Originally Posted by
bsh932
I’m going from ATL 320B to NYC 330B later this year. This will be my first widebody and international position, so I really don’t know what to expect. What does a typical European layover look like? It seems like NYC does a lot of 3 day trips with 24 hour layovers. How does everyone manage their sleep? From my understanding, most people nap for a few hours and then get up. Do you have time to actually do anything other than eat dinner with the crew? I’m a photographer so I’m interested in getting out and taking some photos on layovers. I’m the kind of person who will take the train into NYC on a short airport layover just to get a couple hours in the city, so I’m not one to just sit in my room.
Depends on how “deep” into Europe you go, but you will have about a 2-2.5 hour break. DUB is shorter than 2… You will split the cruise time into thirds (assuming 3-man), and catch a nap on the crossing. First break can be tough, as your body may not be ready for sleep yet.
Typically 24-30 hour layovers are what you will see. After clearing customs as a crew (FA’s too), you all get on one pretty nice coach. CDG is notoriously a long drive, but some are as short as 20-30 minutes. The hotels are all 4-star, nicer than any domestic layover. Most everyone will go crash in their room for about 3-4 hours to take a nap. Don’t sleep for more than 3. If you want to pull an Ironman,you can head out on your own, but you should be able to see a fair amount with a nap. After your nap, at least the pilots will meet for dinner around 5-6 local. Usually stay out to a normal local “bed” time. Back to the hotel for a righteous full sleep. Get up (about 3:00 body clock time, but well rested I found),head to airport and fly home.
Sleep management is key. Some hate it, I found I did fine with a couple hours on the plane and a 3 hour bed-nap at the hotel. Maybe a quick on on the drive to the hotel, but don’t waste your sleep inertia on the coach.
Europe is almost always dual commutable. You will enjoy it most of you get out, and almost always you will find we will all hang together, sometimes with an FA or two. Good luck. It’s a different job!