Deviating is just like any other commute. You need to have some SA on the weather and a sound plan with a back-up that will definitely work in practice, not just theory. You may need to leave before the scheduled DH is supposed to leave. On a two day international DH, you may need to leave on day one, travel straight to the final destination and check in a day early. The nice thing about the international flights is that it's unlikely that they will be cancelled like some domestic flights might. The downside is many markets have one flight a day which may require an early departure to ensure back-ups, depending on how the pairing is built.

If one lives in a major airline hub, obviously they will have more flexibility to cut commute days off their trip than someone who lives in a small city with only 3 flights a day to whatever airline's hub they use. Maybe those with infrequent airline service might find it's less stressful to simply commute to MEM to take the scheduled. I would contend that if they're going to do that (which probably means leaving a day early anyway), just leave that same day and go straight to where they need to be. Arguments can be made for either option.

I know there are guys out there with bad stories and some have understandably become a little gun shy. Sometimes when you find out what their plan was it becomes obvious that they rolled the bones and did it to themselves. For every one of those, there's a lot more of us that deviate front, back and mid-trip uneventfully year after year.

Many new guys seem to be getting some really bad advice during indoc. Unfortunately, it's probably coming from MEM locals who never deviate and simply perpetuate this attitude that deviating is so risky and fraught with peril that it's best to never do it. Choosing to wait until off probation to begin deviating may be a valid option for some depending on their circumstances and the DH. Sometimes it's just too damn easy and the risk is minuscule.

To me it's worth the FF miles, airline status, the chance to travel on the Japanese bullet train, take the Chunnel or go through the the Alps on the way to Milan via train. I haven't driven my car the 1 hour it takes to get to the airport in over 10 years. Sometimes I take the train, but 90% of the time it's door to door limo service which is a beautiful thing and cheaper than buying my own gas.

So - for the new folks..... before you take whatever "don't deviate" advice you're getting to heart, try to find out a little more about the person offering it. Where do they live? When did they last deviate? Have they ever missed a trip deviating and if so, what were the circumstances. Put that person's opinion in perspective and pick the brain of other crew members who deviate regularly. It's one of the best things about our schedule for a commuter - don't miss out.