early out
 

A few of my friends and mentors that have been at the majors for decades have said that they're glad they didn't make the move over to UPS or FEDEX years back because they want to be able to live after they retire. Is their any truth, that working those hours for so many years wipes some people out earlier then flying for the majors?

Some people are just not meant to be night riders....... you might be surprised how much day time flying is not done by the large cargo outfits.

I used to work night shift at a hospital during college and loved it. My boss was a 74 year old lady who had been working nights since she was 18. It all depends on how your body clock works. You may be a night owl who is shortening your life span by working days.

Flying cargo will kill you is a myth....Not really like that at the larger companies.

COMMUTING is what can kill you. I feel sorry for some of the pax carriers I see on our jumpseats sometimes! It just takes years off your life IMO

For a year and a half, I commuted from LGA to IAD. When I finally got back to NY it felt like I had given up my 2nd full time job ...... and that's an easy commute.

Everything is relative...

I have found hub turning (show times at 9 pm-10 pm, fly to hub...sleep 2 hours....depart 3-5 am..) to be absolutely brutal on my clock. Other guys thrive on them.

Sleeping in until midnight-2 am, flying a morning trip out and coming back to the hub around 8-10 am isn't easy--but I can hang with it. The break up of the sleep cycle is harder on me than moving it over.

Flying days with early morning starts is my next favorite....

Flying out around 3 pm and getting back 10-midnight is best for me. Sleep in, go to work, get home 1 am and booze a bit. Then repeat. Sort of like my college life....

Plenty at UPS/FDX for everyone....once you can hold it. YMMV....

But yeah...I think the hub turning would wipe me out early. Fortunately I do very little of it...

Good article. We've seen it and it's been discussed over on the cargo board.

I'll give you my take. I flew people for several years. Granted, it was for a lowly regional but the schedules there were not unlike any domestic major anymore. Now I fly primarily international, which presents the new problem of time zone changes and circadian rhythm swaps. All I can say is that I've not been nearly as tired here as I was flying domestic. If you can manage your sleep (i.e. sleep when you're tired) then this life is pretty easy.

I do agree that night hub-turning is probably the worst flying out there though, yet some guys happily lap it up.

To each their own.