Weekends in training
 

I am curious, will we be allowed to go home on weekends during training?

Yes. Just make sure you can 100% get back for class on Monday.

So do we have travel benefits at that point or do we travel on our own dime still?

One of my classmates went back to Hawaii almost every weekend. It's allowed just don't get stuck away from training.

It's not worth the stress. If it's a relatively short drive. Sure. But if you can't get back on Sunday night that is a really tough call to make to the training MOD.

I have two young kids at home so I'll deal with the stress to get to see them on weekends. I'm just trying to figure out when our flight benefits kick in and if it will be possible to fly back and see them with those, or if I'll have to buy tickets to do it.

You likely won't get your badge until close to the end of ground school. That's when you are able to jump seat. Once you start your sim/ftd schedule, your days off will not necessarily fall on the weekend.

I went home every weekend for five different training events at SkyWest. I just gave myself two flights to get back on Sunday. Time at home is important, that said if you feel behind stay to study.

If you have to ask the question, it's probably your first 121 training event. You might not be able to afford spending every weekend not studying.


That said, plenty of people do it and I've never heard of a new hire getting fired because they didn't make it back on Monday morning. You could probably get away with that... once.

I wouldn't expect to be able to go home for Indoc and Initial Ground. Some weekends you will have class or required studying to do, and you will have to devote a large portion of your day to get it done in your hotel room. After Indoc but before Initial Ground starts you will have 4 days of not being in a classroom but you will have 4 days to get all of your CBTs done; which will require at least 8+ hours a day minimum to get them done on time.

Long story short, unless you've done prior 121 Indoc and/or Initial Ground and feel confident going in with what material will be covered, I would not expect to be able to go home until you are done with ground school. You won't even get your flight benefits until the later half of Initial Ground, either. Even if you do go home, you will need to be studying. There are plenty of CBTs and homework you will be assigned, not to mention reviewing the mass amounts of material you will get through class.

Meh. I went home every weekend during indoc and ground. Mainly because 1) it was a 90-minute flight, 2) they gave us nonrev benefits by our first weekend and we had CASS authorization by week 2, and 3) one can only stand so much time in a hotel.

Usually I'd leave Friday night and return Sunday early afternoon. Also, it was September/October, so the loads were light and I never needed to sit in the actual. I'm not sure I would have tried it in the summertime. I did Sims in ATL during December and didn't even bother trying the cross-country commute during sim training.

It's not rocket science. Initial ground ain't easy by any stretch, but you can't just study 24/7.

Some in our class did the same. I don’t think any of the wash outs were those that went home occasionally. The only reason I didn’t more is because I didn’t purchase delta benefits and there were no direct flights from SLC - DTW. That flight alone is 4 or so hours also. That’s cuts into the time at home.