CaptYoda

I think the response will likely be "no life."

Roverruckus

Not really home any more than the other fleets unless you live near one of the outstations usually the lines are 14/15 days off but they do begin and end with deadheads so you aren't commuting on off days.

CRJJ

And why would that be? We have 13/14 days off per month, some lines have 15-16 days off.
Is the 73 a money maker? No. A time building fleet? No. Is Atlas or any other ACMI company in general an ideal job for someone that loves "home time"? I don't think so, but it also depends since you'll enjoy longer blocks of days off with your family.
Other jobs out there will offer more family time or at least on a more regular basis.
But as per usual, there are pros/cons and it depends on each person.

As a reference, I left on December 8th and I'll be back on the 23rd, pretty standard.

Hotspot

Thanks, I was just curious if the 73 was super different schedule wise. I've wanted to go to Atlas for a very long time on the 74 but the closer I get to that day being possible it seems I find more and more negative stuff in these forums lol

HPIC

If you like home time, Atlas is not for you, regardless of the fleet.

All Atlas pilots are on the hook for 17 days a month…plus your commute time. It’s on a positive space ticket, but it’s on your time, not the companys. If you work a single 17 day line for the month, you could be looking at 19 days away from home. If you work a line that has 3 blocks of work during a month…you could potentially be looking at 23 days away from home including commute. It all depends on where you live in relation to base, first departure/last arrival times of your line, etc.

Some people will tell you “I was away from home 12 days last month on the 737”. That may be accurate. We are a shrinking airline right now, and that will accelerate as time goes on. We have more people leaving than coming in the door. It has gotten worse since we got a crap arbitrated contract shoved down our throats. As staffing levels decrease, those remaining will work more, up to the 17 day max(20 days if you’re on a reserve line)…plus commute time.

Elevation

I wouldn't base any decisions off of forums. There's plenty wrong here. That said there's plenty of overrepresentation of bad too. Since we talk about what we lack compared to other 7x7/a3xx pilots, our discussions may not have the perspective that applies to you, personally. There's also recruiting, counter-recruuting and all sorts of angles at play.

The 747 is hard on your body which takes an extra day or so out of you when you get back home. Outside of that all the fleets have you gone, just in different increments and with different lifestyles. You can easily get stuck here if you think you're going to be moving onward, too. Look at the numbers and, if you have a friend, look at the lines and see if this works for you.

Good luck!

CaptYoda

I made an assumption that this guy probably has a young family at home and being gone for 15-17 days simply does not work well in that scenario. Heck, even my dog does not like it when I am on a 4-day trip. Then again, YMMV.

C17B74

Agree, those with young families will find it hard, especially with no local family support and not a very strong/independent other half. It requires the other to keep it together and be able to get things done while your away). Extensions can happen, home a tad early can happen and these are rare at best (speaking for myself), bottom line on the hook for 17 days. Having that long period care free time off is priceless for many. Totally forget about this place other than selecting my flights with travel and packing, everything else I do on company time. Not like you don’t have plenty down time to do training, company bills, review, etc., especially with 30hr rest period’s instituted. Definitely makes it harder to leave but once on the way it’s pretty chill “job” if you want to call it that as the 74 is not a local air taxi but more like a travel bus. Having the ability to work on extended projects, spending quality time and no pressure getting to work or a hotel and returning home is a good thing. Really don’t know the meaning of care free until you are care free in this capacity. Just honoring the thread title. Probably won’t travel internationally much after retirement, just don’t see the need after seeing the world and while in your later half of 60’s or greater it doesn’t get any easier but 1st class will help.

*Oddly enough I have returned a day early or more on 3 patterns this year (abnormal) but you must weigh the risk of losing $. Balls in your court at times and sometimes it’s not. On a 16 day line currently with the potential of returning early but change happens without warning - fingers crossed. With the attrition rate we’ll see what lies ahead.

afbeachbum

Apologies up front, this is a super specific question related to Hawaii. I see Atlas tails on the ramp all the time. If someone lived in Hawaii, how much seniority would you need to make HNL regular stop?

Atlas Shrugged

You can be fresh out of OE and fly HNL-SYD but the jets go to China after that. It’s easy to get to HNL but rarely do we return eastbound to the USA from there. Some of the military flights will go to Travis every once in a while.