I was CMH based and later ORD based. I liked both bases. As a place to live the outstations are really nice. If you're planning to move to your base, the outstation model is a non-issue. But if you plan to commute from anywhere west of the Mississippi then yes, consider the fact that if you choose Republic you will never ever upgrade in ORD. Still a good company at which to start your 121 career. But take the outstation model into account if you're a commuter.