Passengers vs. Cargo | Which is Better to Fly?

[@alazartessema3444]

In short: Passengers for extroverts and Cargo for introverts : )

[@pilotpetefly]

Haha, not a terrible way of thinking about it

[@Bandoo21]

If you would like to be an introvert for your whole life yes

[@albertodeulofeu5277]

And you can have a beard if you fly cargo

[@badboyvr4]

As we said back in my cargo days...."Boxes Don't Bitch"....lol!!

[@pilotpetefly]

haha yep

[@mattlantzy5093]

"Nonexistent significant other" Felt that 100% 🤣🤣🤣

[@pilotpetefly]

Haha facts only

[@rethinkcps2116]

​@@pilotpetefly- do retirees get the free flights...?

[@VchaosTheoryV]

As a truck driver, the reason why i don't drive passengers is because boxes don't bitch lol. So if i get my PPL, i'm going the cargo route

[@pilotpetefly]

haha so true!

[@JustFollowMe_]

Trucking (owners) v cargo pilots? Different types of life? And how long does it take to rich nearby 100k + Income from 0 experience?

[@PickleRickSanchez]

Thank u so much for making this video, I was one of the people asking for it😁very helpful!

[@pilotpetefly]

Of course; thanks for watching!

[@tanvirahmed5372]

This is a beautiful explanation. Thank you very much, good sir. Looking forward to more videos. Hope your channel grows well.

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks Tanvir, appreciate it!

[@josephkristwell]

Thanks for sharing your experience cap! Wishing you a happy december

[@pilotpetefly]

Thank you, you as well Joseph!

[@kevinatkinson5660]

I’ve just viewed a couple of your videos. Really excellent informative and real.

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks Kevin, appreciate it!

[@NorthernNegatives]

Gotta say, I’ve watched all your videos and I really enjoyed them. Chilled presenting style and interesting facts and information. Keep it up man, the channels gonna take off ✌🏼

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks so much, really appreciate that!

[@jacobndege6747]

Where did you get those pictures behind you? They look so good!

[@pilotpetefly]

I sell them Jacob! Just finishing up some website design and will be live soon!

[@coltoncurtis4371]

Appreciate the video, but I do still have some questions. You mentioned lifestyle when reporting a pro for cargo, can you please elaborate? What does a normal month entail in regards to flying days on/off (on average)? Is open time available? What is the average amount of time for upgrade to captain? What makes you a competitive applicant for a major legacy cargo carrier? Etc etc… If you could answer some of those questions I would be grateful.

[@pilotpetefly]

That’s hard to answer, bc it’ll change month to month, day by day. But here’s my best try… Lifestyle, cargo, I fly the plane. Period. Pax, have to deal with a lot of “external factors”. That adds stress, effects your quality of life. Days off, avg: 15-18 days off a month. Upgrade was 4 months on property last bid. Competitive: clean record. turbine PIC time in jets/heavy jets. Hope that helps!

[@coltoncurtis4371]

Thank you, I appreciate your response.

[@TylerN737s]

Done both 135 & 121. Pretty easy smashing thru whatever it is with boxes. Currently I fly 121 pax.

[@ohiyesa2328]

A question Ive had for a while. Really appreciate it

[@pilotpetefly]

Anytime!

[@deesylva4161]

Also a pro for cargo pilots is if not in a critical phase of flight you can normally get up and use the bathroom whenever you want and go fix coffee or something to eat, without wearing your uniform.

[@pilotpetefly]

100%, another nice pro of cargo for sure!!

[@e2dub]

What about the differences in work schedule? I’ve heard that some air cargo companies schedule 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. If so, that seems appealing to me as there are less days wasted traveling between home and work and more days off! Is this a fairly typical schedule in air cargo?

[@SolietteCorea]

Good work job. Beautiful about airport.

[@ericinzesky1077]

really interesting, thanks a lot for this cool video 🙂

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks Eric!

[@kyleflem82]

Great video after being a dispatcher in the passenger world for 20 years I switch last year to cargo and I agree with everything you said. I notice you went from three bars in the last video four bars. Is it Captain Pete now?

[@YHDiamond]

He might still have a captain uniform from when he worked at another airline, just a guess though.

[@pilotpetefly]

Oh nice, congrats. And thanks! Ha no, still FO. Old uniform epaulettes

[@frannyp46]

Boxes of batteries sometimes complain though.

[@pilotpetefly]

Luckily it's very rare and hasn't happened on any of my flights to date.

[@maorifishboy]

Advice for someone who wants to become a pilot after a 10-year career as a management consultant? I'm at a point in my life where I think I wanna finally chase my dream of becoming a pilot - I've always been fascinated with airplanes.

