Originally Posted by
xGearSlingerx
I
1. Short commute
2. Low cost of living/low taxes
3. Decent public schools
4. Love seniority, so preferably near a junior or junior"ish" base
Having been born and raised in Texas, I was hesitant to move in base when I started at United (LAX).
(1) Now that I’ve been here for several years, I cannot believe I even considered commuting. My drive to work is 20 minutes.
(2) I made about 200k and paid about 11k in CA state income tax. It’s always amazing to me the feats that pilots will go through to avoid what ends up being such a small amount of money (living in a less desirable area, commuting in the day before/day after a trip, paying for crash pads, paying for hotels, putting miles on their cars, burning gas, spending less time at home, not being able to pick up more flying because they are busy commuting, etc....)
(4) It’s the best kept secret in the airline industry. Live in base in a more desirable base, hence more expensive, hence typically a junior base. Fly one extra day per month and it more than makes up for the extra cost of living in a more desirable base. In the end, you’ll actually spend less time away from home because you don’t have to put up with commuting every week. Or fly on a more senior airplane making more money because it’s more junior in a more desirable base. I take home more money than equivalent seniority pilots who are based DEN/ORD/IAH because I’m on a more senior airplane flying better trips. Choosing to value number 4 on your list (good seniority) more than takes care of number 2 on your list (low taxes).
Avoiding a more desirable base because of it’s higher cost of living reminds me of the people who drive around to save a few pennies on a gallon of gas. Sure it might save you $1 on your tank of gas, but you pay for it with the wear and tear on your car, not to mention the value of your time.
If California is off your list, I would suggest Vegas.
When you make what we make, a few thousand a year in extra cost of living doesn’t even register on my quality of life. Commuting, being away from home, flying less senior airplanes and trips, working weekends and holidays, etc... does. You only live once. Live where you want to live.