F D X v. S W A

[LarryinTN]

All else being equal, I'd take FedEx. SWA would be my first choice out of the pax airlines, though.

 

[Whine Lover]

I've worked for two airlines:

-One Cargo/Freight

-One Pax

The freight job ended up being half day and half night flying. And I only flew, on average, 7.8 days per month over my six year tenure as a Freight Dog.

At the pax job I generally fly, on average, about 14 days per month.

Short and sweet?....I'll never fly freight again.

Why?...Read the thread about the mice dying early when they had their body clocks jacked around.

I can tell you from experience that pulling that all-nighter will make you feel like you are hungover without even having had the pleasure of the drunken debauchery prior. It's no fun, and you start to dread going to work on those trips you know you will be up all night.

If you don't die early, after years of feeling like Krap...you get to collect the "Pot of Gold" at the end of the rainbow. ( Retirement ) Good Luck with that Lottery.

Also, as somebody previously mentioned, it really does suck eating dinner and watching all the other crews heading into the hotel bar. Then, when you come down to the lobby at 10pm they are stumbling out and ready for A) the Room Party with the FA's, B) Letterman / Leno, or C) rubbing one out if the Room Party doesn't "work out".

You, on the other hand, WANT to go to sleep...but you are drinking coffee so you can stay awake and fly with 2 old,fat guys so you can get to the Hub / Sort and tap your toes from 2-6 am. Only to repeat the process so that you can get to some hotel at 9am and try to get some sleep with the maids banging around in the halls and all the doors slamming as people leave to check out.

Some of my buddies from my previous life stayed in night freight...their wives / kids / financial needs / mortgages forced them too.They are at: ABX, FDX, UPS, DHL and a handful of other outfits. They are all good enough friends to tell me the TRUTH : "I don't like my job. The money is great."

On the other hand here's a good example you might learn from:

My buddy was an Emery DC-8 Captain. He was Senior enough to hold Postal Contract flying which afforded him the luxury of mostly day flying. However, there were many times he had to fly the regular Night Hub. He was making about $140-150,000 / yr.

All I ever heard from him was how he hated the thought of going to work most of the time. Finally, I told him.."Shut up. YOU are the one who has flown for three freight airlines, why do you keep doing something you don't like?"

He quit and went to work for Spirit as a $30,000/yr DC-9 FO.

He has never been happier. And, he certainly looks better due to having lost 30 pounds and getting to sleep on the "right side of the clock".

IMHO:

"Night Freight = Right side of the pay scale. Wrong side of the airport. Wrong side of the clock."

And remember...Two "wrongs" never make a "right".


YKW

 

[SWA/FO]

at 10pm they are stumbling out and ready for A) the Room Party with the FA's, B) Letterman / Leno, or C) rubbing one out if the Room Party doesn't "work out".

amen!

 

[canyonblue]

Though my buds at Southwest have mentioned that there are more than a few of the unpleasant "Colonel" types floating around there too...

But they make great chicken! :blush:

 

[Oh-ryan]

But they make great chicken! :blush:

Well, it's a well known fact, Sonny Jim, that there's a secret society of the five wealthiest people in the world, known as The Pentavirate, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers, and meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion in Colorado, known as The Meadows. The Pentavirate is comprised of The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettys, The Rothschilds, AND Colonel Sanders before he went t!ts up. Oh, I hated the Colonel with is wee beady eyes, and that smug look on his face. "Oh, you're gonna buy my chicken! Ohhhhh!"

 

[bustinmins]

If you want to work hard for a living - go to SWA. If not, then head to Memphis my friend!

 

[SWA/FO]

But they make great chicken! :blush:

awesome baby!!!

 

[bustinmins]

If you decide to come to SW then welcome aboard brother! If you go to FedEx then Fukc Off!

Gup

Now that's the team spirit we've all come to know and love here on Flightinfo.com

Enjoy hauling that Jepp bag on your seven legs today! For me, two legs in three days is just too much to handle...I think I'll just head to the bar.

 

[walden]

Exaggeration noted. Seven legs is a bit of a stretch, and going to the bar while flying hub turns is even more of a stretch. Go where you want to go, and if you can't do that then go where you're hired.

 

[SWA/FO]

Enjoy hauling that Jepp bag on your seven legs today! For me, two legs in three days is just too much to handle...I think I'll just head to the bar.

You failed to mention the 4-5 hour sort inbetween your legs. Enjoy the sort. Nothing like a 40+ hour layover away from your Family. You like wasting time? Time for a nap.