I’m hoping some of you mentors and established pilots can help with this question. I have 11 years seniority at my airline as a flight attendant. We all know that seniority is everything! My average schedule is 10 to 12 days a month at 95 credit hours, working only day turns. I commute, so that works nicely for me as I usually only work 2-3 days a week, or I can stack my days and have large chunks of time off. I can also easily work my company maximum of 150 by working 16 to 19 days.
At my average 95 hours, I earn about 65k+ a year. At 150 hours I’m at 105k+.
While the I understand the allure of being a pilot, and the respect for the position ( both earned and myth!) I’m just not sure that it makes a lot of sense for me to make the switch. I still have 2 years left before I max out on our payscale, then it moves to a bonus structure.
Also, I am 44 years old so I would have about 18 years left of earning potential as a Pilot if I started training now.
Any thoughts, suggestions, and advice would be greatly appreciated.
As someone who’s been in the industry for over a decade I think it’s strange you don’t have a clearer picture of what we do, what we earn and enough information to make an informed decision? Do you not have this conversation with the pilots you fly with? If not I’m curious why?
You speak a lot about pay (earning potential) and days off. There’s no question pilots get paid considerably more for working considerably less. Your schedule will def suffer in the beginning but eventually will return. You know about travel benefits, etc. The real question for me is are you happy serving pax in the back vs sitting up front running the show? Nothing to do with respect as that’s earned regardless of where you are on the aircraft, but the jobs are really as different as day and night.
If your prime motivation is pay and schedule frankly I don’t think it’s worth it. Again the jobs are completely different. You’ll need to invest considerable time and money and there are zero guarantees you’ll be successful. Eventually you’ll surpass your current pay but that will take more than a few years to accomplish. I personally know MANY great pilots who started as FAs but not one did it for the money or the schedule. They did it because they love to fly and wanted to be the person in control of the flight.
I agree with Adam. I’m a big proponent of that the best benefit of being a pilot is being a pilot and flying really cool planes. The pay, time-off, travel, and other amenities are just bonuses to being a pilot. Call me a romantic, but that’s just how I see it. Yes we have to pay our bills and that’s just life, but to stay in this profession I think you have to have that “inner fire” of wanting to fly a plane. If not, you would just be as unhappy as a FA as you would be a pilot. If the economy tanked and the airline I was flying for went into bankruptcy putting me out of a job I would find some way to get into a plane even if it means instructing again. Don’t roll the dice on pay and QOL, but dig deep and truly ask yourself is being a pilot your true passion no matter the cost?
Thanks for your reply. I think you may have misunderstood my angle and added some of your own assumptions. Ultimately we all choose a career based on earning potential and personal benefits, otherwise we would just pursue hobbies! Like you said, it would be strange for me to not have an idea of what pilots do, and would be equally strange to not have had conversations with the pilots I fly with. I’m actually looking at ATP because it was suggested by a Capt. I frequently fly with, which is why I posted the question. I was simply wanting to get a wider variety of opinions regarding the specific info I posted.
I also know at least 4 flight attendants who have made the move, including one who recently has made it to the right seat in one of our planes. But everyone is different with different responsibilities and priorities. I’m older than most I know who have made the switch, with a family to take care of, etc… so scheduling and pay is a priority.
As for being in control or running the show…ehhh, let’s be realistic, system ops and ATC run the show. We all move according to where, when, and how they tell us to get there, regardless of if you’re up front or in the back.
Based on your response, it may make more sense to get my PPL and fly around on my 20 days off.
If you really want to fly there are many avenues to doing so. As you said we all have different responsibilities and a family can complicate that for sure. Going into the airlines especially through ATP would require a large commitment and one that I hope your entire family would support.
Decide what’s best for you and your family and go with it. Best of luck!
Thanks Michael. That reply was actually directed at Adam. I can certainly appreciate your romanticism (as you put it) and can agree that there is definitely more to life and career than pay and days off, but we also have to be practical and responsible, especially when there are others depending on you, It’s really no different than putting together a flight plan. You have to know where you’re going, the best way to get there, alternate routes, how much fuel you need, what the costs are and whether or not it’s ultimately worth the cost. Thanks again, and good luck in your journey as well.
Perhaps I did misunderstand your angle and your reasons for making a career change are yours and yours alone. That said you also misunderstand mine. Ultimately no, we don’t all choose a career based on earning potential. If I had I’d still be in the restaurant business. I did in fact pursue a hobby because my motivation was personal satisfaction. I was fortunate in the fact that was able to turn my hobby into a career that also happens to pay very well.
As for who’s in control I’ll let that one go (just as I didn’t bite on your myth comment) other than to site FAR: 91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
*(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft. *
I have nothing but respect for the FAs I work with and believe they do an exceptional and vital job. That said there does at times seem to be a certain animosity between our work groups (much stemming from the pay disparity). When it comes up I simply ask a question? Before I became an airline pilot I spent thousands of dollars just for the pleasure of doing what I’m now paid to do. Can you say the same?
