I LOVED that point

It was always the fat dudes who talked about which hotel had which gym who had a issue loading a bag, I never understood that

soooo you’re going to sit on a sweat cushion that’s probably at BEST wiped once a week with some dirty hotel gym rag, and lift weights with tons of nasty **** in that knurled grip, yet lifting some millionaire clean 25lb samsonite bag is a bridge too far? Mmmmmmk

hey what is the QOL like at Atlas? What are the schedules like for junior FO’s and senior FO’s? Is it 5 day trips, 10 day trips, 14 day trips? Or is more like WB at a PAX airline where you’re only doing 3 day trips at a time? I’m really struggling to find out what the schedules are like, I can’t find a consistent answer online.

Awesome QOL for one person is awefull for another. Personally I love my quality of life here. We are guaranteed 12/13 days off a month depending on if it’s a 30 or 31 day month. In April I’m working 2 trips, LGG-HKG-ANC and AMS-ICN-ANC-ORD.

Trips depend on the fleet and the month. We also have a wide variety of schedules. Your QOL will be affected by fleet, seniority, where you live, time of the year, and current staffing. There are examples here if you search enough.

If you want minimum work, the 767 is the place to be... right now. 16 to 18 days off per month has been the norm since Amazon started going away.

All fleets have 30 day single block and 30 / 60 day split lines, usually broken up into 2 blocks on a 30 day or 3 blocks on a 60 day line (could be 4-5 blocks) with a minimum of 96 hours off (4 Days). Split lines will typically be 6-12 days on, and 6 to 10 days off. There are some 3 day trips, I believe these are tarteted for folks to conflict bid training, but I could be wrong.

It seems like most lines are being balanced to 75ish hours, or 15-16 days on per month.

We have 30 day schedules, 60 day schedules, 12 month fixed pattern lines; and mixed in to that are primary schedules, reserve schedules, ad hoc schedules, and Secondary Lines.

Anyone here who thinks they have to work 17 days straight per month either isn't senior enough to bid a good line, or just doesn't nerd out on the bid packs enough.

For reference, I am starting year 5 and can consistently bid 60 day primary lines on the 747, about 45% in base.

Heck, I have time. Here is my schedule from 24 December 2025 to 31 May 2026; I only counted once, so +/-. Several of those days on I was really home as I dead headed on day 1-3 to airports near my home and commuted mid pattern or was home as I had a 32/7 mid pattern at my Gateway.

11 Off / 17 On / 9 Off / 13 On / 13 Off / 7 On / 7 Off / 10 On / 18 Off / 5 On / 8 Off / 12 On / 7 Off / 13 On / 9 Off

You're Welcome.

Awesome QOL for 99.9% of people is good money and a good schedule with a good life at work.

You’re gone way more than you’re home, you commute on your days OFF (so take out two day per month at least as commuting for work is WORK).


Takes about a decade and a half to have anything anyone would consider a QOL, but if you spent 15 years at most any 121 you’re going to have an even better QOL than atlas. Also lots of back side of the clock and skipping lots of time zones.


I will say the 747 is a very cool plane and some of the layovers are fun.


But end of the day there is a reason atlas has to do the e3 foreign labor scam, most American pilots were not attracted by the QOL they offer

alright cool. How many days away from home is each trip? Are these type of trips normal regardless of seniority?

Correction to this information: QOL on the 767 has significantly decreased. You won't get 16 days off per month. You'll wind up spending 5 days at a hotel in Miami being an unofficial reserve if you"re jfk based. That was my experience as well as the experience of a number of others.

That said Seattle seems to have the best set up right now.

April 3-April 6 and then April 24-April 30. I don’t hide my name on here and neither do I hide my company schedule. I should add that I bid for trips that start and end with DH. So my original award was April 1-7 and 21-30. Primary international with BLG, which is great since 90% of my original award blew up with Dubai overnights…

Unless you're primary they're not allowed to sit you in MIA for 5 days.

SEA lines have 24+ days off, 2 turns to Japan, or never get called on SCDY.

Almost all the 767 FO primary lines still look to have ample time off. I agree that SCDY lines, if junior, or Reserve lines if bid for could be undesirable, but seniority increases every month. 767 FO lines can of course change between now and hiring resuming, and between now and a new 767 FO actually hitting the line.

