Do pilots travel first class?

Several years ago a friend of mine told me that pilots do not fly first class, but instead fly in the back of the plane.

When getting on a flight, passengers will sometimes see the pilots walking through the terminal dressed in their smartly tailored airline uniforms. I suppose some people might ask questions like do pilots get to travel in first-class while on a work trip or even a self-chosen vacation. Since pilots have the significant responsibility of flying hundreds of passengers to their respective destinations, chances would be that after such a rigorous duty, pilots would expect comfortable and relaxed first-class seats. However, the experiences of a pilot are not always as fascinating as the travel logs would depict. In this article, we will examine the reality behind the stereotype that pilots fly in first class.

Cockpit: The Inside Story You Have Never Heard

The experiences of pilots when it comes to first-class travel also differ depending on the degree of the pilot’s experience in their career and position at a major airline. The majority of the time, the flight privileges of the most senior pilots at an airline to travel in first class and maybe even get to fly, or be able to travel in first class on their airline and on other airlines that they have business deals with. Thus a United Airlines employee working as a captain for the past twenty years could always enjoy a turn-down service first-class suite while on a business trip or a vacation leave. However, current junior pilots at the major carriers can only be offered the spare business or economy and premium economy seats. While some other regional carriers are less forgiving or have beefed up travel policies, where no pilot is allowed to book first class. Thus, the idea of pilots being able to use first class when traveling the skies is mainly an issue of their seniority.

Commuting to Work

One interesting fact about pilots is that most of them do not reside in the area they work in or more accurately, in the city in which the airport is located. They can afford to travel by air to their departure airports even if the distances are quite extensive. For instance, a pilot may be a resident of Miami, but he or she may work for United Airlines which is based in Chicago. Even those pilots who may fly for free in first class cannot kick out the paying first-class customers in the busy, commuter flights. Although the pilots may get checked into the first class if they are lucky to get it, most times they travel like normal people do in the economy class. Thus based on the number of pilots in uniform that you may encounter on board, do not assume that they are required to enjoy the finer hospitality up front. Therefore on long international trips, you may find that the pilots travel on business class fares that may be cheaper. However, regional pilots more often than not travel in regular economy seats whether it be for short or long-haul flights.

Non-Rev Travel

There is one thing that the employees of the airline companies receive as their big bonus and that is the non-rev travel passes. This enables the pilots and their families to fly for free or for very cheap prices in other empty seats. It can help pilots let their families show the world as luxurious first-class cabins. However, the first-class passengers, frequent flyers, and other passengers with other priorities can push the pilots aside and take the premium seats. Non-rev passengers are the last on the plane, to get there they go through the following process. As airlines cut back on first-class space and planes are almost filled, pilots now get bumped up to steerage when they are non-revving. Thus, while the potentiality of traveling around the world in first-class, at least for several flights, may have attracted some young pilots and pilots-to-be into the career, to begin with, the realities of the non-rev first class have faded somewhat and made it much less attainable.

Charter Pilots

First class travel, is, therefore, much more guaranteed for pilots working at private charter operations. This well-paid flight crew flies business personalities and Hollywood celebrities, who are not shy to splurge on accommodations. Although they are not resting in the specially designed first-class seats that customers will occupy, pilots usually unwind a little further back in a spacious and comfortable crew rest area. On ultra-long-haul “bizliner” corporate jet flights, the crew rest areas can be equipped with fully capable beds for pilots to rest. The perks mostly go on to the layovers also where pilots are booked to have their hotel rooms. Thus, when it comes to overprivileged, first-class style travel jetting around in private planes is the best.

Business Travel Policies

In the corporate world most airlines have had to slash first-class travel entitlements, right from senior employees up to top management. Thus, the increased thinness of balance sheets raised problems as suited executives guzzled champagne upfront, while customers were packed closely. Today, most airline managers travel in business class on the longest haul flights but in economy on shorter and domestic services. In Europe, prime ministers and officials have made grand gestures flying low-cost airlines such as Easy Jet on the back of the expense of their country’s taxpayers’ money on private jets. This trickle-down approach has now extended to more moderate corporate pilots with customer experiences reflecting travel policies. Ryan affects runners for instance have no business class at all. Pilots drive to work and move around the airports and even during flights, they do it like ordinary members in the economy class.

Onboard Treatment

Although pilots are not able to choose to fly in first class when flying, passengers can be sure that their pilots in the cockpit are well-rested and fed. When pilots take turns in resting during the flight, the crew goes to an ample, quiet, crew rest compartment nestled in the ceiling at cruising altitude. Here they have privacy and can sleep in comfortable, stationary bunks that do not have as many rows of seats as passengers would see. Airlines that make long-haul flights ensure that pilots have meals and snacks to sustain them during the entire flight. Pilots also do not have to endure small leg space or inevitably sleeping babies on long flights which would likely hinder alertness. Unless flying in first class, they may not get to sample the best of meals and seats, but pilots rule the roost back at the cockpit.

Perception Vs. Reality

Since pilots wear neat uniforms that depict authority, passengers could reason that pilots also enjoy enhanced comfort while on operating business. It may do so even in the scenario of an airline’s pilot training center, where the building and primary equipment, such as expensive flight simulators, may suggest the glamor of pilots’ employment. However, the current system demands that aviators, who earn mid-level income, be subjected to reduced benefits/packages and, at times, even compensation for their loyalty. For those local pilots who are paid slightly more than $30000 a year, even a regular economy ticket can be a struggle to make when planning for a family vacation. While pilots are highly skilled professionals engaging in the serious business of ferrying the public, they do not enjoy such glamorous travels as the cockpit uniforms depict. It is not always that once you book a flight, you see the pilots who fly that big aircraft behind the bulletproof door arrive in first class.