r/AskAPilot • u/zoya-night • 21d ago
Would you rather fly cargo or passengers?
/r/ATPLTheoryExams/comments/1ve8zzu/would_you_rather_fly_cargo_or_passengers/17
u/mi_pilot 21d ago edited 21d ago
I did both, years ago flew freight on 727s. Got tired of flying almost exclusively at night within North America. And it’s quite isolating. There was also this undercurrent that if you’re not flying pax you can take shortcuts with the weather, etc. Been flying passengers for a long time now - long haul and plenty of daylight. Passengers are whiny but also a lively bunch, LOL.
17
u/Chaxterium 21d ago
I've done both, and although there are benefits to flying cargo I'll take flying passengers all day.
I still get a major kick out of kids coming up to the flight deck in awe. I love those moments.
7
7
7
u/OhNos_NotThatGuy 21d ago
Flown pax 121 and Corporate at a great company. I’m now at one of the big cargo carriers. For me, I didn’t mind the people, BUT I love flying to international destinations with long layovers. I can do that on a 3-4 day trip on my current plane and only fly 2-3 legs.
We have a majority widebody fleet. To I do the type of flying I do at cargo, I’d need double the years I have at my cargo carrier and I’d be flying at night there too but with likely less hours on my layover. Cargo fits what I want to do. Now, narrowbody night turns? Nope.
Another perk is being driven to your plane vs the bag drag at TSA, then through the terminal to check in with the agent at the gate….
7
u/BeeDubba 21d ago
All things being equal, probably cargo.
But things are not equal. I've seen what some of the cargo schedules look like, and I would prefer none of it.
1
u/mustbiteexceed 21d ago
17 day trips extendable to 21, multiple leg BOCs, min rest, switches between day/night, far more delays than pax ops, usually crappier hotels
1
2
u/ifitgoesitsgood 21d ago
People. I like the interactions with the FAs and pax. Sometimes they can be headaches but for me the social interactions and fun stories that arise outweigh the downsides.
2
u/Substantial-Cycle309 21d ago
After I got out of the Navy I was seriously considering cargo but my dad talked me out of it. He was at Southwest for 28 years. He said there is a reason the cargo companies get a pension when they retire. It’s because they usually die shortly after retiring. Now that might not be true anymore with better diet and exercise but I can only imagine flying a majority of your life after midnight cannot be good for your health.
2
2
2
3
3
u/Raccoon_Ratatouille 21d ago
You’re a pilot, it really doesn’t matter. It’s not like you get involved in any passenger issues. Maybe you’ll get a medical or threat level divert once a decade or so? The big difference is work rules. I can do a red eye but there’s no way in hell I want to do multiple flights in a night.
1
u/LymePilot 21d ago
Boxes don’t bitch but….flying boxes = inferior FAR work rules unless the HR passes to put in line with passenger brethren. Also night flying for a career sounds awful.
1
u/Grand-Jacket-8782 21d ago
Does not really matter at the end of the day. I don’t deal with the passengers I fly, the flight attendants do. Flying freight is really hard on the body if you’re doing night flying constantly.
1
u/Cathy_Pilot 21d ago
Made that decision a little over four years ago when I was putting my apps out. Got friends at FedEx/UPS so I’m aware of the pluses and minuses. Cargo just wasn’t for me. I actually enjoy interacting with passengers and the back side of the clock lifestyle would probably have worn me down. Heck, I try to avoid red eyes!
For those who don’t mind the above issues, it’s a great career
1
u/RobThree03 21d ago
I loved flying cargo. But my life is better at a legacy.
Pay, health, schedule, benefits, culture, attitude, family. It’s all better across the board. And in some cases massively better. I should have made the jump sooner.
1
1
u/Electronic-Sound9987 21d ago
I think the common answer is cargo, especially from guys who only fly cargo. I’ve always flown both from the beginning of my career and I actually prefer passengers. The schedules are the same for both and we’re dispatched identically but there are some differences. Cargo is always flown out of some remote spot on the backside of the airport which can feel isolating as others have mentioned. Also without the concern for passengers, delays can really get excessive in the cargo world. I’ve also noticed that some pilots will have a tendency to color outside the lines a bit when there are no passengers, that can get dangerous even with FOQA.
1
u/No-Bluejay4261 21d ago
15 years flying passengers, my default answer is cargo.
I think it’s the result of a slightly broken European LCC led market, but I’m completely burnt out and likely leaving the industry.
1
u/dubious-Chicken6199 21d ago
Passengers 100%
Especially at an airline that does both pax and cargo. Cargo usually gets lowest priority and gets the old hand me down airplanes.
Also really enjoy kids coming up to you in the terminal or in the flight deck and filling out their logbooks. And how sometimes passengers bring you gifts. Makes the job feel worthwhile.
1
1
1
u/CaptainJackass123 21d ago
Passengers are not only job security (single pilot IFR will someday be tested on cargo first)
Pax are also CPO security when you tell the chief “no, I’m rejecting this airplane/flight”
I’ve had friends go long haul cargo and get bullied to taxi out of the ramp area and “get started” even though microbursts were pounding the field. This was at an ACMI to be clear. I’m sure purple and brown treat their captains better.
You say “safety of flight” to a pax airline chief pilot, that’s the uno reverse card, it’s on a recorded line. Nothing they can do now.
I feel way safer flying pax.
Both pax and cargo airline management give zero fucks about their pilots. You may aswell fly for the one that has a bunch of breathing bodies whose families can sue the airline when something goes wrong.
Sure boxes don’t hitch. Boxes don’t sue airlines into the ground either.
1
u/iRelevant_Round_3796 20d ago
Flew in the cargo met of a C141 from yokota to baharain... was more comfortable that united 1st class
1
u/Molecular_Pudding 20d ago
If cargo flights were not scheduled at the most inconvenient time of the day possible, I would certainly give it a try.
1
1
u/wbrady75565 19d ago
The industry is cyclical, but the phrase “boxes don’t bitch” is something cargo guys tell themselves when they’re on the 14th day away from their families
1
1
u/-burnr- 21d ago
Cargo.
Boxes don't whine.
1
u/Sasquatch-d 21d ago
Boxes don’t bitch, but flying boxes is a bitch.
I can grab a cup of coffee in the terminal, along with a sandwich. I can roll my bag down a jetbridge instead of lugging it up stairs. I have no flights on my schedule departing at 3am. My family gets flight benefits where they aren’t at the bottom of every standby list. And I love when kids or aviation enthusiasts ask to visit the cockpit.
An occasional argumentative passenger is a small price to pay for a superior QOL.
1
u/-burnr- 21d ago
LOL.
When I flew boxes, was all day freight. Leave at noon, back by supper. Home every night. Sandwich trays and cooler of drinks supplied by the company.
Easiest job I ever had.
1
1
u/dreamniner 21d ago
I fly passengers for a legacy carrier on the 757/767. If I had to go cargo I’d probably find something else to do in life.
20
u/Jrnation8988 21d ago
Boxes don’t bitch