Originally Posted by
Heisenb3rg
Question for anyone flying long haul: compared to short haul (with 2 sectors per day and the average sector being. about 2hrs), does it not get incredibly boring spending the majority of your career in the cruise? What do you do for all that time? Or does the fact you do it only a couple of times per week rather than 5 days in a row make it more enjoyable?
it’s a lifestyle job. It’s about the life down route. If you are someone who will be an Olympic torch down route (never goes out) locking yourself in the room and not socialising, it would be miserable.
Plenty to do in the cruise. You are travelling much longer distances with remote alternates, so keeping on top of where is suitable, ETPs and how you would fly the approach in the conditions does take some time. You will be flying a lot of older people to cruises (not a stereotype, it’s a fact) who can get very ill very quickly. You also get rest periods to chill away from the flight deck or sleep. Or just watch the IFE. Most of my time in the seat is spent chewing the fat with the bloke in the other seat, getting down route tips or seeing where to invest the pension fund, thinking what will catch me out on the approach at the far end, where I want to hold, how much fuel I’m willing to hold down to, diversion routing, mentally rehearsing go-around. There is plenty to do, if you aren’t gashing it.