Hi everyone,
I am close to setting a start date with ATP and wanted to get a few final questions answered. My main fear of becoming a pilot is not having enough family time or time at home in general. I know I will be spending a few nights a week gone, but I don’t want to be away from home the majority of my life. How does the bidding schedule work? If I live in base, will I be able to bid a schedule that will have me home pretty often?
Thanks in advance!
Welcome Zachary,
Your schedule, aka quality of life, I will be dictated by several factors, including the airline that you fly for, your base, if you live near base or commute, your relative seniority within your base and aircraft, etc.
If you’d like to get a better idea of what your schedule can look like at different stages of this career take a look at our schedules in the schedules section.
While an airline pilot does spend a lot of time away from home, when they are off they are off. Cumulatively I would argue that a pilot gets the same amount of time off if not more than the average person. The time off is just divided up differently.
Always keep in mind, however, that when you’re new be prepared to miss events, holidays, birthdays, etc. because it takes time to build up your seniority within the company to where you have more control over your schedule.
That said, I think as long as you have realistic expectations upon entering this career and you have a supportive family then it shouldn’t be an issue.
For example, while I may have to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, I’ve always found a way to celebrate every holiday with my family one way or the other.
It’s all about how you make your schedule work for you. You can absolutely be a pilot and have a family and have a happy and fulfilling life. I’ll admit, the lifestyle is a bit non-conventional, and it takes time to put yourself in a comfortable place, but if you love the job enough you’ll figure it out.
Tory
Zachary,
You’re not alone. In fact, a similar topic was just brought up last week. I’m going to link that thread below:
To answer your question, your schedule is controlled by one thing, your seniority. The more senior you are in the bid package, the more likely it is that you get the schedule you want. Living in base is a good start to maximize the time you have at home between trips. After that, it’s just about putting in your time and being smart about your priorities. You can bid max days off and min credit but it depends on the need of the company how strictly it can fulfill that. Regardless you need to feel comfortable with the idea of 15-18 days a month away from home. That’s pretty normal for airline pilots. If not, maybe 121 flying isn’t for you but there are other flying jobs that could get you home more often.
-Hannah
Tory,
One good thing is that you can get all the deals on holiday decor/overstock the day after. 
Clearance Valentines day candy? My favorite!
Ben
Zachary,
The others have answered your question really well. You need to understand being away is part of the job. As Hannah said you can count on 15-18 days a month for a while so yes you will be gone the majority of the time. While living in base (if you can) will minimize wasted travel days that won’t get you home more often schedule wise.
As with anything there are pros and cons for most jobs. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.
Adam