Giving away trips to increase time at home?

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

Hey guys, with all the talk of QOL here being decent at the regionals and majors once you’ve got some seniority. it got me wondering if at some point you could go long haul for the money, but cut down the amount of trips by giving them up, as a way to stay home more during the month, assuming you didn’t want to make 150k+ a year, as opposed to only having 15 days off a month and flying 75-80hrs. Do companies allow this? Or do they expect you to fly the schedule they send you.

2

Grady,

Sorry, but “only having 15 days off per month”? Name one other job that even comes close to 15 days off per month.

In theory, yes you could advertise your trips for other pilots to pick up, but that rarely happens.

Chris

3

Just asking, some of us might want to only make 100k a year and work even less, we don’t always need the cash. I just wasn’t sure if you’d be penalized by an airline for not taking what you were given.

4

This depends heavily on where you work. But it is not as simple as just deciding to work less. A lot of it depends on staffing, season, and contract work rules. For instance at my major airline, you can’t simply “drop” a trip. It must be picked up, or you can trade it. At the regional I flew for, we were able to drop trips off of our schedule, but it was solely based on an excess of staffing (which is becoming less common - especially at the regional level). Although you might have a desire to bid down and work less hours, it might not be a possibility depending on a number of factors. But there will be tools for you to try.

5

Grady,

Airlines hire full time pilots. While all airlines will allow you to advertise your trips to fly less, all also have a minimum hour requirement you can get down to. At my airline the min is 70hrs so you’re still flying quite a bit.

Adam

6

There is no minimum at my airline. But yes, the majority do have one to maintain all of the benefits of a full-time employee.

7

I typically get one to one n’ half days off a week where I currently work. I get paid by the hour and work 50-60 hours a week! Just getting the minimum 11 days off will be a blessing! Can’t wait to start this journey!