Generally on duty, they typically work 10-14 hours per day which includes flight time, briefings, taxiing, though this can extend to 16 hours in unexpected circumstances.

Meanwhile in the week it can be more intense as pilots can work up to 60 hours in 7 consecutive days, with an average of 20 hours per week in the air.

Although it’s quite exciting to travel to another country all the time and see the world, it can become extremely difficult for pilots with families.

One pilot recently revealed how he managed to balance work and family life. In a TikTok Q&A, Captain Steve, who works for American Airlines, explained what he did to make it work.

After someone tells Steve their dream is to become an airline pilot, they ask: “What is your advice on a work-life balance in the industry?”

Steve then responds: “Well it’s like anything else if you travel, you have to balance being on the road and being home, the electronics help these days, you can FaceTime, communicate much more effectively and frequently than you did back then.”

When his kids were little, the pilot managed to still spend some time at home when working as a reserve for the airline.

He continued: “I did reserve on the airline and didn’t work as much on reserve, I’d get called a few times a month, maybe for a trip where when you’re regular line holder, you’re going to fly four or five times.

“Was it a big difference? Yeah, it was a huge difference because I got to spend more time with my kids and I still got paid as an airline pilot to be on call.”

Of course it wasn’t easy working as a reserve for Steve but “he made the sacrifice”.

He continued: “There were some inconveniences with being on call as well but I made that sacrifice to be with my family so there is a way to work it up, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

There are many factors affecting working hours. Short-haul pilots may fly 4-6 legs per day (back-to-back flights). Long-haul pilots tend to work longer stretches, like 12-15 hours on one long flight.

Early morning starts, like 5am for example, can reduce the allowable duty hours due to fatigue regulations. Pilots are required to have at least 10 hours of rest, including 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep between duty shifts.