April FO Bid

SEA Days Off in April: 24, 24, 24, 24, 19, 19, 18, 16, 21, 24, 13, 15, 20, 17

JFK Days Off in April: 18, 18, 16, 13, 15, 19, 18, 20, 17, 17, 22, 21, 16, 16, 15, 15, 20

MIA Days Off in April: 20, 21, 20 23, 22, 18, 22, 24, 23, 14, 18

I still prefer my 75 hour lines, 5.35% higher hourly rate, better coffee, and bunk. Still takes 9+ years seniority to pickup OT as an FO though. Glad I switched fleets.

SEA 76 might be the new hidden gem, if you can suffer the cockpit + rest seat for the 10 hour legs. 24 days off to pick up any OT you wish if you live close enough.

For a dude that bailed to a legacy you sure are hung up on Atlas. A lot. I mean, you post on every thread. Are you having regrets? Or just trying to justify your move?

nah, just call BS when I see it

you seem very obsessed with me, that’s kinda…well

MELedMel had a bad experience with his “worst quality of life” here and that is unfortunate. Unsure how long he was with us before he departed. Really boils down to who you are, your expectations and what fits your lifestyle/type of flying you enjoy.

Since PhantomPhoenix mentioned lifestyle of “senior FO’s” I can chime in. Unsure when hiring will resume with significance, but prior to the halt/shuffle a seven year maybe eight year FO was hitting the sweet spot as the upgrade train was five to seven years as folks moved left for the $ hike. Latest bid pack had quite a few travel on your first day or work (paid). Hopefully this continues, but nothing I would count on.

As a senior 74 FO I shoot for an annual schedule which keeps me on the road for only 125-135 days a year. $ needed for additional compensation then you sacrifice days and get paid to play overtime (OT) wise. I haven’t done OT in about three years and if you see me out in the system doing OT it’s due to currency requirements not wanting to visit the training center. Definitely lose $ during training months as I always conflict bid to knock down my footprint to 11-12 days or so. Once again, this is a senior 74 FO working loopholes. I have noticed a few more cats delaying upgrade like I did so this might slow your advance to being in control comfortably.

I enjoy the 74, long haul in comfortable clothes, no Pax, no FA’s, dozing for dollars, travel, great layovers (not all), casual crew environment, choosing interesting locations swapping from Asia one month primarily and then Europe the next. Occasionally throw a Sydney run to break up any boredom. Favorite eats, hang outs and having lived overseas I get to visit my old stomping grounds. I am made for this and not what the majors, FedEx or even UPS offer. I am quite senior and it was all timing like most things in life. Everyone is different so know thyself and best of luck to all.

This bid pack out of ORD on 30 day lines there were 12 lines within the first 40ish lines that commercial DH first day and several of those you could make it home if your line were to end on schedule. Hahaha, he said end on schedule. I will say every couple of months I have been sent home early or able to cut loose on my own. Don’t count on it, just take it as a win. Several more front end commercial DH’s to be had within the 60 day lines as well. With some seniority you can save days/not lose any to the system.

*Those who immediately move left at the first opportunity obviously sacrifice overall lifestyle for cash and I get it. Super Senior FO can do well to mitigate that easily, but they bit the bullet for awhile to earn that benefit. Still hard even as a somewhat senior Captain (my equivalent in years) to manage your schedule simply based upon they are high demand lower density while we are High density lower demand which frequently gives us more flexibility. I hide amongst the other FO’s from the flesh peddlers and maneuver through the system. Not always Schnitzel, Sushi or Tapas by any means - but some of my equivalent Capt friends haven’t ventured the European at the best locations for a couple of years. They are fortunate at times due to the outlier schedule changes. Plenty of variety for ORD. Based on the left coast seems a bit different, but seniority wherever you stand is King.

Some men drown while others die of thirst.

Quite true, spot on. Or I’m just fat, dumb and happy - either way no outfit is perfect, every dog has its own fleas so find the one with the least in the areas you can deal with. Atlas is certainly a niche for many of us.

I was secondary out of JFK until January of this year. This isn't an accurate reflection of 767 life. It's true there are some great lines and some people get lots of time off. But I would also run into relatively senior, well connected folks who were often getting 17 days per month with 5 day sits in Miami. How does that happen? They schedule you for 3 days in Miami, then a flight cancels and you sit for a couple more days.

The 767 was great and is great, but the idea that nobody calls you on secondary lines? Depends on who you are. If you go to the 767 expecting to get awesome amounts of off time, you might be disappointed.

Still, I liked the plane. I liked the fleet.