Originally Posted by
Smokey23
Pretty much what the others have already said. There are commutes and then there are commutes!. I did the former by choice for a little over a decade in pursuit of an upgrade and better schedules vs. a 2 hr drive to a senior domicile. It sounds like you would be setting up for the latter, which would also be setting you up for a divorce. We've got nine domiciles and one squadron spread all over the country, with more on the way. Realistically if you want to come work here, you should plan on picking one to live in or at least have a short online commute to. If the family absolutely, positively cannot relocate, then your best bet is to go work for an airline that flies a lot of international out of ORD. FAR117 has allowed us the ability to bunch trips together more than we used to, but that would still be a dicey headwind for you to fight on a monthly basis...for the better part of your career.
Best of luck to you!
This is all true. I would only add that even short, online commutes can be tough. There are 3 flights per day to where I live. It's a 3 hour drive or a 35 minute flight. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Fly every time. But door to door it is the same time commitment. The difference is that by driving I control my own destiny.
But I fly AM lines so I am pretty much required to come in the day before and get a hotel (I don't like crashpads) and that's $88 out the door, plus my evening before the trip is shot.
If I fly in I still have to come in the day before and get a home and then I have to try to get a trip that finishes in time for me to get the afternoon flight home, which if I don't the late one isn't for like another 9 hours.
The bottom line is that living in base really is the best thing. We have a bunch to choose from and no matter how much I've tried to make this seemingly easy 3-hour drive work, it's a PITA and I'll be moving to a base in the spring. There's simply too much time lost not living in base.