[@pilotpetefly]

Advice….GO FOR IT! It’s never too late, seriously. I had men and women in my new hire class at both airlines that I was at in their 50s. So if it’s something you really want to do, go for it. Life is short!

[@UTarcher72]

Pete! We're in desperate need of new pilot content. Have any new episodes in the works?

[@pilotpetefly]

Hey! Hoping so soon, unfortunately have to hold off for now though. Appreciate the support!

[@UTarcher72]

@@pilotpetefly thanks! Looking forward to it.

[@UQRXD]

My parents always sent me cargo to grandmothers house, was much cheaper.

[@andyshin1255]

How was the scheduling like and quality of life?

[@pilotpetefly]

Making a video about schedule soon

[@kevindigo22]

"Clean shaven"....you must not be flying the day you made this video haha. Great video, I have many questions but will limit myself to one. My nearby airport is CYYC. We are serviced daily by the two big legacy freight carriers from the US. Let's say, typical flight is from MEM to YYC arriving between 6 to 7 am in the morning. The plane sits on the ground all day, for about 12 hours. The return flight from YYC back to MEM leaves between 6 to 7 pm, gets into MEM around midnight. This daily out and back scenario is common all over North America. My question is, what do the pilots do for the 12 hours the plane is on the ground during the day, at the outbound airport? Do you go to a hotel and sleep? Or is there some crew rest area at the outbound destination terminal that you hang out in? Do you get paid for these 12 hours that you are sitting on the ground at the destination airport? Always wondered about this, and you are the guy that can answer this. Thanks!

[@pilotpetefly]

Yep, we get a hotel. What we do on our layovers is completely up to us. Just be rested and ready to fly when it's our time to go!

[@caraveli2573]

I'm not a people's person, so Cargo all day long! Lol

[@pilotpetefly]

😂

[@justinhammonds6735]

Hi Pete love the videos. I am actually in a aviation program at a university. Would you recommend doing cargo first or doing the airlines first after? I been looking into Mountain Air Cargo for their purple fed x pathway or skywest for a regional airline.

[@pilotpetefly]

No wrong answer. Get your hours, build your time, and then make a decision. There are pros and cons to each airline

[@petergobin]

On behalf of pilot Pete’s everywhere, thanks for the vid.

[@GansitooLive]

How does the pay compared between them? Right now I’m currently a trucker so I think I would like cargo a lot more to be honest. Is there one that’s more difficult to get into than the other

[@naomisimmons740]

My main concern when it comes to being an airline pilot is the unpredictable schedule. Is this something you deal with as a cargo pilot?

[@TylerN737s]

Yes

[@abominalchicken976]

what is the main pay differences? I am 17 and looking to be a pilot but can't decide between cargo or passenger.

[@pilotpetefly]

It is not much, plus the pay differs year to year because the contracts are changing

[@MikeHefner-je8dq]

Hey Captain, when did you upgrade to captain? Also I am a flight student who is finishing up his instrument and my school is a partnership with Atlas Air. Any opinions about this cargo company. My end goal is FedEx too fly their MD-11f. Thanks and awesome video's this channel is going to grow SOOO much!!!!!

[@pilotpetefly]

Hey Mike! I was a Capatin at my ex ex airline. I’m currently a FO. That’s awesome, best of luck with training! I don’t know much about that airline, but haven’t heard anything bad about it. Thanks so much for watching!

[@XVionceJSTAR]

if i had a choice i'll go for cargo for sure. rather deal with a shipment of boxes then a bunch of people who just moan and complain behind me about any situation that is beyond your control lol just a pet peeve of mine 😆

[@RobertoAlvarado-ok6kq]

How about rostering? Big thing you did not talked about bro

[@Myst3ryM4nn]

Do all legacy us airlines expect their pilots to be clean shaven ?

[@pilotpetefly]

Yes they do

[@monroegaine]

I want to fly cargo and not passengers after my 1500 hrs. I am better with boxes than I am people. What would you recommend. I am going to LIFT academy for flight training

[@pilotpetefly]

Just keep doing what you’re doing. Network with others in the industry, and don’t automatically say no to flying the pax carriers

[@bradleys2320]

FedEx must have had huge benefits for you to leave a major as a Captain. Just curious how many years of seniority you gave up by leaving as a Captain?

[@bradleys2320]

Never mind. Every time I have a question on a video you answer it in the next prior one that pops up in my feed.... thx!

[@pilotpetefly]

@@bradleys2320 anytime, thanks for watching!

