Priority 3

Bid international. Lots of time off awaits you

Archie Bunker

I don't doubt that domestic schedules suck, but the point is...you do have a choice, right? You can commute to ANC like myself and many others, have a better schedule, or you can continue to deal with your schedule in the lower 48 (I'm assuming that you live in domicile, and don't want to deal with the ANC commute). If this is the case, then you are just going to have to pick your poison based on your current seniority (you're 110 of what?)…commute to better schedules, or enjoy living in domicile, and not deal with an ANC commute/crashpad/car (time and expense).

I've already picked my poison, and will continue to commute. I like flying international, and I like the time off that I get with my schedule. That's the main reason I haven't bid down to ONT, where I live a 1.5 hour drive away. As soon as I determine that I can hold something that I think is decent, then I'll bid back to the 75/76. In the meantime, I don't think we're going to get any sympathy from the other pilots here on this forum, or dissuade some guy that wants to apply here, when we're making the cabbage that we make. I know that's not your objective, but complaining about how terrible our schedules are comes across as whiny.

I'm sure that any of our furloughees would be willing to trade places with any of us…crappy schedules or not.

ShyGuy

What's VTO?

BrownClown

Whaaaaaaaaat???? Pilots whining??? Whodathunkit?
After 5 years flying domestic bidding 110 out of 150ish (give or take a few depending on the month) I finally bid back to international and it suits me better. Personally, I like the longer blocks off and will take the longer trips to make that happen. Domestic was going to kill me. I have never been as consistently tired and felt worse during those 5 years ever. Considering I hauled checks and flew for the commuters, I think that speaks for itself.

My friends that already worked here warned me about the place and I still took the job for obvious reasons of money and stability(har har).

And yes, I have thought about bidding up to ANC as I'd be in the top 25% or so, but am not ready to pull the trigger on the commute. Plus, I like the variety that the Z has to offer.

Hey, thanks for the lecture though!

To Stay or Go

Brutal? Schedules brutal? That comes across as whiney at best. No longer people resent pilots. Night flying domestic schedules can be tough, but I'd never call them brutal.

The Walrus

Maybe he meant Gnarly.

Busboy

Yah, but I've noticed when checking into the hotels, that shorter people seem to!!

BrownClown

Have you flown a domestic base line schedule? If not brutal, how would you categorize it?

To Stay or Go

I'd call it a helluva lot better than the USAF lifestyle and working in an office.

BrownClown

Your USAF lifestyle is certainly better than the Marine's on the ground and working in an office is better than being a garbage man. So, what's your point?