I was wondering if anyone here works at Atlas Air…
I applied couple of months ago and now they offer an interview… although I already accepted the Skywest offer I’m curious to see if the cargo life style is a good fit for me.
I am a father of 2 young kids and I will prefer not to stay away for long periods of time.
I appreciate any input.
Thank you.
Gian,
To my knowledge, I don’t believe anyone on the forum works for Atlas Air. Maybe some of the former cargo pilots (like @kcbaker) might be able to chime in if they see this thread.
Here is Kamrin (Former ABX Cargo pilot) schedule:
Brady
Thank you Brady 
GF,
I just showed a very close friend of mine (and former Atlas pilot) your post. She said “that depends, does he like his kids or not?”.
While Atlas is a great place to fly and see the world, the number one reason they have so much turnover is the time away from home which can be up to 18 days from what I understand. So if you’re kids really aren’t your favorites then by all means, otherwise I’m thinking SkyWest might be a better fit.
Adam
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Hilarious 
Thank you for your effort…
I do love my kids and there is no way I can be out that much without facing a divorce.
Unless they did change something you probably right, Skywest may be a better fit…
But man fly the queen of the sky is appealing
Thank you.
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Gian,
I’m flying with a Captain now that spent quite some time at Atlas. He enjoyed flying the 747 and flying around the world but 18 days on was incredibly brutal. He said it took a toll on his home life. He said when he had his first child, he immediately put out his applications to find a schedule a bit more manageable. He’s at United now, flying mostly 3 and 4 day trips living in base with 2 young boys at home.
Hannah
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I flew with ABX for a year. I bid 16 days at the end of one month and 16 at the beginning of the next a lot. I was gone for a month and home for a month. I absolutely loved it. It got me hooked on 1 leg days so now I’m struggling to trade trips to
Get the least amount of legs as possible. In my opinion, the experience I gained flying international on a wide body aircraft is the main reason I made it to delta when I did. Sometimes you have to sacrifice now to reap the benefits later on.
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Thank you Kamrin!
You are absolutely right, I will have to compromise a bit if I want to be in a better spot one day…
What’s ABX?
GF,
ABX is a cargo operator that flys 767s.
With all due respect to Kamrin, while this career definitely requires some sacrifice, flying cargo and being gone half the month isn’t necessarily one of them.
There are thousands of pilots flying for Legacies and other Majors who never flew cargo. That was the path that worked for Kamrin and that’s great but again, def not required.
Adam
100% agree. It’s a very very different lifestyle than what I have now. And a lot more stressful one at that. Minus the cool long European layovers, I enjoy my 3 leg 3 day trips much more.
GF,
I agree, there are many ways to make it to the airline of choice. For your family situation, I think a more traditional 3/4 day trip schedule will be less external stress on your life. Even though it may seem “temporary”, you never know when the next economic downturn could come and you could be stuck at an employer for longer than planned. Best be one that works with your family life.
Hannah
Thank you guys, I really appreciate it! as much as I would love to fly those heavy jet and travel the world there is nothing more important than see my two kids growing and be there for them…
Flying regional may be though at first but I’m sure soon after a bit of experience I’ll find the best airline that will give me the best QOL
Kids are temporary, but a 747 type rating lasts forever…
…I’m kidding
Oh my, there are some kids who will need counseling, lol.
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