Your CAL benefits won't start for 3 months after your hire date, and the benefits on CAL aren't all that hot. We have no commuter policy, so commuting is at your own risk. CAL flights are notoriously full, so you will likely be riding the jumpseat if you get on the flight at all.

Commuting is easier if you can work the USAir system, but it's still pretty rough, especially because of the outstation basing deal. It makes it so that you have at least a 2-3 leg commute to most places. You're really better off moving to your base with Colgan if you're not already living in a base.

As far as seniority goes, IAH is not hard to get. I wanted it at first, I didn't get it, but was offered it a couple of weeks after IOE. I turned it down since I already basically moved up to JHW and I didn't feel like making the 23 hour drive again.