Question for the UPS/FedEx pilots about scheduling

[BrianH]

Just curious here...I know pilots at American Airlines, United etc. (People haulers) tend to be away from home most of the time when they're working, but what's it like for those of you flying the big UPS/FedEx jets? Are your layovers simmilar, or would you say you're home more often than most airline pilots?

[DE727UPS]

I'm in a lucky position in that I can either bid to be home or not. For the most part, though, your average pilot is going to be away from home 12 days a month. That would be for someone who chooses not to live in base. If you live at your base, and bid reserve, you can be home a lot more.

For me, I live in Spokane WA. We have two day trips out of Spokane on my plane (757), though one is going to da Bus (A300-600R) in April. Since I'm senior in my seat (5 out of 120), I can get one of the Spokane day trips if I want. It's not all Spokane flying in those schedules, but I'd only be away from home 4 days a month if I do a mostly Spokane schedule. They don't build trips with just flying out of one city that much.

I don't really like the cold winters in Spokane, so right now I'm in Guadalajara doing LAX turns. It's a day trip, too, and I get a company paid ticket to and from work. I'm away from home about 12 days a month when I do this trip.

I've rambled on....

To answer your question simply, I'd say a freight guys number of days away from home is similar to a pax carrier.

[scoobs]

How hard is it to start flights from your home town.Also do they have out and backs?And what are most schedules like and reserves.

[A300Capt]

[ QUOTE ]
How hard is it to start flights from your home town.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it just all depends on where your hometown is and how senior you are in the seat you fly.


[ QUOTE ]
Also do they have out and backs?And what are most schedules like and reserves.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, we have out and backs called "turns" out of SDF and a few turn lines out of selected gateways. Afternoon turns go very senior as you might imagine. I currently have a turn line and sleep in my own bed every night. The rest of the schedules run the full spectrum from week on/week off to 2 wk on/2 wk off and everything in between. Some folks may just fly between two cities while others fly all over the place. Some people have to commercial into and out of trips while others begin and end at home. Seniority rules your quality of line and quality of life.

Reserve lines vary from long block (16 days on/off) to short block(6-8 days on/off). Some reserve line cover the front side of the clock while others cover the backside flying.

[scoobs]

What is the shortest trips you can be on besides turns.Do they have like 3 on 4 off?And what are the international trips like,and are the ones to Europe senior?Also what kind of trips do the DC-8 do?

[DE727UPS]

It's pretty hard to describe a typical sked. UPS is gonna get at least 12 days out of 28 from you. It's rare that you don't get a full week off once during those 28 days. Beyond that...there is just about whatever you want. International is often 14 on and the rest of the month off, but those go senior. Sometimes they are broken up. Europe has always been senior. The 8 does all domestic. I hear there is one day trip left...ONT-DSM-ONT. The 8 has some nice lines, kinda like the 727 used to. For example...they took over the STL-RFD-STL trip we used to do on the 727.

[seagull]

FedEx is similar, although we have a higher percentage of domestic day flying and a bit more extensive Int'l route system, so that affects the makeup of things a bit.

[Keysersoce]

Do most freight carriers run this type of schedule (1wk on/off, 2wk on/off, etc.)?

[DE727UPS]

I'll go so far as to say, in general, yes. But there are many variations.

[FlightOpsDude]

[ QUOTE ]
Do most freight carriers run this type of schedule (1wk on/off, 2wk on/off, etc.)?

[/ QUOTE ]

I used to be a lead crew sked at atlas. We had crews who were on base standby in MIA for more variable schedules out of there down to south america, and in ANC to pick up the pacific flying. Most of the other crews were on Resident Standby, which basically means you are at home waiting for that call, and if you do not return the call in 15 mins, you usually get written up. A lot of pilots are tired from having to deadhead all over the world... I remember a few instances where a crewmember had to be commercial'd from his home somewhere in the Midwest to DXB to back up a sick pilot or something in the vein. The -200 pilots did a whole lot more flying than the -400 guys, while hte -400 guys were complaining that they just spent day sitting on stanby without doing any flying.

[scoobs]

The people over at flightinfo say its easy to get day flying at Fedex is this true.

[seagull]

Yes.

[scoobs]

It seems that the 727 is mostly the night owl.Also are ANC intl trips usually 4 day trips ending in the morning.A guy posted a sample schedule I was wondering if that was typical or does that go senior.

[seagull]

ANC trips are a mix, but virtually all the flights out of ANC either leave in the morning between 7-11am or the afternoon between 2-4pm and virtually all arrive from about 6am thru noon.

727s fly both day and night.

[scoobs]

Is there a certain amount of time that you have to be there before your takeoff time?

[slamma1906]

Did u ever fly pax, and if so, do u miss or desire the glamour of pax behind u in the skies?

[seagull]

Our show time is normally 1 hr prior, although we are currently doing a 115 show in MEM for two crew aircraft.

I did fly pax at the regional, and also flew a few charters in my earlier days when we were doing them, had a couple of pax 747s and a few hundred flight attendants. Glamour? What glamour would that be?

Do I miss it? No, not really. Especially don't miss the hassles of dealing with the F/A's assorted problems, not to mention getting through customs with 17 flight attendants!

[scoobs]

Is there a crew rest policy?Or can you fly an all nighter to ANC from LAX get off that plane and report for your flight?And the thing that is bad about flying freight is no family flight benefits.But thts small compared to stability and good pay.

[seagull]

Well, we do get some benefits, it's not great, ours are better than any of the other freight carriers (primarily because we give all of the other carriers interline discounts on shipping).

As for doing that same duty time, well, no specific rule against that, but a very bad idea. I think that a lot of the capt's would ask for you to be replaced if you did that. We can go same duty time to Memphis and be covered with no penalty if the duty meets the contractual requirements.

[slamma1906]

We see whats happened at UAL, and in light of that how would a freight pilot plan for his or her retirement? Does Federal Express have a good plan or do most folk invest outside or FedEx??

[scoobs]

When you say some benefits do you mean discounted airfare?

[seagull]

While some of the pilots are now more nervous about retirement funds in light of UAL et al, the truth is that our A fund is currently well funded with no issues in sight. The company has never lost money, although they have not always made as much as they wanted -- there is NO time in the history of any of the pax carriers you could say that, even during regulation.

Our A-fund is essentially 50% of our final average earnings during the highest 5 years of the last 15. There are several creative ways of artificially making that number work out to well over 50% of a typical year's pay.

We have a company funded B-fund that is 6%. Overally, it is not a bad balance, as historically, B funds haven't done all that well, too dependent on external factors and personal choices, while A funds with solvent companies are pretty reliable.

On the travel benefits, yes, good interline rates for discounted travel, standard stuff, reduced airfare, hotels, rental cars, etc.

[scoobs]

Another UPS question.Do they have week on week off blocks for international flying on the 57/67?And how senior do the around the world flights go?

[scoobs]

bump

[Bog]

You do realize you're asking someone to define what cannot be defined, right? Please don't take this offensively, as I once asked the same questions myself. But, schedules change all the time, so there really isn't a sure way to describe what's what. Besides, in 2 months or 2 years, the amount of volume generated in a given area may increase or decrease, calling for a larger or smaller aircraft.

Over the past 5 1/2 years of flying for a regional, I'd much prefer to fly cargo. Just need to get the resume cranked out and hopefully line up an interview or two.