Originally Posted by
Lake1952
I know a pilot, long since retired, who flew for Delta for many years. I was always amazed at the true length of his work day. He started his airline career with Northeast Airlines flying FH-227s across New England... Keene, Lebanon, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Worcester etc. Northeast merged into Delta circa 1972, and he progressed through several types with Delta. When Delta eventually closed its BOS pilot base, he remained in his suburban Boston home.
He eventually flew B763s out of JFK, most commonly to SVO. He'd leave his home to catch a "shuttle " flight from BOS to LGA, shooting for the 11AM or noon flight. A taxi from LGA to JFK to prepare for his international departure to SVO, about a 5PM departure. There were commonly hour long taxi times to take off. An 8-9 hour flight and a landing at SVO at was about 3AM for his body clock. There was a crew rest seat in the rear of the business class cabin and a third pilot, but the defacto length of his day was scary.
My larger point is how often a pilot's commute adds a considerable number of hours to his day.
I understand the point you are trying to make. But over in Europe we simply do not have such commutes as the norm. Most airlines require their crew to be within 60-90 minutes standby at their assigned hub. This sort of commuting is impossible at low cost carriers in Europe during the working week.