?? for those that have flown major dom and intl.

[av8instyle]

I fly for Alaska, and my background is a commuter that did strictly day turns, and military fighters. So my question is: what's the big deal about international trips? All I do at Alaska is mostly turns. The longest trip we have is a 4 day, which I never bid. The only international flying we do is Mexico and Canada, so we don't do any REAL intl flying. The longest leg I have ever flown is ANC-SEA, 3.5 hrs btb. I have my first "long haul" trip tomorrow. It's an ANC-LAX non stop. I'm not looking forward to it. So what is it that I am missing regarding real international flying? I truly know nothing about it other than it seems like a long time in the seat for a few extra bucks an hour. What is it that you like about it more than domestic?

BTW, in no way is this intended as a flame. I truly know little about it and am curious what you guys like about it.

 

[Diesel-9]

To each his own. Seems they either love it or hate it. ANC/LAX is nothing though compared to MSP/NRT etc.

 

[av8instyle]

To each his own. Seems they either love it or hate it. ANC/LAX is nothing though compared to MSP/NRT etc.

ANC-LAX is nothing compared to about any long haul, hence part of the reason for my question.

 

[Heavy Set]

The rules are different. There is no 30 in 7 rule flying International, so you can back up trips and fly 12 straight and get it all over with for the month if you want. Also, anything over 8 hours of flying means another crewmember must be there, which means crew rest. If you can't sleep on a plane, then it could be tough on you. Hotels are usually better due to security concerns, and per diem can be higher because of the weak dollar.

 

[talespin]

I fly for Alaska, and my background is a commuter that did strictly day turns, and military fighters. So my question is: what's the big deal about international trips? All I do at Alaska is mostly turns. The longest trip we have is a 4 day, which I never bid. The only international flying we do is Mexico and Canada, so we don't do any REAL intl flying. The longest leg I have ever flown is ANC-SEA, 3.5 hrs btb. I have my first "long haul" trip tomorrow. It's an ANC-LAX non stop. I'm not looking forward to it. So what is it that I am missing regarding real international flying? I truly know nothing about it other than it seems like a long time in the seat for a few extra bucks an hour. What is it that you like about it more than domestic?

It all about the family and being home as much as possible. The Intl trips are more productive than domestic flying. The pay is generally better from a wide body/mid body verse a narrow body stand point. The bad side is being stuck in the tube for a lot of hours.

 

[SWA GUY]

I just did BWI-LAX. 6 hours in the seat is not fun for me.

MSP-NRT? No thanks!

 

[say again]

It all depends on what you want. I, for one, enjoy the shorter trips. I get a little restless after the 4th hr.
Some reasons why people like the int'l flying (from others): more pay, no "quick" turns when already an hr behind, to see the world, bigger planes (usually), after 8 hrs it's nap time, better food (maybe), etc. Im sure people have other good reasons, but these are a few I remember being told.

 

[LandGreen]

I just did BWI-LAX. 6 hours in the seat is not fun for me.

MSP-NRT? No thanks!

most int'l pilots wouldn't like flying 6 hours in a 737 cockpit either! as someone said before, anything over 8 means an extra crewmember, so you really only might sit in seat 6 hours. working in a 767, 777, 747 where you can stand up and stretch, go to a true vertical crew rest facility and sleep for a few hours or enjoy a biz class meal.

best part of int'l is sched. 3 day trips with only 2 legs worth 24 plus hours that are commutable on both ends. 24 hours in a big europe city, or australia isn't bad either!

however, especially these days there are some pilots that don't want anything to do with that kind of flying and actually still enjoy the mulitple up/downs each day. that is the beauty of having choices!

 

[Old School 737]

working in a 767, 777, 747 where you can stand up and stretch, go to a true vertical crew rest facility and sleep for a few hours or enjoy a biz class meal.

Don't you mean horizontal? I don't know about you but I can't sleep so hot standing up!

 

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

I just got back from a Newark-Honolulu-Newark 3-day. 10.5 over and 9.5 back. I'm totally exhausted and flying for a long time gets boring, but the layovers are great. It's hard to complain when you're sitting on the beach in Waikiki enjoying the sun. There are advantages and disadvantages to all types of flying.