FrankR, your response belies someone that doesn't have the skill set to aspire to more then flying back and forth. Like you said the Aviation Manager makes more money, and yep, he has to deal with the people, but you know what.....He gets to bang his wife every night while you make knuckle babies to cable porn in the hotel room for week. He gets to do his hobbies, on his own schedule, gets to see his kids grow up and usually gets to cherry pick the flights he wants to take, giving you the crap ones. An most importantly? He tells you what to do. He is your boss. If you gotta anniverary that you have been waiting for, Xmas with the kids....YOU get that flight, that's right...meanwhile he's trimming the tree and chasing his wife around the house that night.