Originally Posted by
Pony Express
As others have said, its totally dependent on how hard the commute is. I have a pretty easy commute, 6 flights per day in the summer and normally 5 in the winter (but down to 4 on certain days). Also i could drive (about 4-4.5 hours) or take a train ($60 each way) if I really neee to.
The cons are, you will lose time at home. Ususally 6-8 hours on the front end and minimum 3 but usually 6 hours on the back end of each trip. Additionally, its much harder to pick up open flying for premium pay (however personally I doubt I would do that if I lived in base, but others might).
The pros are, you get to live where you want. I absolutely love where I live. Close family members are only a few minutes away, which to me is HUGE. And if I lived in base, Id probably be flying to visit them twice a month anyways.
Its all dependent on personal situations. I wouldnt commute to LAX from the northeast, but since I commute within driving and public transit range, its not as hard.
I was about to post that not all commutes are the same. Mine is similar to ^this^.
Even will add, my commute is on company metal and I can get overnights in my home.
Also, when I go to work, it's a 15 min drive to the airport where I park a 2 minutes walk going through TSA where they all know me. The gates are a mere 30 seconds after security where all the gate agents know me. There's not a lot of competition for the jump seat so I usually get on my first flight option on the way to work.