Commercial Aircraft Turnarounds

[abev107]

Before I got into flying/aviation, I just figured that commercial jets/props flew their routes then parked for the night. Now I know that isn't true.

I would be interested to hear about some pilots here who make several trips per day and what your time inbetween is like.

Is turnarounds the right word ?

 

[flx757]

Check the weather and release, get the ATIS and clearance, load the FMS, do the walkaround, hit the head, and maybe grab some food to go.

That's about 35 minutes worth.

 

[tarp]

20 to 45 minutes are normal, but when we see 45 minutes on the schedule, there's a good chance of a crew swap (meaning we move to another plane while some other crew takes ours).

The AIRPLANES at our airline work from 0500 in the morning till about midnight. The only time they rest is for a mechanical or a "heavy" inspection ("C" check is a common term). An airplane on the ground not in motion is not making any money for the airline.

Common staffing for airplanes is between 4 and 6 crews per plane. i.e. at our regional where all the planes have two pilots and one F/A, there must be twelve to 18 crewmembers for every airplane on the inventory. 10 airplanes = 180 crew, 100 airplanes = 1800 crew.

 

[abev107]

How about the flights as well as the inbetween. e.g. ewr-bos, bos-ewr. How many out and backs in a day, etc ?

 

[flx757]

Trips vary widely, and pilots bid the type of trips they prefer...and this preference varies, as well. Do you live in base, or do you commute? Do you bid for flight time (pay), or time off, etc. No schedule is really "typical", but this was my last trip:

Day 1:
ATL-ROC
ROC-ATL
ATL-PHF

Day 2:
PHF-LGA
LGA-PHF
PHF-MCO
MCO-PHL

Day 3:
PHL-FLL
FLL-PHL

Day 4:
PHL-ATL
ATL-HOU
HOU-ATL

I think this is fairly typical in the number of legs per day, with 3-4 being the norm.