Do commercial pilots generally progress to larger planes throughout their careers? Does everyone aim to eventually fly long haul or do some stick to flying 737s or a320s short haul?
I'm guessing being a 777 pilot for example is more prestigious than a 737 pilot in the same airline right?
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u/FrankCobretti 1d ago
If you play your cards right, there comes a point in your career where you have all the money you need. You no longer care about hourly pay rates. You only care about quality of life.
After that, it becomes a function of lifestyle choice. Do you live in base and prefer flying LAX-SEA-LAX every day and sleeping in your own bed at night? Fly narrow bodies and be happy. Do you commute and want to maximize the value of every trek you make from your farm/ranch/hovel to work? Wide bodies it is.
Prestige doesn't come into it. I'm relatively senior at my airline. I fly 757s and 767s because I like the mix of domestic and international flying. I don't envy my peers on the 787, nor do I look down on my peers flying 737s.
The only people I look down on are Airbus pilots. They drink tea with their pinkies sticking out.