
Yeah, I can work an extra week or so every month to make up the difference, but I am getting too old for that nonsense.
AA is a crap show at the moment but it’s a transitory thing. A new contract will fix a lot of things. And we have debt because we have new jets. We are still making billions in profits. It should be more, and our product needs to improve but the paychecks will continue to come.
It's good that the folks coming up now have a lot of choices. If I were looking for a job as a younger guy now, SW would be on the list, but not at the top of it.
I appreciate the jumpseat rides you guys give me. And I know quite a few guys who went there in the 90s. But I’m a lot happier here than I would have been at SWA. Flying a 737 the rest of my career would not work for me. Everyone has their own preferences. What works for you is what makes you happy and satisfied.
I rode AA and USAir for years when I was commuting, and was always treated well.
In my case, career wise, I am dancing with the one that brung me, and it's been a good ride overall.