Originally Posted by
jimf15e
I should start indoc in August and we're thinking of moving to upstate NY - lots of family there. It's a 2.5 hour drive to EWR via the thruway. Definitely too far for a reserve commute (esp new hire) but otherwise would a drive like this be considered "in domicile" vs commuting for QoL purposes long-term? There's also a decent handful of ALB-EWR flights per day. I like the idea of staying at EWR since not many others want to!
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Being based and Newark and being able to drive will be good for QOL because your relative seniority in seat will progress much faster. I believe on the 737 guys are holding lines within 6 months. As a reserve you start out on long call which is a 13 hour call before push (12 to report time). The only issue you would have being 2.5 hours away is if they convert you to short call. The call out time on short call is 2.5 hours and in your first year you don't want to push it. You could drive to some place closer to EWR or all the way there for the days you end up with a short call... There are some strategies to help avoid short calls if you really want to avoid them. I'm in ORD so I can't speak for EWR but lately I've had good luck with aggressive pickup. If you are picking up trips, they can't convert you to short call. I am a traditional commuter (fly to base) so this is beneficial for me bc it gives me a little control of my schedule and I have only done 2 short calls in the last 6 months. The downside is that you end up working a lot more (which also means more $ if you go over guarantee)... It all depends on what you want but IMHO I think being based in EWR and having a 2.5 hour drive is very doable!