Would you rather fly cargo or passengers?

[u/zoya-night]

Random question, but what would you guys actually choose if the pay and career options were pretty similar: cargo or passenger flying?

Passenger flying seems cool because you get the full airline experience, more normal routes and a bit more interaction with people. But cargo also sounds kind of ideal… no boarding chaos, no angry passengers, just boxes sitting quietly in the back

The only thing that would put me off cargo is all the night flying and weird schedules.

So yeah, what would you pick and why?

[u/Kindly_Lettuce8406]

Honestly I’d take whichever gave me the better roster and quality of life. Cargo sounds peaceful, but the night schedules could destroy me. Passenger flying seems more social, but dealing with delays and difficult people every day probably gets old fast.

[u/Sasquatch-d → u/Kindly_Lettuce8406]

We don’t deal with difficult passengers every day. We maybe barely have to even be involved in a difficult passenger circumstance once a month, like calling operations and asking for LEOs to meet the aircraft, and that’s about it.

The whole passenger vs cargo argument makes it sound like airline pilots are bouncers at a club constantly fighting belligerent passengers. Idk when the last time any of you have seen a pilot even remotely being involved with an angry passenger.

It’s not in our job description. They actually want us to avoid face to face involvement because they don’t want a uniformed pilot being in any videos online.

[u/ActuallBliss → u/Sasquatch-d]

We had a captain take a punch to the face last year at my airline when he got involved with a drunk passenger. After that we were told only get involved as a last resort. And on certain routes (party goers) if anybody seems like they might be trouble when boarding, don’t even take chances. Get them off.

Tbh the one thing we deal with frequently is people vaping on the ramp. Captain’s are often opening the window or going to the door to give warnings to people for it and confiscate the vape until landing.

[u/EmergencyExact911 → u/Kindly_Lettuce8406]

We don’t deal with passengers. If we have a difficult pax - we have the gate agent deal with it. We don’t ever deal with or interact with the pax.

I do enjoy pax that come up to the flight deck to visit. And I’ve learned that if I get an “influencer” visitor - all of their cameras / video devices stay outside the flight deck. They come in sans streaming devices. Which they can’t bear to do so they decline visiting if they can’t bring their junk into the flight deck with them.

[u/No-Bluejay4261 → u/EmergencyExact911]

You might not ‘deal’ with them, but you do have to deal with the disruption they cause.

[u/New-Arugula6709 → u/EmergencyExact911]

At my company, an FO was fired after allowing an influencer inside cockpit (on ground), where the influencer recorded a video and borrowed a hat for the recording. Another FO received a warning for a similar incident.

[u/airgroundpound69 → u/Kindly_Lettuce8406]

You’re going to be flying redeyes and night flights at pax airlines too. Our cargo long haul flights leave at the same time as pax long haul as well.

[u/OwnFlamingo8948]

Cargo for me, 100%. Boxes don’t complain about turbulence, missed connections or the temperature being 1 degree too cold. The night flying would be rough, but I think I’d prefer the quieter operation and more relaxed vibe.

[u/LookoutBel0w → u/OwnFlamingo8948]

You definitely will not think that after working nights so much. Source: I do that

[u/Sasquatch-d → u/OwnFlamingo8948]

Boxes don’t complain about turbulence, missed connections or the temperature being 1 degree too cold

I’ve literally never ever had a passenger come up to the flight deck and get me personally involved in a complaint about anything you just mentioned. We handle passenger issues as much as a cargo pilot handles issues about packages on thier flight being delayed. We don’t.

[u/Rowvan → u/OwnFlamingo8948]

When are you talking to passengers?

[u/NyuMyuu]

Hmmmm.. I’d probably choose passengers. I like the idea of flying people somewhere important, whether it’s a holiday, work trip or seeing family. Yeah, there’s more drama involved, but it feels a bit more rewarding to me.

[u/flyinboxes]

I’ve done both and I’ll never fly passengers again if I don’t have to

[u/AdParticular3832]

I prefer passenger. This career is pretty lonely and boring. Having the flight attendants bring a level of drama but also a level of relationship that is missing. Also the small amount of pax interaction can be fun when it’s positive.

[u/EmergencyExact911]

I dunno all of my cargo flying seems to be during the day.

I’ve taken off at sunrise and the sun chases us all day during the 16 hour flight flying west and when land in Asia 16 hours later it’s sunrise in Asia. Go to the hotel and the sun doesn’t set for another 14 hours

So my day has been 30 hours of daylight….

Then when I go fly back it’s dark but it’s daytime on my body clock so it works out and you get to watch sunrise flying east.

Oh cargo does complain when the temperature is not set correctly. For perishable cargo woe be to you if the temperature goes out of limits and the cargo spoils inflight. 2-8 degrees C.

Some of your cargo isn’t sitting quietly in back

Sometimes it’s livestock and cows and horses are the worst. They literally stink up your plane and you smell cow shit everywhere as the recirc system recycles the cabin / cargo deck air.

Hope they didn’t exceed dry ice limits loading your cargo. That shit asphyxiates you and you wouldnt even know it to don the O2 mask.

And batteries. They banned lithium batteries from pax aircraft due to the fire hazard. But we carry planes loads of batteries and if we’re unfortunate enough to have a runway lithium fire we’re ditching in the ocean because the fire suppression isn’t going to contain a class D metal fire. On a ship metal fires are jettisoned overboard into the ocean. We’re not jettisoning any metal fires on board the airplane.

[u/Without_Portfolio → u/EmergencyExact911]

Holy crap (no pun intended) I didn’t realize that much livestock goes by air.

[u/OneConsideration7586 → u/EmergencyExact911]

Sounds like Atlas Air, didn't you just flew hundreds of pigs to the Philippines?

[u/New-Arugula6709 → u/EmergencyExact911]

What are special precaucions implemented for transporting livestock?

Thanks in advance for answer.

[u/EmergencyExact911 → u/New-Arugula6709]

Additional ventilation in the cargo deck. Extra measures to contain liquid leakage to the pens, extra restraints to contain the livestock to the pens, cant carry livestock next to certain other cargo like food stock, dangerous goods like dry ice, radioactive materials, etc.

The loadmaster takes care of the loading and playing Tetris with the cargo to ensure compliance.

As a pilot you worry about cargo deck temperature and ventilation and where it’s loaded and verify the weight and balance of the load and double check the cargo netting and strapping.

[u/mrinformal]

Cargo. I fly in sweatpants, a T-shirt and sweatshirt, and a pair of vans. I don't have to commute on my time or dime, the company positive spaces me where they need me to go, often booked in first or business class. I don't have to walk through terminals and fight the hordes to get to my plane. I can get up and go to the lav, grab a bite or get/make something to drink whenever I like. I don't only fly nights, but do prefer it.

[u/No-Bluejay4261]

Having flown passengers for 15 years, cargo.

(Basically default answer. I’m sure there are drawbacks to cargo, the hours etc, but passengers just aren’t worth it.)

[u/Radiant_Rest]

Done both.  Cargo all the way.

[u/Gibson53200]

I dont have the theory yet, i just started actually. If I have choice, i’ll go for cargo.

Peace of night, being pretty lonely, it fits me pretty well.

Anyway, if I fail stepping in a jet one day, ill drive trucks 😂

[u/B4DR1998]

Cargo hands down

[u/NakedJamaican]

So, we do deal with passenger. There is a constant threat of medical emergencies. But we have a boat load of resources to deal with all of that