Typical Block hours on Cargo Airline bid line (FDX, UPS, etc.)

[GE CF34-3B1]

A friend of mine at FDX sent me the bid packs for all equipment and I noticed that the typical line had around 35 - 45 hours of flying per month on average.

That really is not that much flying in terms of actual "block" time. I noticed that the days off were around 13 - 14 on average for most FedEx lines in most equipment. But in a 28-day bid cycle that's probably equivalent to about 15 days off in a 30/31-day month.

Is this something that is typical of just FedEx, or other cargo airlines too?

I think this definitely sums it up that FedEx flying is much less in terms of total flying than SWA flying.... 40 hours, vs. 80 - 85 hours. Or any other pax carrier for that matter. But I have seen SWA lines and the days off are higher - around 17 - 18 days off. So I guess it's a trade off, work double the amount of flying and get about 3 - 4 more days off per month.

I'm also interested in hearing from pilots of other cargo airlines about their total block hours flown per month - like UPS, ABX, and DHL.

Opinion, comments? Please.

 

[klhoard]

FDX block hours

The system form here doesn't lend itself to flying alot of block hours every month. Basically, you fly the boxes one or two (seniority dependent!!) legs into a hub, sit around a while, then one or two legs back out. The other variation is the AM or PM out-n-backs, mostly moving the US Mail. I don't know if it's still in there, but one of the 727 lines consisted of 12 MEM-SHV-MEM (about 0:45 block each way) afternoon out-n-backs. There are alot of PM out-n-backs with <1:30 block each way.

However, if you're senior and good at bidding, you can fly even less. There are several lines of hotel standby in Indianapolis, Oakland, and a couple other places. So. . . if you can hold these lines and live in that city, that's about the closest you can get to stealing money from Fred since the hotel standby crews are rarely used.

Another way to draw a paycheck without flying an airplane is to bid Relief Flight Officer lines. I'm new to the international flying, but it looks like RFO-ing consists of doing the walk-around, talking to the company, running the ACARS, and managing the catering. Every once in a while, beg a landing out of the operating crew so you don't have to go to the sim for your 3 T/O & Landings.

If you fly 80-85 block hours in a month here at FDX, you are doing something very seriously WRONG!!!

 

[Frac Daddy]

klhoard,

Is hotel standby like hot reserve? What is the call out time? Thanks.

 

[klhoard]

FDX Hotel Standby

I haven't done alot of hotel standby, but I'm pretty sure it's 11:30 hours on, 12:30 hours off, 45 minute notification to block-out. If they bring you into the airport for a standby period, then it's 5:00 hours on then back to the hotel.

 

[TonyC]

If you fly 80-85 block hours in a month here at FDX, you are doing something very seriously WRONG!!!

Or seriously RIGHT!


How 'bout 5 trips to Stansted (4 24-hr layovers, one weekend) and 23 days off (5 week month)? 12 days of work in a 5-week month, and a third of the flying time is spent sleeping. [87:10 Block]




The beauty of it is there's just about as many different types of lines of flying as there are folks.

 

[klhoard]

FDX block hours

TonyC,

I haven't done international yet, so I was referring to "domestic 727" block hours.

B-727 block hours vs. MD-11 block hours. Two very, very different animals!!!

 

[de727ups]

Ups

Hotel Hot....now that would be sweet. We have similar duty called airport hot but you have to hang out in the crew lounge for 8 hours and be ready to launch ASAP.

The trip I'm doing now works 12 days on out of 28 and blocks 25 hours a month. It's a domestic 767 trip out of the Ont domicle. When I was on the 727, my goal was to fly under 100 hours a year. I did that several years.

 

[HoursHore]

Is there a FedEX route map anywhere? I found an International one on thier website, but nothing Domestic. Interested in finding out if they fly to GJT and how many times a day. Also Denver if anyone knows.

 

[baseal]

If you fly 80-85 block hours in a month here at FDX, you are doing something very seriously WRONG!!!

Unbelievable! Up until retirement my dad was flying darn near 100hrs a month and not complaining a bit. I was getting a medical done a couple of months ago and overheard some FedEx guys complaining about "having to fly a couple of days while their family was on vacation". If flying is such a pain in the as* then quit! I've bled purple and orange since birth and have lived a somewhat comfortable life because of it, but not due to "flying a couple of days a month" I can assure you.

