Super-senior commuters are spending coin on hotels to fly day trips (still gone from home) vs flying multi-day trips? What am I missing here?

 

I often bid by the number of alarm clocks I'd have to set every month. "Oh...but you can hold the 8 hr turns." Great....0500 alarm clocks. I'd rather fly the 2 day trips....day 1 - no alarm clock, golf, lunch, go to work, no alarm clock on the layover, home for a late dinner on day 2. "But that's 2 days for only 11.5 hrs. A turn would get you 8 hrs. So 8x 11.5 hr trips (zero alarm clocks, can't golf (or whatever) 8 days a month. Turns? 11 wakeups and miss 11 days of golf. Everyone's math is different. If I wanted more full days off I'd grab some turns.

 

Sometimes they can back to back the trips. I'd put 3 turns together and make a 23+ hr 3 day trip. Cost was 2-3 hotels. So they're trading some $$$ to build large blocks of time off or fewer commutes. Back to back 4 trips and you can have a 3 commute/12 day month, plus leading and trailing commutes(??), and a 85-95 hr month.

 

lol, really? Why? Sounds idiotic. to each their own i guess.

 

Three 6 hour turns with the 8% beats most of the three days I glance at. It comes at a cost. I live close.

I live in a less than desirable zip code, but the little dump is paid for. Ever since 9/11 I've lived as though we'll be out of business tomorrow. Some poor sap was dumb enough to ask me for career advice last year. I know it's a tired meme, but yeah, young new FO in clean pants, and a dry-cleaned shirt.

The only advice I could give him was, "How many Pastrami sandwiches are you not gonna be able to buy in ten years because you're too fancy pancy for the employee bus?" That $15 bucks added up quicker than he thought, I bet. So the bus takes more time and it sucks @ss? I only ride it with other super senior pilots, which says something. They know the game's rigged for the house, and right now Ted lives in it.

That being said, who knows, he may WB FO making more and happier now (which I truly hope) somewhere else, or trying to figure out why Home Depot isn't impressed with his Aero Sci Degree and 900 hours jet time.

Some actual, got shot at with real bullet's, Vietnam Vet also told me "Never turn down any free education", so at least the guy got a nice popular type on his ticket.

I got more old man stuff too, like "How do you know my pants are dry-clean only? Cause they're always dirty."

Uh Oh, it's getting on bedtime because Wheel of Fortune's almost on, and I'm here throwing out Pearls for free. Take my advice on this you studly muffins. Go Rogaine early.

 

A day of work is $2500 as a top f9 captain. If I have an extra 2 days off with turns that’s 5k. I’ll go ahead and spend the $500 for a nice own room pad and take the extra two days off or 5k. My discretion. I’ve found that’s the most efficient way to maximize $ and time off in my current situation.

 

Yeah, makes sense. Had a stretch of 8-day, 85-hour months: two 3-day international and one 2-day transcon. I'd die in the seat if I could do that indefinitely. That ship has sailed for now, unfortunately.

 

that is almost wholly inaccurate

 

I have yet to find someone hired in the last couple of years trading from 4, 4 days into all day trips/2 day trips. sure you can pick up day trips but to be able to have it as a set monthly schedule is just not a true statement.

I don't want to do turns out of JFK or EWR and commute in. I would love to see somone prove me wrong in bases like ATL 320 @DL or AA 320 in PHX. like c'mon bro you know that's not true.

last point, what people are getting now will be different then 1.5 years from now. Getting hired at UA in 2022 is vastly different then somone getting hired in 2025. Just because YOU can hold it, does not mean somone getting hired today will have the same trojectory.

 

Sleep cycle is a pretty big deal though, at least for me personally. Nothing will nuke your test levels faster than working the back side of the clock. Also it ages the crap out of you and brings about other health issues as you get older.

I suppose there's always TRT, but now that the FAA started recently cracking down on it I wouldn't be so quick to roll the dice with my medical. Hard pass.

I've done a lot of flying through the WOCL, and I feel like a completely different person when I'm sleeping at night and not fighting mother nature. YMMV on that though.