Pilot's Holiday

[ourish gal]

Can someone tell me what the deal is with Pilot's holiday?

On average how many days a year do Pilots get and can they take it off when they like?

Can they get time off for birthdays and Christmas's every year?

[Notso Fantastic]

You have got to be joking!
How many days?- however many the company agrees to give you.
When you take them?- when you can get them- affected by seniority order, some companies don't give leave in summer, shortage of pilots leading to leave cancelled.
Birthdays/Christmas/Easter/New Year/ Wedding anniversary?- just another day of the year honey! Luck of the draw. Trying to swap Easter off with someone who already has it? Guess what the odds of success are! Christmas- just another working day.

This is the airline life, it is not 9 to 5, every weekend off, summer holidays and holiday over Christmas and New Year. It takes a lot of getting used to, but people have a funny habit of wanting to fly places at holiday time! Orthodox Jews think they can insist on Saturdays off, free of duty, which means their colleagues would have to carry even more load at weekends- funny one that- surfaces every year or so! If you can't take it, end your association with an airline person!

[Capt Claret]

6 weeks in my Co.

Can apply for whatever period one wants. Approval mostly on a first come first served basis, comensurate with enough pilots at work to cover schedule. Can't apply more than about two years in advance, and xmas/new year shared around

I'd hate to go back to Monday to Friday - 9 to 5! :{

[B737NG]

We have 132 days off per year and we can select them when we want. As we are all work on this bases we are urged to take not more the 16 days in a calender month. But from the 15. of May until the 16 of June gives you 32 straight days off on a destination of your choice within the network we fly. We commute on confirmed seats.

NG

[Airbus Girl]

We get 37 days per year, which is pretty much the legal minimum now. This includes an allowance for working bank holidays. If you want a week off you have to take 7 days leave. Except you can't, you have to take leave in 4 day blocks. So for a week's holiday you must use 8 days leave. So we actually get about 4 weeks holiday plus bank hols in lieu. 2 weeks max in summer. You have to apply for your leave many months in advance, and you get it confirmed when they feel like it.
Depends on a rotating seniority system.
You can apply to have either Xmas Day/Boxing Day or New Year's Eve/Day off each year, or if you volunteer to work one you get the other off. If you ask for one off you will no doubt be working the other. If you keep quiet you'll probably get standbys or flights. Same for all other bank holidays.
We can request days off in winter 2 months ahead of time, up to 3 days per month, although you can't do that every month. You'll get them unless someone more senior wants them.
We can request days off in summer but have to request for May-Oct by around February and similar rules apply.
Oh, and sometimes they still get changed.

[ourish gal]

Wow! well, atleast I know now so I can prepare for it.

Thanks for the replies.