While there usually are no flight benefits as a cargo pilot, reciprocal jumpseat privileges for crew members can be expected with nearly every one of them, making commuting to work still an option for those looking to live outside of their base.
People Also Ask
The short answer is yes – the majority of airlines offer free flights as an employee benefit for pilots and often for their immediate family members. Before applying to an airline for a pilot position, be sure to ask about employee benefits in addition to pilot salary.
Cargo pilots fly considerably fewer hours than passenger pilots. Cargo pilots average approximately 31 hours of “block time” per month compared with 57 hours for passenger pilots. MYTH: Cargo pilots get less rest than airline pilots.
Cargo pilots sometimes have less conventional schedules. It's common for long-haul cargo schedulers to build trips that might last upwards of two weeks away from home.
The biggest “con” of being a cargo pilot over a passenger pilot is you work a lot of very early mornings, as most cargo planes get loaded over night before the airport opens for regular traffic. Sometimes a cargo plane will takeoff well before it opens.
Schedules can vary depending on what route you have. Our work schedules are five days on and two days off, Monday-Friday or Tuesday-Saturday. Most pilots start out as “Floaters” and fill in as needed (similar to pilot reserve schedules at most airlines). This type of schedule has a lot of short days during the week.
As a cargo pilot, any type of schedule you can imagine is available—domestic, international, 1-day trips, 14-day trips, all-daytime flying, all-nighttime flying, and every combination of these. It is a myth that we only fly in the middle of the night!
A flight like any otherAt the start of our duty we meet at dispatch to discuss the flight and paperwork, we pass through crew security and when we arrive at the airplane, the loading process is usually well on its way.
In the U.S., there are no FAA age limits for pilots except for commercial airline pilots employed by airlines certificated under 14 CFR Part 121. These airlines cannot employ pilots after they reach the age of 65. However, these pilots may stay on with a Part 121 carrier in some other role, such as flight engineer.
While passenger planes predominantly fly travelers with minimal luggage stored in the hold, cargo planes are completely kitted out for the transport of goods. There are no passenger seats in a freighter. Instead, there is an empty galley that can be manipulated to carry various types of cargo and maximize payload.
Cargo operators use passenger airports as well. Night flights for passengers aren't popular for a variety of reasons. Which means there are less flights for passengers landing and taking off during the night hours freeing up slots for cargo.
First, most airlines offer their employees (so not just pilots and flight attendants, but also gate agents, customer service agents, lawyers, programmers, etc.) free travel on the airline called “non-revenue tickets”.
Whether you're a pilot, flight attendant, gate agent or even an intern, you may have standby travel privileges that get you free flights on the airline you're working for and (potentially) on partner airlines.
Not too many people are aware that pilots in the U.S. must retire at age 65, due to federal regulations. That may be set to change, however, if a just-passed bill succeeds in becoming law.
A flight like any otherThe total crew of the cargo flights usually consists of two pilots: a Captain and a First Officer. On longer flights we are with three or four pilots: besides the standard crew also a Second Officer and/or sometimes another Captain or First Officer.
It is often true that many pilots flying passenger aircraft are paid better than their counterparts at cargo airlines (of course, it depends on the case). The main reason is that airline and cargo airline pilots have slightly different roles and work responsibilities.