How often are commercial pilots away from home?

Typically, airline crew schedules are structured thusly: 4 days on, 3 days off. The 4 days on are usually away from base and away from home. The nights are spent at hotels far from home. Sometimes people will hear that a pilot has a three day weekend every week and think that must be awesome.

Do commercial pilots go home every night?

3) Some Cargo Jobs Will Have You Home Every Night Yes, you have pilot employment options if you are more of a home body. Pilots that fly larger cargo airplanes are on the road a lot. But pilots that fly smaller cargo airplanes are usually home every night.

Can commercial pilots live anywhere?

An airline pilot can live anywhere, “as long as they show up to their base on time,” Carey notes, but as a former commuter himself, “I always recommend pilots live near their base.” Otherwise they typically must travel to and from base via sometimes scarcely available airline seats, eroding their time off.

How long are pilots away from family?

Pilots are Gone a Lot Pilots work the trips that they are given. Trips can be one day or multiple days and they can be back to back. It’s not unheard of for there to be six days in a week where a pilot is gone from home. For us, the average is four.

Do airline pilots stay in hotels?

The airline handles and pays for accommodations for crewmembers when they are on a trip. Many pilots do not live where they are based and choose to commute. Generally, if pilots need to travel and stay away from home when they are not on a trip, they are responsible for their own accommodations.

Do pilots choose where they fly?

The short answer is: No, we do not have regular routes. We can fly any number of routes in a given month. An airline’s mechanism to schedule pilots and flight attendants is complicated and crewmembers themselves are responsible for selecting a schedule that meets their needs every month.