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MQAAord · 12-01-2003, 11:28 AM

Ah, the holiday issue. I won't sugar-coat it, working on the holidays sucks. Everybody pays their dues while they're junior and works a few Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years. It's a part of the job. Most airline families who are working have 'Christmas' on a day off, usually the week before the actual holiday.
This is my dh's first year actually being on reserve on Christmas day! I can't believe he's made is this far in his career never really being away from family on the 25th. He's been an airline pilot since 1994, at his first airline, a canyon tour operator in Vegas, they didn't operate on Christmas, so he was off. Then he went to Eagle, but he started in May, so by December he was senior enough to be off. At TWA he started a trip on the 25th, but late enough to commute in in the afternoon. Then he went to Delta where he was hired in late Oct, so by the time he finished new-hire ground school and did his checkride, it was the Dec 23rd, and contractually the have to have 2 days off after a checkride! The next year he was able to hold Christmas off. Then 9/11 (and all the furloughs) happened. The first holidays after 9/11 he was off, but not for 2002. He was at least able to hold a line with a 32 hour Louisville overnight (get in late on the 24th, don't leave until early morning on the 26th). He rented a car and was able to drive to his sister's house for the big family gathering. So he's been complaining up a storm this year about how he's going to have to work Christmas and I just tell him he's gotten off pretty darn easy so far, and that everyone at some point in their career HAS to work Christmas! It's an unfortunate part of the life! My first Thanksgiving was spent in new-hire school in Dallas, my first Christmas sitting reserve in Chicago. Second thanksgiving at the airport Holiday Inn in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, second Christmas at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. From then on I was able to hold holidays off. The only reason I've been off for the past two holiday seasons is the fact that I'm furloughed! (Oh, and due to my own bidding screw-up, I ended up spending millenium New Year's at the Holilday Inn Strongsville (Cleveland). It sucked.)

To make a long story short, spend a lot of time on the phone on the holidays, talk to all your family everywhere. It'll help make it a little easier.

12-01-2003, 11:28 AM	#2 (permalink)
MQAAord Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: A Happy Place Posts: 668 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Christmas alone Ah, the holiday issue. I won't sugar-coat it, working on the holidays sucks. Everybody pays their dues while they're junior and works a few Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years. It's a part of the job. Most airline families who are working have 'Christmas' on a day off, usually the week before the actual holiday. This is my dh's first year actually being on reserve on Christmas day! I can't believe he's made is this far in his career never really being away from family on the 25th. He's been an airline pilot since 1994, at his first airline, a canyon tour operator in Vegas, they didn't operate on Christmas, so he was off. Then he went to Eagle, but he started in May, so by December he was senior enough to be off. At TWA he started a trip on the 25th, but late enough to commute in in the afternoon. Then he went to Delta where he was hired in late Oct, so by the time he finished new-hire ground school and did his checkride, it was the Dec 23rd, and contractually the have to have 2 days off after a checkride! The next year he was able to hold Christmas off. Then 9/11 (and all the furloughs) happened. The first holidays after 9/11 he was off, but not for 2002. He was at least able to hold a line with a 32 hour Louisville overnight (get in late on the 24th, don't leave until early morning on the 26th). He rented a car and was able to drive to his sister's house for the big family gathering. So he's been complaining up a storm this year about how he's going to have to work Christmas and I just tell him he's gotten off pretty darn easy so far, and that everyone at some point in their career HAS to work Christmas! It's an unfortunate part of the life! My first Thanksgiving was spent in new-hire school in Dallas, my first Christmas sitting reserve in Chicago. Second thanksgiving at the airport Holiday Inn in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, second Christmas at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. From then on I was able to hold holidays off. The only reason I've been off for the past two holiday seasons is the fact that I'm furloughed! (Oh, and due to my own bidding screw-up, I ended up spending millenium New Year's at the Holilday Inn Strongsville (Cleveland). It sucked.) To make a long story short, spend a lot of time on the phone on the holidays, talk to all your family everywhere. It'll help make it a little easier.