You're an airline pilot! You're going to miss stuff with the family. That's the nature of our job. It's certainly not better anywhere else, including SWA. I have 2 friends that are on the verge of being displaced. One from MCO and the other from LAS. Commuting from hub to hub is challenging from what they say. So working 4 on 3 off will involve plenty of wasted time away from family.
I too have a family that I miss when I'm gone. Many of my friends with normal jobs actually spend much less time with their families than I do. Especially in this economy, they're working 65 hours a week to make sure they don't get fired. We all know people with similar stories.
You might want to rethink your career choice altogether, not just your employer choice.

 

Yeah, times right now are tough for you guys...I get that. I have been hearing a lot of buyers remorse lately, which is understandable. I flew with a guy who went all in for the whole MOU and will likely lose his house. However, he did the math and decided it was overall worth the effort versus no job, and especially no benefits. It's like being past V1, but in your case you do have options. Find another, better job and take it, or simply grit your teeth and maybe find a way to earn with other talents you may not even know you have. I did so, and it's been a savior in many ways through five carriers. But since you seem to enjoy misery, I can top your commute/pay story. I used to commute to Saipan (near Guam) for three weeks on/three weeks off making less than you make with no medical, no retirement. SOmehow I managed to grit my teeth, find other ways to earn and deal with it.

 

UPSMISTAKE, I'm a FedEx guy and have been following this with some interest, because I too regret coming to FedEx. Those slamming you seem to think people do not have other option in this world. Before coming to FedEx I had three other job offers (non flying) and a UPS interview. I picked what I thought was the best of the bunch.

To avoid the commute I moved to Anchorage. Now I'm living in one of the highest cost of living places in the US. Have been excessed back to Memphis and will be living on half pay, with a two day commute for work.

Trust me I feel your pain, for those contemplating the move to Anchorage, I think you summed it up pretty well; Anchorage sucks.

However, the good news is this can't last forever. In three years all this will turn around. Just hang in there.

 

I thjought your gay porn career was a secret?

 

What a whiner!!!

If it's that bad, just quit! It's OK to complain some, we all do, it's part of the job. If it really is such a burden, go out and find some better employment. No one is making you work there... Geesh

 

It really is simple. Find a job you like in a location you like with pay and benefits you like. This job will always be secure and management will regard you only as an object of love, admiration and respect. You should feel the same way about them. Unicorns and gumdrops optional.
Let me know how that works for you. Good luck and have a great day!

 

You and UPSmistake ought to look into trading houses for a few years until things settle down.

Just a thought.

 

It was until they saw your name on the credits along with mine.

 

I'm not insinuating this is what UPSmistake or anyone else did, but, when looking for a job, you gotta look past the $$$. Sure, it's important, but you gotta make sure you don't drive yourself miserable. You need to learn about the employee group you're going to be working for. You really need to know what your day to day life is going to be like.

I know a co-worker who absolutely hates where we work and wishes they took a job at a lower paying airline. Whereas, I love it and have no regrets coming here.

 

Fatboy,

In this industry, the accepted norm is to take the first job offered. By your post, I'll assume that you had a bunch of simultaneous offers and that you choose wisely. Most of the rest of us took what came along. I know I did, and when I went to UPS it took me exactly 2 hours to determine that I'd made a mistake. I think it was the hour-long briefing from the guy in Loss Prevention, telling us what they'd do to us if we were caught stealing, that made me have immediate second thoughts. Not that I planned to steal anything, but it was just that I had always considered myself a professional, and as such, should have been treated that way. That first day, during the first break, I remember calling my previous employer and asking if I could come back to work. Of course the answer was "NO", and so I stuck it out for a year, being miserable and hating the place. Thankfully I received a job offer from FedEx, but that was about 3 months after I had left UPS. You see, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. It had nothing to do with the crew force, which I thought were just great, but everything to do with how the company treated us.

JJ