u/Careless-Outside2415

I’m 27 and seriously considering becoming an airline pilot, and I’ve been trying to get a realistic picture of lifestyle/QOL at Air Canada long-term.

One thing I’ve been thinking about is intentionally staying an FO for longer once I have kids, instead of rushing to upgrade, so that I could hold better schedules and maximize time at home while they’re young.

For pilots at AC,

- What kind of home time is realistically achievable if you intentionally bid for being home as much as possible?

- As a mid-seniority FO (~4–8 years), what would “good” lifestyle bidding realistically look like?

- What about more senior FO levels (~9–13 years)?

- Would voluntarily staying on reserve ever make sense for maximizing home time, or does reserve usually make life worse overall?

I know early years can be rough and unpredictable, and I’m not expecting a miracle schedule right away. I’m mostly trying to understand what’s realistically achievable long-term for someone prioritizing family/home life over maximizing income or upgrading as fast as possible.

Really appreciate any insight.

I’m 27 and considering becoming a pilot, but I’m pretty concerned about lifestyle—specifically how often you’re away from home.

I’m hoping to have kids in the next 7–10 years, and being present for my family (wife/kids) is a big priority for me. Ideally, I’d want a schedule where I’m home most nights—something like ~25 nights a month sleeping in my own bed.

I understand that early in the career (low seniority, reserve, etc.) the schedules can be rough and unpredictable which is fine. What I’m trying to figure out though is whether it’s realistic to reach a more consistent, home-heavy lifestyle within ~5 years at an airline if i make homelife my main priority and if so how(hopefully still making above 90k).

For those of you who’ve made it work:

- What career paths/airlines made it more realistic (regionals, LCCs, majors, etc.)?

- Did you prioritize certain aircraft types, bases, or types of flying (short-haul vs long-haul)?

- is the salary still worth it

Appreciate the help.