Originally Posted by
Andym037
I have many friends that are pilots, but they're all people who I knew/met before I came to the airlines. Some of us all ended up at the same airline (XJT) but I knew them all before we ended up here. I haven't made any new friends since I got here (with the exception of my sim partner). Its tough when the company is large like this one, and you could go for years and not fly with the same crew twice. On overnights I increasingly find myself going off by myself and doing my own thing. Sadly, a great number (but certainly not all) of the crews I fly with I don't really care to hang out with. The thing is even if you get along with somebody, chances are good that with all the commuters you both live in totally different parts of the country. My advice: hang on to the friends you have now, because its very tough to make new ones once you get out on the line.
I have to agree with this post. Its sad to say but it is true of working for a large airline like this and with all the commuters. I've got an uncle who has worked for Delta for 20 some-odd years and he says its even more pronounced when you get to the majors. There are a few crews I have flown with and had a blast with and still get together and talk with in the crew room or terminal or if we run into each other at a hotel. But as far as lifelong friends...eh, not really. Theres also a few people I've run into that I went to college with but again, same deal...you might see each other once a year. I would say the closest friends I have that are pilots are the guys from my newhire class and my good friends from college who have since scattered around the country to different airlines.