Originally Posted by Boeing Aviator

Some of this may have been discussed already but here’s my two cents for what it’s worth. Also I want to state up front I hope I don’t come off as some arrogant spoiled rotten united pilot. That’s not my intent and trust me, I thank my lucky stars everyday I am where I am. Additionally, I accept its no more then pure luck that I am where I am in terms of seniority and how my career ended up the way it did. It easily could have turned out completely opposite. As you all know this industry is a total crap shoot.

That all being said. As a fairly senior 777 CA at a legacy my pay, quality of life both at home but just as importantly at work far exceeds that of any fractional (again my opinion). Most of this is due to a strong union and contract that has been constantly tweaked and amended and improved over decades. I also believe flying a widebody for a ME3 carrier or ACMI in no way compares to a US legacy. However, I would honestly say that flying for Fedex or UPS exceeds flying at United or the other legacies in terms of overall pay, retirement and quality of life.

I’ll try to keep my post fairly short.

We have many (widebody and narrow body) pilots who choose to chase the money. Many widebody CA’s earn over 500K (plus 16% company 401K contributions) I fly with some senior FO’s who earn north of 400K. This largely due to soft time, DH and contractual trip & duty riggs. That’s why many of the senior widebody FO’s bypass narrow body CA’s and even earn more then 757/767 CA’s and wait till their senior enough to jump the garbage bag and upgrade on a widebody as line holders (as they make more then reserve widebody CA’s).

If your looking for max time off on a widebody you can hold up to 18 to 20 days off in a non vacation month. In a vacation month up to 24 or more days off (again maximizing days off and not pay)

At UAL after 11 years you get 5 weeks of vacation and after 25 years 6 weeks of vacation. We can use vacation months to either increase days off or to maximize pay, a pilots individual choice. So for many of us we have a vacation month almost half the year.

Quality of life at work. Widebody mostly one leg a day. Half the time getting paid to sit in FC seat and watch movies or sleeping
in a bunk (dozing for dollars). Example on longer flights you can easily get a 6 to 7 hour break. So really the time your actually in the flight deck is like flying a transcon. Most layovers at 4 or 5 star downtown hotels. Average layover 24 to 36 hours some 72 hours or more. The long ones are good for soft time (earning money to sit and not fly) . Soft time keeps your FAR times down so you can earn extra money if you choose. DH at 100% pay in FC. Even shorter domestic layovers (mostly) get private town car or bus to hotel not airport hotel vans.

From what I’ve read on here and heard directly from friends who fly for fractionals. The only real advantage is the positive space tickets to and from your home. I live in base so that wouldn’t matter to me but most legacy pilots do commute so that is a definitely a huge advantage.

Thats really all I see as an advantage at a fractional. Fractional pilots work their tails off in all the non flying duties, plus multiple leg long duty days. Airline pilots are spoiled & spoon fed. We turn left when we get to work and work and turn right when we leave, no extra duties. When I hear of an average of 14 hour layovers and long duty days for 7 to 15 straight days at the fractionals, I honestly I get nauseous. Sure as a young kid building time no big deal. But after 20 plus years, no thank you that’s too much work and a very low quality of life at work in my opinion.

I get that widebody flying isn’t for everyone. Senior narrowbody flying at United, you can fly one leg transcons or very productive turns or even very productive Caribbean turns (especially if you live in base) and get lots of days off or pick up an earn extra money. I know pilots in my seniority range who make a lot more then I do picking up premium pay narrow body trips.

Anyway if you have 20 or more years in my opinion your selling yourself way to short if you go to a fractional vs a legacy.