When do people actually leave the job? The two exit waves
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#1 Fourteen years in, watched many classes. Two waves: years 2-5 (fatigue, missed weddings, 04:00 reports, biggest at low-cost and Gulf carriers), and years 8-15 (family, partner's career, wanting one time zone). Between them, crew who reach comfortable seniority at legacy carriers often stay for full careers and describe years 10+ as the best flying of their lives. The honest advice from leavers: leave toward something, not away from tiredness, and take three months of leave first to check whether it's the job or just the year.
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#2 "Take three months of leave first", I wish someone had said that to me at year four. I stayed two more years and left well; friends who left in a burnout trough mostly regret the timing, not the decision.
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#3 Lufthansa colleagues at year 20 on 50% part-time with a second career are the happiest people I know in aviation.