The short answer is yes – the majority of airlines offer free flights as an employee benefit for pilots and often for their immediate family members. Before applying to an airline for a pilot position, be sure to ask about employee benefits in addition to pilot salary.
Family members may fly free when space is available or at discounted rates. Flying stand-by is a common benefit, but it can be challenging when there is a group. Some airlines provide “buddy passes” to pilots to share with friends and families.
If the aircraft lands and doesn't have any passengers booked for the flight back to its home base, it will likely have an empty leg flight. These flights may also be referred to as empty flights, ferry flights, repositioning legs, dead-heads, or one-way flights.
From Wikipedia: Deadheading. In aviation, deadheading is the practice of carrying members of an airline's flight staff free of charge when they are not working.
Definitions of free-flying. adjective. able to fly through the air (as a bird) “three chicks were raised to the free-flying stage” Synonyms: aerial.
First freedom
It grants the privilege to fly over the territory of a treaty country without landing. Member states of the International Air Services Transit Agreement grant this freedom (as well as the second freedom) to other member states, subject to the transiting aircraft using designated air routes.
A ghost flight has no formal definition but is generally considered to be a flight that operates on less than 10% passenger capacity. With aviation's environmental footprint under close scrutiny, it is understandable that the issue of such flights has been getting attention.
A ghost flight is a term used when airlines operate a regularly scheduled route with a plane containing less than 10% of the airline's total capacity. Some say these flights are unnecessarily adding to the environmental crisis, by contributing to carbon emissions without a significant benefit.
Zero Flight Time Training (ZFTT) refers to the training given on an aircraft type rating course that is carried out entirely in a simulator. Normally, following a skill test on a new aircraft type, pilots need to complete aircraft landing training (known as 'Base Training').
Most airlines have a similar policy when it comes to tattoos. They allow pilot tattoos as long as they are not visible while on duty and do not contain any offensive content. This means that any tattoos on the hands, neck, or face must be covered up while on duty.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the median U.S. pilot salary at $211,790 in 2022. This means 50% of pilots earn more than this, and 50% earn less. However, there are pilots working for major airlines making more than $700,000 per year.
Aviation regulators set the total hours pilots fly and how much sleep they must get between flights. During ultra-long-haul flights, pilots sleep in special cabins, which passengers can't access.
Typically, a buddy pass comes in the form of a credit that is adjusted every time the employee books a flight for a friend or family member. An employee may get up to 10 buddy passes per year that expire annually.
It costs $96,995 to become a pilot when starting with no previous experience or $75,995 when starting with a private pilot certificate. Both prices include the flight training and certification necessary to become a commercial pilot with flight instructor certificates.
Bandit – An enemy aircraft. This is a refinement of the general category of bogey. Bingo – A fuel state at which the aircraft should stop performing its mission, whether training or combat, and start returning to its base or heading for aerial refueling.
A Discovery Flight, sometimes called an introductory flight, is a short flight alongside a certified flight instructor that gives you a chance to experience what it's like to be inside the cockpit and take control of a smaller aircraft.
A grey charter is an unlicensed aircraft charter operation, meaning that the operator does not have a valid AOC – generally, these are provided by private owners who do not need to adhere to the same regulations as an AOC holder, bypassing training, checking, oversight and compliance requirements which impact the ...
US Airways flight 1549, also called Miracle on the Hudson, flight of a passenger airliner that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
Fear of flight, or aviophobia, is characterized by an often extreme avoidance of planes, or anything associated with flying, including airports.
What is turbulence? The meaning of turbulence is a sudden, violent shift in airflow. It creates up and down currents caused by irregular atmospheric motion. You can also define turbulence as that sudden jerking you sometimes feel in an airplane!
The Kangaroo Route is a term coined by Qantas, referring to the commercial passenger air routes flown between Australia and the United Kingdom via the Eastern Hemisphere.
What is Kiwi? Kiwi is an online travel agency, based in the Czech Republic, specializing in combining flights and other forms of transportation into a single booking to get you where you need to go for a low price.
Are you wondering how Flying Blue works? It's simple. You can earn Miles and use them to get what you want; you can gain XP (Experience Points) and advance to the next level for more generous perks; and you can always earn more Miles! Sign up for Flying Blue, it's free!