While becoming a Captain is often seen as the pinnacle of a pilot's career, many First Officers (co-pilots) choose to delay or decline the promotion for reasons related to seniority and quality of life. In the airline industry, everything from your flight schedule and holiday time to the routes you fly is determined by your "seniority" within your specific rank. A very senior First Officer might have a "choice" schedule, flying lucrative long-haul routes with weekends off. If they promote to Captain, they become the "junior-most" Captain at the bottom of a new list, often resulting in a "reserve" schedule where they must be on call, fly overnight shifts, or work on major holidays. For many pilots, the significant pay increase of a Captain's seat is not worth the loss of time with family or the unpredictability of a junior schedule. Additionally, the Captain bears ultimate legal responsibility for the aircraft, the crew, and the passengers; some pilots prefer the reduced administrative and legal burden of the right-hand seat while they wait for enough seniority to guarantee a better lifestyle as a Captain later on.