Originally Posted by
buzzpat
Well, the guidance is generally accepted as 2 hours to LAX. 85 miles is definitely pushing it. I live north, about 45 miles, and that's about right I think. For me, it's an hour to sometimes 2+, and I don't sit reserve. Traffic in LA is unpredictable at best. You could probably pull it off based on the time if day, but I wouldn't challenge rush hour or Fridays. Fridays on the highways in LA are hell.
Plus, remember it's seasonal, but you have to cover SNA and ONT as well.
To put a slightly sharper point on it, the guidance is promptly/readily available. This is "generally" viewed to be two hours, but the definition is clearly unclear for places where you have to cover multiple airports, ie: LA and NYC. I know in NYC, they want you to be approximately two hours from one of the 3 airports. If the airport you choose to be within approx. two hours of is Newark, you could be 3-3.5 hours from JFK/LGA.
I don't know for certain the big picture in LA, but would expect it to be consistent.
My recommendation would be to call and talk to the chief of scheduling, have him on speakerphone, have two DAL employees listen without speaking and discuss your plans for where you want to settle. That way, you get the chief on record, have witnesses, diminish stress and know where you stand. I wouldn't do it in a sneaky way, let him know what's up, but the policy is unclear for both the company and the pilots' benefit.