Thanks Adam, as I said to Michael, there is also a balance that often needs to be found. That’s all. At this point in my life and career, my seniority affords me the opportunity to pursue other things that fulfill me in a more meaningful way…and that’s what holds me back from starting over. I’ve done the reserve life, crashpads, redeye schedules, and I’m glad to have put that behind me. I’m just trying make sure the Investment and sacrifice has enough of a return on investment.
I’m really glad that you really do love flying that much and it brings you that much pleasure. It really it a relief to know that there are some, if not many, who are up front actually enjoy it…because out on the line you don’t see it that often!
And while yes, you are the PIC, that tends to be more definite in emergency situations. When you arrive and they tell you they don’t have a gate available, you can’t just blow a slide, you have to wait too. Just saying. But I do hear you, and appreciate your enthusiasm and advice. Thanks!
Captains of airplanes make decisions all day long that FAs have absolutely no idea about and zero input into. When a captain does ask an FA for their input, they have usually already made up their mind and are simply trying to make the FAs feel like they are part of the process. I think you could stand to do some research on what pilots actually do, it isn’t just taking commands from ATC and system ops.
OK, it appears that I have offended both you (Chris), and Adam. That definitely was not my intention at all. Let’s set aside some of the assumptions you’ve both made and agree that this post has gotten a little sideways. Of course pilots make decisions constantly and have control of the aircraft. This wasn’t an us vs them post or question. I would never even consider the career change if I didn’t have respect for the position. Chris, I never said pilots just take commands from ATC and System Ops, I simply said that there are plenty of times when someone else is telling a PIC what to do. That’s all, it’s a fact. It’s not a put down.
I appreciate some of the info I have found on this site. Thanks.
Let’s get back to your original question. What is it that we can help you with? It’s actually hard to know what exactly it is that you’re asking. Your post doesn’t actually have a question which is why I think this topic took an unexpected (not) turn.
So, you’re wondering if it’s worth the switch? This is a very personal question. If you asked 100 people, you’d get 100 different answers. It’s worth it, if you think it is. Without even getting into the numbers I would start by scheduling an introductory flight. Unless you already have some flight experience?
This string has been interesting to watch unfold. As a nurse, in the medical team, I’m the assistant. Sometimes I have more knowledge about aspects of a particular situation, which put me in a position of informational superiority. Sometimes my skill at a particular thing makes me indispensable and even, at the moment, the only person that matters for a time. However, even at 48 years old, when working with 29 year old doctor at the bedside, I’m his (or her) subordinate. Their orders are what stand. Certainly medical and aviation don’t offer apples to apples comparisons in all ways. However, I saw many of my ICU nurse colleagues lose their perspective and let their sense of importance get out of whack because they do have wisdom that any 29 year old peer (doctor or nurse) doesn’t have. I advised many young doctors when I thought they might not have all the facts they needed. Ultimately all these really smart nurses run into a situation where their wisdom turns out to be wrong and had they been allowed to run the case - the outcome would have been bad. Turns out doctors don’t just look in their phones at an app and do whatever it says to do. They have advanced training that lets them use those decision-making aids to make command decisions that have life and death impact. I’m assuming that the same sort of delusion could happen in any field with a “chain of command” set-up, including aviation.
Pedro, While a change will turn back time as far as pay and quality of life for a few years, you will soon surpass what you make as a flight attendant. You can explore options to work as a pilot for a much different place and keep your flight attendant job until you know where you want to be. just a thought. I personally know flight attendants that have done this. They are much different jobs. Flight attendants meet all sorts of people and wander around the plane while chatting with people you’d never believe youd talk to and pilots are stuck with one other person with lots of switches and some good oxygen. You have to think about whats important to you. People take things out on flight attendants but they also thank them dearly for many things. I have many other things to say but morning comes fast.
Thanks everyone for your input. My original post was an attempt to begin a dialogue and conversation regarding my very real numbers and situation, versus future potential in the flight deck, and the return on investment. What I overlooked was the passion and pride that many of you have in being pilots. I obviously ruffled a few feathers and some got defensive regarding my PIC comments, and took the opportunity to make sure I knew that they indeed were in charge.
My bank doesn’t care about my passion, they care whether or not I’ll be able to pay the mortgage. Although my wife and kids do care about my passions, they are more concerned with whether or not they’ll see me and whether they’ll be taken care of. For those of you have been in commercial aviation for any amount of time, like I have, you know that it can be hard, especially in the beginning. I was simply asking if the return to those crappy schedules and initial pay was worth it (on paper) versus where I am at currently. Ultimately it is my decision, of course. I was simply asking my colleagues in the industry what they thought.
As a career forum, I think it’s important to go beyond the pride and passion of aviation and talk about the reality of the day to day. A lot of people and businesses go bankrupt because they focus more on passion than they do the numbers. @Tory , thanks for posting your schedules, I’ve appreciated that. @99flyin, thanks for your perspective as well.
With your numbers and situation, the only way that I see switching being worth it is if flying was more important than money and QOL. Becoming a pilot takes sacrifice and at least 7-10 years to earn back the QOL that you’re used to now.
