By Andrew Neofytou, Founder of Flight School Wingman
Ask ten pilots whether they’d rather fly short haul or long haul and you’ll get ten different answers, usually delivered with some force. Having spent a good deal of my career on short haul, here’s an honest look at what the job is actually like, so you can judge whether it suits the life you want.
Home most nights
This is the big one, and for many pilots it’s decisive. Short haul generally means multiple sectors in a day and back to your own bed at the end of it. If you have a family, or you simply want to be part of the ordinary rhythm of life at home, that matters enormously. There will be nightstops depending on the operation, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.
You’ll fly a lot
Short haul pilots get their hands on the aircraft far more often than their long haul colleagues. Multiple take-offs and landings a day, in every kind of weather, into all sorts of airfields. If you’re early in your career and want to build genuine handling experience and confidence, there’s no better place to do it. You’ll be a sharper pilot for it.
The days are long and relentless
Four sectors, an early start, a tight turnaround in the middle of a summer disruption day, and you’ll understand why fatigue management is a professional skill rather than an afterthought. Short haul is busy. The workload comes in waves and there’s very little quiet cruise time to catch your breath in. Some people thrive on that pace, while others find it wearing.
Early starts and late finishes
Rosters vary, but expect a mix of very early mornings and late nights, sometimes in the same week. Adjusting your sleep repeatedly is one of the underrated challenges of the job, and pilots who manage their rest well tend to have longer, happier careers.
Weather and decision-making
More take-offs and landings means more exposure to weather, more diversions and more decisions. That can be demanding, but it’s also where a lot of the job satisfaction comes from. You’re actively flying and problem-solving throughout the day rather than monitoring for hours.
Familiar destinations
You’ll get to know a network of airports very well indeed, which has its own satisfactions, though you won’t be collecting the far-flung destinations that draw people to long haul. Whether that’s a downside depends entirely on what you want from the job.
How you get there
Short haul is where most pilots begin, and that’s a good thing. Opportunities tend to open up earlier in your career, and the volume of flying builds experience quickly. Joining an airline that operates both short and long haul can also give you options later, so it’s worth considering when you’re weighing up where to apply.
So, is it for you?
If you want to fly frequently, develop your handling, and be home for the ordinary parts of life, short haul is hard to beat. If you’d rather trade some of that for fewer duty days and further-flung destinations, long haul may suit you better. Neither is objectively better. They’re just different lives, and it’s worth being honest with yourself about which one you actually want.
Weighing up which part of the industry suits you? Our Career Guidance service lets you talk it through with an experienced pilot who has flown both.
