My name is Maggie and I’m a 26 year old Navy Veteran. I’m currently in my undergrad but am considering becoming a pilot. I originally was going to go back into the Navy as a pilot but are now considering working for a commercial company as my wife is interested in becoming a flight attendant.
What are the possibilities that we would be able to have the same flight schedules often or all the time? Or would it be more likely to happen if we went with private airlines/ companies? Has anyone had similar experiences (pilot and pilot or pilot and fa as well)?
Thanks for any information you can provide,
Maggie
The good news I know many pilots and FAs that bid the same schedule and fly virtually every trip together. The bad news is when it comes to schedules (as with most things at the airlines) it’s a matter of seniority. When you’re junior you have minimal control over your schedule and as such it could be a while before you’ll be able to.
As for private and corporate those jobs are more challenging to get and some operators don’t allow couples to fly together.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. It’s definitely comforting knowing that there are pilots and FAs who fly every trip together. I understand the seniority when it comes to schedules. I’m assuming the seniority applies to FA’s as well. How long do would you expect it to be for a junior until they have control over their schedule (3-6 years)?
There are simply too many variables (airline, base, equipment, career goals) to answer that question with any accuracy. Could be 3-5, could be sooner, could be much longer?
I think Adam’s experience might be a little different from the rest of the industry. At most airlines, the pilots and FAs fly completely different trips and usually even stay at different hotels in the same city. For example, when we land in SFO I am usually going to the hotel, but my FAs might be continuing onto IAH. Because the FAA duty time requirements do not apply to FAs, their schedules are very different from the pilots.