Positives?
Most cases you get weekends off… ranging between 2 and 4 days… not bad.
Depending on the length of the weekend layover, your company may commercial you home. Or you and your crew can rent a car with a good airline discount and have a mini vacation… a lot better than sitting in your hotel room.
No passengers.
No Flight attendants… You normally stay at hotels with other airline crews... so you can play with their toys instead of you own… if that’s what you want.
There will always be the need for cargo flying.
Let’s see... down side?
Some airlines may not provide catering… big deal... anyway, the food usually sucks. You stop off at the market on the way to the jet and pick a sandwich or a salad which will hold you to the sort. If your plane has an oven, you can even pick up a hot meal.
All night flying… so what… you usually get directs and the majority of the thunderstorms have cooled down… oh yeah… no passengers or flight attendants getting sick from the turbulence.
Sleep deprivation… either you get accustomed to night flying or you don’t… but you learn to deal with it.
Your passenger airline may sell to another company... thus not guarantying a seat position on the seniority list with the acquiring airline.
Your airline can close it's doors... but life's a gamble.
Whether pax or cargo... have another profession to fall back on in case your airline goes bust, you don't make it through your medical, or you just plain had enough flying.
Last edited by captjns; 05-26-2006 at 12:47 AM.