 

[PurpleInMEM]

" Unbelievable! Up until retirement my dad was flying darn near 100hrs a month and not complaining a bit. I was getting a medical done a couple of months ago and overheard some FedEx guys complaining about "having to fly a couple of days while their family was on vacation". If flying is such a pain in the as* then quit! I've bled purple and orange since birth and have lived a somewhat comfortable life because of it, but not due to "flying a couple of days a month" I can assure you. "


You bleed purple and orange??? Come on!


This is THE job because of the low block hours! I consider it the best benefit of working here. 100 hours a month? The only way I could even get close to that would be some insane VLT or DRF time and I'm sorry but I won't do either. Maybe MD11 guys are into that, but I imagine for many of us 45 minutes to an hour inside the aluminum tube is plenty. There are lots of guys that want to fly an MD11 around the world, but when the base pay is the same to fly an MD10 back and forth to St. Louis I don't see it in my future.


The airlines attracted me because of the money, retirement (now suspect unfortunately), and time off. FedEx led the list because of the low block time and double dead heads. You'd have to be a moron to quit a gig like this. I mean come on...flying out of my home town, sleeping in my own bed except for the twice a year "mandatory fun" training in MEM. You can't beat it, but I'll never "bleed purple and orange." It is after all, a job.


I agree with Keith...if you're flying that much you're doing something wrong (or your juniority won't let you bid the short trips).

 

[klhoard]

Daddy's little boy. . .

Unbelievable! Up until retirement my dad was flying darn near 100hrs a month and not complaining a bit. I was getting a medical done a couple of months ago and overheard some FedEx guys complaining about "having to fly a couple of days while their family was on vacation". If flying is such a pain in the as* then quit! I've bled purple and orange since birth and have lived a somewhat comfortable life because of it, but not due to "flying a couple of days a month" I can assure you.

baseal,

I reviewed all of your posts on here and it doesn't appear that YOU currently work at FedEx, but your father did. I can guarantee that if he wasn't working on his "High Five", he wouldn't have been flying 100 block hours per month close to retirement.

So. . . . Until you're peeing in the tall grass, just stay on the porch. . . .

 

[Hose A. Jiminez]

How many hours are logged waiting on a sort in the middle of the night?

 

[Laughing_Jakal]

Baseal get some perspective

Make no mistake....I do not think of flying as a pain in the ass, I understand it to be what it is ...... a business transaction. I am specifically renumerated to fly an aircraft professionally, safely, and legally to and from and what time the company tells me to. I fly a schedule published by the company and bid on by nature of my seniority.

The fact that our block hours may be less than some, is one facet of the negotiations determining the worth of my services. The nature of the relationship between our block hours and our pay hours is a reasonable question. The fact of the matter, Baseal...that in most months the best you can do (if you fly the agreed upon schedule) is 72 hours......in other months it is somewhere close to 90 (in pay).....to fly over a hundred hours a month might get someone into Hot water with some Federales....to get paid over a hundred hours in a month is something entirely different all together....much akin to those fancy ladies standing on the street corner. I will admit, I've piled on the makeup hours those months my bride failed to be discerning in the use of the credit card.

I do not bleed purple and orange.....don't get me wrong....I like the job...but the only time I ever contemplated the possibility of bleeding while flying was in the service of God and Country. I don't bleed for a corporation whose aim is making money....I become involved and negotiate for a piece of the pie.

If in fact your Dad always got paid 100 hours in a month, then his feeding at the trough defined the fact that you never bled Purple and Orange, but in fact you nursed off the Purple and Orange teat. Good for you, good for your Dad, but don't take false umbrage at the fact that others have found an equitable trade for their services that fits their lifestyle.

Block hours, and pay are only a small part of the negotiating equation. Post again after you've shaved and we'll all buy you your first beer. It may be passion for you, but for the rest of us...it's just good business.

Cheers,
Jakal

 

[baseal]

Alright, I've obviously hit quite a nerve with some of you. For that, I apologize. That was not my intent. I can admit when I'm wrong, and now is one of those times. I have been misinformed on several issues which led to my statements. I do feel strongly about FedEx as a whole on what it was and what it has become. I wish everyone the best.

 

[slowdryver]

Hub turn time

Hose Jimenez,

Mas o menos tres horas en el "hub turn". Depends on where you come in from and where you are going to. The business model plays the different time zones; thus (generally) most east coast trips leave earlier compared to west coast.

slowdriver

 

[Laughing_Jakal]

Wow...I'm impressed

Baseal....
Can I buy you a beer now? You are a bigger man than me, that's for sure. It takes big stones to show that kind of humility, especially when guys like me come off the top rope for sport. I can only hope that FedEx can be as successful for my family as it has been for yours.

Cheers,

Jakal