Airline Pilot Work Life Balance Explained
Update: 2025-12-19
Description
In this episode of Runway Life, Craig sits down with Andrew Barton, a legacy airline First Officer soon upgrading to Captain, to talk honestly about what airline pilot work-life balance is really like.
We cover the topics pilots and their families care about most:
- What airline schedules look like early vs later in your career
- How seniority directly affects quality of life
- The reality of marriage and family life as an airline pilot
- Flying on holidays, weekends, and birthdays
- How upgrading to Captain changes schedule flexibility
- What aspiring airline pilots don’t realize about long-term lifestyle
This is a candid conversation for:
- Pilots considering the airline career path
- Spouses and families wanting to understand the lifestyle
- CFIs and commercial pilots thinking long-term about quality of life
If you’ve ever wondered whether the airline job is “worth it” beyond the paycheck, this episode gives you a real-world look from someone living it.
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