atpcliff

I am now 747 ORD. I have also been based in HSV and JFK (HSV is no longer a base).
I have had one 1 day trip, Two/three 2 day trips, LOTS of 3,4,5+++ day trips. I get 17 day lines not very often.
13/14 is the min days off. I have seen lines with 15, 16 and 17 days off.
I have often started and/or ended trips not in my base. If this is the case, you will fly out to start a pattern on day one. You will fly home on the last day of work, unless extended, which has not happened to me very often at all. We have GDOs (Guaranteed Days Off), so you don't get extended (Theoretically you can still get extended, in certain circumstances, but then they have to give you 12 hours of pay to work that day.).
At the end of a pattern I have often gotten home one day early, or two days early, but still was able to keep the pay for being home on those work days.
You can also be flown home (and back), in the middle of your pattern, in certain situations.

We have fixed patterns now, which are all scheduled for 17 days. They start the exact date of the month, every month, for the whole calendar year. So, you know your days off for the year.
My longest pattern was 34 days, because I was junior, and got two 17 day trips back to back...I did the second 17 day pattern on purpose, because then I got the last two weeks, of the second month, off. So, I had two weeks of vacation, when I wanted it, without using any vacation days.
I am currently on a 5 week holiday. I took two weeks off in Mar, so they blocked off the whole month, and then I bid for the last week in Feb off, which is how I got the five weeks in a row.

Atlas is great, to horrible, depending on where you live, what schedule you want, and what type of flying you want to do.
We have a LOT of pilots who live in small places, and/or overseas, who like the travel situation, compared to standard airlines.
We have pilots in certain bases, who are home a LOT, and don't want to leave.
I just heard of an Atlas capt who is now at DAL. He said he would come back immediately, if he could come back with his old seniority number and Capt seat. He is very surprised that he does not like flying at Delta at all.

Also:
We have had pilots that wanted to come here as their first choice, and after getting here, found out they didn't like it at all, and are leaving.
We have had pilots that did NOT want to come here, but were "forced" to (like ExpressJet/Compass/TSA/World/Evergreen, etc), who found out, after they got here, that they REALLY like it, and are staying.

Best Regards,
cliff
HKT