[@bradleys2320]

Just found a related thread on the APC forum: "did I make the right choice leaving 4 years of seniority at a major passenger airline to come fly crappy schedule on a cargo carrier"? Interesting discussion....

[@vijaysrini27]

Free travel for all family members? That's amazing.

[@Azzmelater]

Is it true that when you fly cargo you can climb much faster as opposed to flying with passengers? Or is flying about the same regardless?

[@cabrams1209]

What's your experience been like with night flying or crazy circadian rhythm changes? FedEx/UPS both fly at night quite a bit, has that been tough to handle compared to your pax flying?

[@pilotpetefly]

Great question. Personally, I don’t enjoy night flights, because I’m not a great sleeper to being with, so when my normal schedule gets screwed up it takes me awhile to get back on track. Luckily, I’ve been able to avoid a lot of night flying in career. Contrary to popular belief, Cargo and pax flying have similar amount of night flying. My west coast based friends fly a lot of redeyes to the east coast on pax carriers.

[@cabrams1209]

@@pilotpetefly That's great info, thanks for that. I figured cargo had significantly worse schedules, and that was my biggest reservation in trying to go there. What is your personal biggest negative/regret with cargo flying? I'm leaving the military in about a year, so the info is extremely helpful.

[@pilotpetefly]

@@cabrams1209 I don’t really have any regrets honestly. I would say the negative is I know commute to work. However, with the amount of deadhesds we have, not often am I not flying positive space to get to work. Best of luck with your decision, having flown at both legacy pax carrier and now cargo, can’t go wrong with either!

[@cabrams1209]

@@pilotpetefly It really does seem great either way, but if that's the only negative then I know where I want to be. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[@pilotpetefly]

@@cabrams1209 anytime, best of luck!

[@rafaelwilks]

If I were ever to be a pilot, no amount of work benefits could possibly induce me to fly passengers. I would only want to fly cargo - I would not have to be faced with the congealed mass of filth that passes for society, overgrown toddlers having meltdowns and all that sort of thing which I genuinely consider to be beneath me.

[@cbboiii1100]

Where did you get those airport pictures behind you?

[@pilotpetefly]

I make them! PilotPeteFly.com

[@Dragonred88]

whats up bro, im in my flight training right now ... what would you say is the difference as far compensation and demand for passenger vs cargo pilots ? thanks !

[@Kam_MD11]

Pete do you miss flying the Airbus?

[@pilotpetefly]

I do! Love the Airbus. Airbus vs. Boeing video coming out next!

[@ladybootalkstruth9583]

🥰😍🥰 I toned out after he said he’s single!!!! Hey handsome 👋🏼

[@floored3078]

Here’s a question. Is Atlas air pretty terrible pay wise? I’ve heard there’s 75-85 hour line bids, and the 2025 hourly rate is $184hr as an FO with 3 years. Is it hard to hit $300k as a captain at Atlas? Looking into fedex and ups it seems like it’ll take 15-20 years to get into the captain slot at fedex/ups, but Atlas seems like it’s 5-7 years to hit captain of a Widebody, which is really quick. Why would someone wait 20+ years to reach captain at fedex for $400k a year, if they could have made say $300k 14 years prior? I hear Anchorage has a ton of extra overtime as well. I’ve been thinking of doing a 35 year career at Atlas, but I wouldn’t want to if their captains only make $200k when I could make that as an FO at a legacy. What’s your take? Thanks!

[@CruseCondray]

Hey I really want to be a pilot and was wondering if you get paid more flying cargo than passengers. I was considering flying FedEx

[@pilotpetefly]

Not more, not less. Contracts are always changing so pay rates are as well. The top airlines all pay about the same

[@skiddymark]

i fly cargo on a 1900d in eastern canada and love it.

[@e2dub]

How about safety and job security? Is one statistically safer than the other? Are cargo airline pilots typically unionized like passenger airlines?

[@pilotpetefly]

Union as well yes

[@chrispyy05]

How can I fly cargo from the start instead of transitioning from passengers to cargo.

[@pilotpetefly]

There a bunch of cargo feeder operations that you can fly for that make for a good transition to getting to the legacy cargo companies. Mountain air cargo is one that I know of

[@avestuart]

I don't know, man, I heard an ATC recording of a cargo plane which had to return to Miami because a horse in the back got upset. They had to declare an emergency.

[@pilotpetefly]

I believe it. I’ve flown my fair share of horsies, but they all like me and my “welcome aboard” announcement, so they always behave 😁

[@octavia1amazing]

@@pilotpetefly Good one, haha!

