I don’t understand this FR argument of “in bed every night”
with a 4/5am alarm set 5 days in a row? Or getting into that bed near midnight?
Ryanair pilots think every other airline spends 28 days away in a hotel?
Long haul I was away 2-3 nights max and then about 5-8 days off afterwards. It was approximately 15-20 days off a month depending on the roster. You might need 24 hours to get back to feeling 100% but I surely would need the same after 5 days of repeat earlies/lates and multiple sector days. Short haul ops was great, hardly any nights away and those nights you did spend away included no time zone changes. Enough time for a decent meal and a drink in the evening and a stroll around in the morning.
Horses for courses and what suits you, but I simply don’t buy into this “5/4 in bed every night” as though it’s the holy grail of Aviation.