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Airline Pilot’s Schedule: What You Can Expect

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We get asked this question all the time. What is an airline pilot’s schedule like? In this article, we’ll help you understpartand this question more in detail.

When it comes to the benefits that attract pilots to the airline lifestyle and keep them there for a career, few would rank higher than the airline pilot schedule. 

What Factors Determine an Airline Pilot Schedule?

Regulations, the FAA, and Company Contracts

Finally, with a few exceptions, all US airline pilot groups are represented by a pilots’ union.

Unions negotiate contracts with their respective airlines known as collective bargaining agreements, or CBAs, which may establish further limits on schedules but in no case can be less restrictive than the FAA’s basic regulations.

Bidding and Seniority

Generally speaking, pilot schedules are organized on an approximately monthly basis and usually around a month prior a pilot will “bid” for his or her schedule using their company system. Bidding is based on a pilot’s seniority which is their position in relation to other pilots in the same base/aircraft/seat position (such as a group of New York City-based Airbus A220 First Officers).

Seniority ensures a pilot who has been employed longer will have first choice of schedules over a newer, more junior pilot.

Aircraft scheduled to take-off.

An Average Trip

When a pilot gets his or her schedule, they then know what to expect for the upcoming bid period. While the preferences of a pilot’s flying are as numerous as the pilots themselves, the type of flying available will heavily depend on the base and aircraft (commonly known as equipment) the pilot is assigned.

Most airlines offer trips that vary between one and four days with overnights ranging from as short as 10 to over 48 hours. These trips will be broken up by days off, again ranging from few to many depending on the particular airline, contract, and line of flying.

Here’s an Airline Pilot Schedule Example

As we’ve covered, a commercial pilot schedule is typically a month at a time (a bid period). And an airline pilot hours will vary from month to month. But to give you the best example of a pilot schedule we’ll look at one individual week. This is what a regional airline pilot schedule might look like who is based at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

Monday: Returned from a trip last night so you have the day off. Sleep in, run errands, spend time with family or friends.

Tuesday: Another day off.

Wednesday: Prep and leave on a 4 day trip. Report to the DFW airport at 11am. Fly three legs, finishing the work day at 10pm in Denver. Take the shuttle to your hotel and go to bed.

Thursday: Meet the crew at the shuttle at 9am and head to the Denver airport. Another 3 leg day. Finish work at 7pm in Phoenix and take the shuttle to the hotel. Grab dinner with your crew and go to bed.

Friday: Go on a morning walk, get breakfast then meet the crew at the shuttle at 11am and head to the Denver airport. Only a two leg day. Finish work at 6pm in Santa Barbara and take the shuttle to the hotel. Grab dinner, talk a walk to the beach with your crew and go to bed.

Saturday: Meet the crew at the shuttle at 8am and head to the Santa Barbara Airport. Fly two legs and end the day back at your home airport DFW at 2pm. Head home and enjoy the rest of the day.

Sunday: No work for the next 3 days. Relax, run errands, or take a quick trip somewhere.

This pilot work schedule example was pulled from an actual schedule. Most trips don’t go longer than 4 days but it varies from airline to airline. A commercial pilot work schedule can vary significantly from week to week.

The good thing is, as we’ll talk about next, the typical airline pilot schedule is somewhat up to the pilot. You’ll able to bid for your ideal schedule.

And if you don’t get it assigned to you from airline scheduling, there’s a good chance you can trade trips with other pilots to create the perfect flight schedule.

Reserve Schedules and Utilization

While the schedules serve as the playbook for the month, in reality, many factors affect the ability of an airline to complete their flying as planned. Pilots may call in sick, fatigued, or be otherwise unavailable; airplanes occasionally have maintenance issues; or weather can delay or cancel flights leaving their associated crews stranded.

To cover these types of issues, all airlines utilize a certain number of their pilots for “reserve” duty. While reserve pilots still are guaranteed certain days off, this duty tends to be assigned to very junior pilots who are otherwise unable to hold a line of flying and is sometimes seen as unattractive due to the unpredictability of the schedule. 

Pilots reviewing their schedule.

Reserve at major airlines is normally broken into two groups: short call, where the pilot must be able to show within 2-3 hours of being notified, and long call, where the pilot must respond within 12-14 hours.

Some of the regional airlines also utilize ready reserve, where a pilot sits at the airport for a shorter period (four to eight hours) to provide last-minute coverage. Depending on the airline, staffing levels, and month, a reserve pilot may fly very little or fly as much as a regular ‘line pilot’.

How Schedules Impact a Pilot’s Pay

This is known as “minimum monthly guarantee” and is a quick way for pilots to estimate their pay as a basic function of hours multiplied by hourly pay rate. Many factors can cause take-home pay to exceed this amount and vary heavily depending on the airline and their CBA, if applicable.

Reserve pilots frequently receive a higher minimum guarantee to compensate for the lack of additional pay that comes with scheduled flying.

Pilots walking who are senior and junior.

The Bottom Line of Pilot Schedules

Commercial pilot schedules are a major aspect of a pilot’s quality of life and a pilot considering applying at an airline should certainly perform their due diligence and research the scheduling practices of their target company. Once hired, being thoroughly familiar with the rules and agreements governing scheduling can ensure a pilot is both safe and legal while maximizing their personal goals of flying or time at home.

Pilot work schedules and the associated flexibility can vary wildly, and having the knowledge of their company can help a pilot to have a happier and more productive career.

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