Do airline pilots get to go home every night?

Question

Do commercial airline pilots get to go home every night. Or do they have to stay in other cities for a while before returning home? Thanks!

Answer 1

It all depends on how long you have been with the airline and what type of schedule you want. We have 1, 2, 3, and 4 day trips at my airline. Obviously, the people who get the 1 day trips are home at night. The people who get the multiple day trips stay at a hotel until the last day when they will end up at home. I am currently on a 4 day trip and am in the hotel in Scranton, PA. Last night I was in the hotel in Houston, TX and the night before that I was in Grand Rapids, MI. Tomorrow night I will be at home. Then I have one day off and start another 4 day trip after that.

Answer 2

My father retired from the airlines. There is a lot to take into consideration in this question. We lived in Virginia and his base of operations was in Chicago. Airline pilots bid on schedules each month. Typical schedules have anywhere from "3 day trips" on up. If you live near your base of operations and fly shuttle flights back and forth between that city and another, then you can probably be home every night. If you take longer trips or several hops to different locations you will probably stay overnight in another city. My father would take a jump seat on a company plane from D.C. to Chicago the day before his rotation started. He had an apartment there. During his trip he could be anywhere depending on what line on the schedule he successfully bid. The good thing is he usually had anywhere from 5 to 10 days between trips each month so he got to spend lots of time at home.

Answer 3

Most airlines require you to layover in other cities. But there are some that do not. Some of the smaller regional airlines in the U.S. have all of their bases at the outstations (as opposed to the hubs) and the trips are all day trips. In other words crews are back at their base every night - if you live in base you are home. They do this to save on hotel costs, but it limits their flexibility with the crews.

New start-up Skybus in Columbus, Ohio does all day trips as does USA 3000 airlines. Some of the major airlines do have some schedules that allow some crews to be home every night as well, but that is the exception, not the rule.

In short as a general rule you will be in hotels while on trips, but their are a few airlines where you can be home every night.

Answer 4

Airline pilots have a maximum number of hours they can fly in a 24 hour day. FAA regulations state that the pilot must not exceed the time limit set for the pilot inorder to prevent fatigue and lack of sleep. So ya, they get to rest at a hotel in that city or if they are at their home city. They just cannot exceed a certain time and must rest. You wouldn't a pilot falling asleep at the wheel eh?

Answer 5

There are secure practices regulations with regard to the form of hours a pilot can stay on the controls. If a pilot did an 8 hours flight from London England to Kingston Jamaica, he/she would would desire to stay resting in Jamaica for a evening earlier piloting a return flight. extremely short flight, however the pilot would be remote from domicile for virtually 3 days - if he's beginning off from Jamaica at 9AM interior sight time, this is truthfully 3PM already in England, so time distinction is something to evaluate

Answer 6

No, they have lay-overs in other cities. How would a pilot fly overseas and be home the same night. They have scheduled flights with so many hours down time between the next flight. If the down time falls at their home base, then they r home those days/hrs.

Answer 7

If you can bid a schedule of out and backs the same day, yes you will get home every night. Those trips are not that rare, but the vast majority of guys will be doing multi day trips. Out and backs go pretty senior when they pop up in the schedule.

Answer 8

They usually have to stay at the city they land, depending on the time. But pilots usually have their set route itinerary, so it's not like they will always stay in a new city. Let's say you pilot the New York to LA flight, you'll stay in New York, or LA, depending on when your last flight lands.

Answer 9

They are only allowed to fly so many hours. They may need to stay over night and then fly out again the next day.

Answer 10

No because they are away half a month so you live out of you suite case alot. But if you love the job than you will love to see all the other states and countries that you would have never seen before.