Are pilots away from home a lot?

The amount of time spent away from home depends on a crew member's seniority, preferences, and aircraft. The most labor-intensive schedule might place a pilot out of base for 12-15 nights in a month. An entire month's schedule for a line holder commonly includes four 4-day trips.



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Flight instructors and pilots who fly short-haul domestic flights are able to be home every night more or less; however, airline pilots who fly longer routes are unable to go home every night and can be away from home for up to two weeks at a time.

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We average 11-14 days off per month and most pilots will fly several weekends and most holidays unless you are senior. This usually means four 4-day trips (for me) with 2-4 days off between trips. Some senior pilots can get weekends off and choose to only fly 60-70 hours with 16-17 days off.

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Every pilot has a different schedule, and every pilot's schedule changes from month to month. The amount of time spent away from home depends on a crew member's seniority, preferences, and aircraft. The most labor-intensive schedule might place a pilot out of base for 12-15 nights in a month.

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Long-haul pilots will fly one leg to another country, layover for a day or more, and fly back. Most pilots will work for four days and then have three days off. This results in an average of 15 days off a month.

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In terms of actual days, some publications say most short-haul pilots will either travel home every day if possible or work for five days and then spend three or four days at home. Long-haul pilots are said to spend more time away from home, although they do get 10 to 15 days off per month to see their families.

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Additionally, we'll discuss factors such as age, work stress levels, deployment frequency and more that may influence marital satisfaction amongst pilots worldwide. Pilots have a divorce rate of 30.5%, according to a study conducted on various professions.

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The Lifestyle of a Professional Pilot
Pilots often have to work long hours and are often away from home for extended periods of time. However, pilots also enjoy many benefits, such as flexible schedules, dedicated time off, and an above-average income at the airline level.

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Depending on the type of flying that we do, we can spend a lot of time in hotels. Time in hotels can range from 12 hours to sometimes a week or more depending on the airline we work for and the type of trip we are flying.

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However, airline pilots will work fewer days than a 'normal job', with most pilots having at least ten days off a month. This may be a slightly surprising amount of time off, especially as the job as a pilot is seen as many by well-paid.

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Instead, they're paid an hourly wage for each flight hour flown, along with per diem. Most airlines guarantee a minimum number of hours per month, so that pilots can count on at least a minimum amount of monthly income.

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The majority of office workers live in or at least near the same city they are based. However, commercial pilots don't have such a limitation. You will basically have the freedom to live anywhere you want, whether that's “in base” or a completely different location.

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How many days do pilots usually get off a month? Commercial airline pilots typically have between 9 and 15 days off a month without including any leave, although this depends on the airline and type of operation.

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Flight times within the duty periods are restricted to a maximum of 8 hours for flight crews consisting of one pilot and 10 hours for flight crews consisting of two pilots. The 8-hour and 10-hour flight time limitations include any additional commercial flying performed by the flight crew during the period.

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The longtime stereotype of airline pilots is that they are male, fearless, perfectly fit, good at math, trained in the military, blessed with perfect vision, all paid like super senior 747 captains (regardless of what they really fly) and only at work three days every other month.

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Being a pilot can be stressful at times. It requires immense concentration, quick decision-making, and a lot of patience. A pilot is responsible for the well-being of all crew members and passengers on board, and they sometimes have to fly under unpredictable conditions.

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Prepared pilots are more likely to pass. In 2021, FAA data showed that 78% of all PPL pilots passed on their first attempt. In that same year, 79.5% of pilots passed their commercial pilot checkride, and the pass rate for CFI checkrides was 77.9%.

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Being a pilot can be stressful at times. It requires immense concentration, quick decision-making, and a lot of patience. A pilot is responsible for the well-being of all crew members and passengers on board, and they sometimes have to fly under unpredictable conditions.

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Family members may fly free when space is available or at discounted rates. Flying stand-by is a common benefit, but it can be challenging when there is a group. Some airlines provide “buddy passes” to pilots to share with friends and families.

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This is to keep their life as 'normal' as possible and to help fit into the social conduct of the modern world of Monday-Friday working. However, every pilot within an airline can't be able to have every weekend off work, which means as a pilot, it's common to work over the weekend when flights are notoriously busy.

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Being a Pilot Can be Lonely Living in and out of hotel rooms can leave many feeling disjointed and homesick.

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