[@kingj1399]

Cargo Pilots are looked at like a Corrections Officer. Nobody thinks about them or what’s inside the structure LOL. Only will get looked at by other co-workers and inmates. Patrol Officers are like the Airline Pilots that fly passengers. Always getting looked at by lots of different people. I used to be a corrections officer and know how it goes with that type of stigma. Anywho, keep the content going. Love your videos!

[@pilotpetefly]

Haha great comparison. Thanks, really appreciate it!

[@octavia1amazing]

Love the analogy!

[@flyontop]

And being looked at it’s what’s important… 🤦‍♂️

[@paulgarrett7434]

I know EXACTLY what kingj is talking about!

[@cadenrogers36]

How are passenger and cargo with being at home, are you home every night? I know seniority has an affect but how many years of seniority do you need to be able to be at home with your family every night?

[@pilotpetefly]

All depends on where you live. Live in base, pretty easy

[@igorkuon1604]

Hi, awesome video! Do you think its worth it to pursue a pilot career without a bachelor degree? Im 39 yo and i have a small family restaurant but i rly like the pilot career. Thanks in advance! Btw i want to be a cargo piot as well.

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks! Yes, most all US airlines no longer require a college degree to get hired. So you're good to go!

[@MsRockstar275]

Listen cargo pilots are Santa Claus everyday(or at least that’s what I’ll tell myself someday when I make commercial)

[@scorpi972]

Cargo better for me

[@prestonmal]

Two other perks of cargo are getting widebody pay much sooner and a good pension. Good video to put out there, most people don't know!

[@pilotpetefly]

Thanks Preston, appreciate it!

[@Steve197201]

I've heard that the airlines treat their flight crews just as badly as they treat their passengers. Is that true? And do the cargo companies treat their pilots better?

[@nuneze23]

No, mileage varies based on who your employer is.

[@pilotpetefly]

Not in my experience. I’ve flown for 3 different airlines, all of which have treated me well!

[@edseavervinuesa-mz6gi]

Don't like fly on reserved standby

[@pilotpetefly]

There is reserve standby at both pax and cargo airlines

[@edseavervinuesa-mz6gi]

@@pilotpetefly Thanks Pete

[@michaeldubanowski7821]

Are you contractually obligated to your employer or can you move around at will?

[@ivaylokudinov]

✈️👏🙌🙌

[@topofthegreen]

With cargo you fly 30 to 50 year old worn out aircraft with old steam gages.

[@pilotpetefly]

I’m sure that’s the case with some companies. But I just flew a brand new 2023 B767 with all glass displays!

[@nomadnorth9774]

Lol, wrong!

[@gilbertkoehn6647]

❤ I love you ❤️🎉

[@bobmcgehee1749]

Cargo, hands down.

[@jafaw]

Cargos better but you dont get free flights

[@albertodeulofeu5277]

I thought cargo pilots could have facial hair

[@Prachka1]

Who cares what people think? - as long as you are happy and your bank account likes you - opinion of other people makes no difference.

[@pilotpetefly]

I sure don’t, it was supposed to come across as satirical, bc you’re absolutely right, do what makes you happy and don’t look back!!

[@bigdogboos1]

I todays culture where.l it seems everyone has lost their minds, and there is no common courtesy like in Japan, cargo 10000000%

[@gilbertkoehn6647]

You are so handsome I like you❤

[@bobbys2160]

done both cargo not fun...middle of the night flying . parking in the middle of nowhere. think of your passengers as cargo that walks on and off. passenger flight park at the terminal cargo parks on the tarmac. my choice passenger did it for 35 years with no regrets

[@eccentriclocs]

Hi there…any tips for fearful flyers especially after seeing the two severe turbulence incidents (one plane dropping 500 feet😮) recently reported on the news 🫣 please and thanks!

[@pilotpetefly]

Just saw that on the news, my mom just asked me the same thing. I'll make a video on turbulence soon! Short answer though, as scary and terrifying as turbulence may be, know that the plane will never go down because of it, that your pilots will get you there safely. It's like a roll coaster ride you didn't sign up for, it's scary, but 100% safe and will be over soon!

[@eccentriclocs]

@@pilotpetefly Thank you very much. Seriously considered cancelling a trip after hearing about each incident. Getting a RX of Xanax to hopefully help me through any expected (and unexpected) turbulence. Subscribed☺️

[@pilotpetefly]

@@eccentriclocs I understand, flying is nerve racking for many people. As much as I love it and think it’s fun, safety is #1 priority, always. So I’m 100% confident telling people they’re safe up there. You got this!

[@davidliles87]

I would rather fly boxes than people. No pain the the 🫏 🫏