9CAIR

Depends on the base, average loads, and season. If you are flying as FO on routes to the Nantucket or Vineyard the flights are not long and your chances of getting bumped for passenger is pretty good since they have walk-ups at last minute.

EAS routes are a toss-up. You can bumped at out-station first flight and lose half (or all) of your day but still get paid before possibly jumping on in second half of day. Or make it to BOS, STL, SJU... and jump on some other flights if you get bumped. Some routes you very rarely get bumped and then if with high mins Captain or autopilot inop and possible weather you are safe.

Successful people seem to be ones who get on with other pilots, station agents, and flight ops and have everything sorted before they ask to be put on different flight instead of "is there anything for me to do?." Then there is bag plane in St.Louis and Fort Leonard Wood where as FO you won't get bumped but some captains/PIC will fly probably whether there is any need and others that go only when they have too.

Transitions, getting put on flights to paint shop, with high-min captain, etc. Then you get 1200 hours you are PIC and can fly mail, transitions, repo/rescue/mx flights.

The Islanders don't use FO's given the limitations of the aircraft already. The seaplane operation uses FO's but so far they seem to have busy days and non-busy days.

Personally I would hope to be FO in bigger airport and hope that ability to jump on and off scheduled line would be worth the sacrifice of higher living costs unless you are from area. BOS and Hyannis are expensive, St Louis not so much and you have train right to airport but some shady areas like East St. Louis, Billings is cheap I guess but not sure about public transport. San Juan cheap for most but guess utilities high and again not sure about public transport and there is no-go type areas.