FlyByNight757
Well-Known Member
I am a UPS captain based in Louisville, KY. I fly the Boeing 757 and 767 mainly around the USA, sometimes Canada and Mexico. I have flown internationally in the past, throughout Europe and Asia and Hawaii too. Now I fly mainly around the USA, sometimes Canada and Mexico. I've been flying for UPS for over 18 years. It's a great job in the flying world, no unruly passengers to deal with, and we still have a pension, which all the passenger airlines lost after 9/11. We have our own union, the Independent Pilots Association and will start formal contract negotiations with UPS in a few months. Our smallest plane, the 757 can hold 15 ULD containers, while our largest airplane, the 747-8F can hold about triple that amount, so our airplanes carry a lot of stuff onboard. The airline is headquartered in Louisville, KY but we have pilot domiciles in Miami FL, Ontario CA and Anchorage AK. Our main sort centers are Louisville KY, Miami FL, Ontario CA, Anchorage AK, Philadelphia PA, Rockford IL, Dallas TX, Cologne, Germany and Shenzhen, China.
We fly over 1,950 flights daily worldwide but recently we have cut back some flights due to lower volumes. We go through the same training as passenger airline pilots, and fall under the same aviation rules, except for a cutout for required rest which was lobbied for by UPS and passed. We continue to advocate for better rest rules and other duty limitations enjoyed by fellow passenger pilots. Pilots have a mandatory retirement age of 65, but many choose to retire a few years before that. Many of us were prior military pilots, but others flew for regional airlines or for a corporation and some even for other flying outfits including our feeder aircraft companies before coming to UPS.
Our pay and benefits are excellent. Captains typically earn over $400,000 per year while first officers earn over $200,000 per year. Our schedules vary considerably. International pilots tend to fly more days together while domestic pilots can fly shorter trips but this isn't always the case. We bid our schedules two weeks at a time and can sometimes trade a trip for a different trip. Each trip has a credit value based on several factor including duty days and hours flown, as well as time away from our base. We have pilots on reserve who cover sick calls and vacations. We stay in hotels which are setup for us, and on certain flights we are provided meals and drinks. Some airplanes have rest facilities for use when there's a third or fourth pilot onboard for the long international flights. Our longest flight is Louisville to Dubai, around 13.5 hours.
We fly over 1,950 flights daily worldwide but recently we have cut back some flights due to lower volumes. We go through the same training as passenger airline pilots, and fall under the same aviation rules, except for a cutout for required rest which was lobbied for by UPS and passed. We continue to advocate for better rest rules and other duty limitations enjoyed by fellow passenger pilots. Pilots have a mandatory retirement age of 65, but many choose to retire a few years before that. Many of us were prior military pilots, but others flew for regional airlines or for a corporation and some even for other flying outfits including our feeder aircraft companies before coming to UPS.
Our pay and benefits are excellent. Captains typically earn over $400,000 per year while first officers earn over $200,000 per year. Our schedules vary considerably. International pilots tend to fly more days together while domestic pilots can fly shorter trips but this isn't always the case. We bid our schedules two weeks at a time and can sometimes trade a trip for a different trip. Each trip has a credit value based on several factor including duty days and hours flown, as well as time away from our base. We have pilots on reserve who cover sick calls and vacations. We stay in hotels which are setup for us, and on certain flights we are provided meals and drinks. Some airplanes have rest facilities for use when there's a third or fourth pilot onboard for the long international flights. Our longest flight is Louisville to Dubai, around 13.5 hours.
