I've had a bit longer to think about commuting. When I was flying for UAL, I always lived where I was domiciled; it made life easy.
Unfortunately, I'll be returning from mil leave to UAL because my wife is going back to active duty AF (ICU nurse). Unfortunately because she'll be stationed in San Antonio, TX - we're currently living in the DC area where I'm on mil orders.
I'm DCA based and will keep it that way because that's where my reserve job is at. However, I'm going to end up commuting from SAT to DCA. It'd be a lot easier for me to commute to ORD, but I'll stick with DCA because I can do drills while I'm out there.

Back when I was active at UAL, my friends that commuted while on reserve would aggessively pick up trips so that they knew when to travel and wouldn't end up sitting in a hotel room.
Since then, there's been a change in reserve rules with long call/short call rules. It sounds much nicer for commuters. Here is the long/short call letter from alpa.org:

Systemwide Rollout of Long Call Short Call Reserve System
In December 2006 the Company and ALPA reached an agreement to replace the current Base
Rest period reserve system with a Long Call Short Call (LCSC) reserve system. The LCSC
system is currently being used in all A320 domiciles, as well as ORD 767 Captains and F/Os, and
SFO 400 F/Os. This system was exhaustively tested for over 18 months in various fleets and
domiciles, and is now ready to be implemented system wide beginning in June 2007. In this
document we highlight some useful information that is not mentioned specifically in the LOA.
For those pilots who are already familiar with the LCSC system, there are new automation
changes that will become available in June that you will want to become familiar with.
Below you will find the Letter of Agreement, along with additional information, providing details
of the new system. For those of you not familiar with the LCSC system, please read the LOA
first, then the additional information below the LOA. If you are unfamiliar with the LCSC reserve
rules and find yourself on reserve, it is imperative that you read the LOA very carefully.
..
Long Call Short Call Reserve System
SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT
between
UNITED AIR LINES, INC.
and
THE AIR LINE PILOTS
in the service of
UNITED AIR LINES, INC.
as represented by
THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION,
INTERN A TIONAL
THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT, is made and entered into in accordance with the
provisions of Title II of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, by and between UNITED
AIRLINES, INC. (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") and THE AIR LINE PILOTS in the
service of UNITED AIR LINES, INC., as represented by the AIR LINE PILOTS
ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL (hereinafter referred to as the "Association").
WHEREAS, the parties desire to modify the existing Reserve System;
Now therefore the paries to this Letter of Agreement agree to the following:
Basic Rules -- all times are local domicile times (LDT). The overall concept for the Long
CallShort Call system is that Long Call reserves will cover known open flying, while Short Call
reserves are used for short-notice open flying.
1. All reserve pilots begin each set of reserve days as a Long Call reserve unless awarded a
pure Short Call line per paragraph 3-s or converted to a Short Call window in accordance
with the procedure described in Paragraphs 4 & 5 below.
2. Long Call reserve rules:
a. For a trip assignent, the reserve must be assigned the il with a minimum of
thirteen (13) hours notice prior to scheduled departure time. With pilot
concurrence this notice may be reduced to 10 hours prior to scheduled departure
time for domestic trips and may be reduced further for international trips.
b. There will be no assigned monthly base rest periods. The Long Call reserve must
be phone available 24 hours a day on his reserve availability days until assigned a
trip or Short Call window.
c. Assignments will be made in strict FIFO order within silo.
d. The crew desk will still assign trips as early as possible in accordance with 20-J-2,
20-J-4 and paragraph 3-E-5 of LOA 91-02.
e. The pilot can still opt to minimize Late-Night calls between 0100 and 0659 via
the CHGLNC command. If the pilot so opts, the crew desk will only call during
those hours ifrequired in accordance with LOA 04-06. A pilot should not select
this option ifhe desires at least thirteen (\3) hours notice of an assignment in all
cases. If this option is selected, the crew desk will wait until ten (10) to eleven
(11) hours prior to scheduled report time or 0700, whichever is earlier to make the
assignment.
f. The aggressive pickup window for domestic flying will open at twenty-eight (28)
hours prior to departure or I 100 the calendar day prior to departure, whichever is
earlier. The Silo rules as described in section 20-J-2-c-(4) will apply.
g. Long Call reserves are automatically released at 1000 on their last day of
availability if no assignment or conversion to Short Call has been made.
h. If20-G-8 (only reserve available) is to be utilized, a long call reserve may be
assigned a trip less than thirteen (13) hours prior to departure. The crew desk wil
make the assignment as soon as possible after the pilot blocks in, to provide the
pilot as much notice as possible. The provisions of 20-G-8 are not applicable if a
legal Short Call reserve is available.
3. Short Call reserve rules
a. In lieu of a flying assignent, a Long Call reserve may be converted to a Short
Call window that is up to fifteen (15) hours in duration. Short Call windows may
be aggressively picked up by Long Call reserves in accordance with paragraph 4-c
below.
b. There is no pay credit value for a Short Call window when the pilot is not used.
c. The last nine (9) hours prior to the beginning of the Short Call window will serve
as the reserve rest period for FAR compliance. There will be no assigned
monthly base rest periods.
d. A Short Call window is considered as a work day for aggressive pickup purposes.
As an example, a six (6) day reserve on short call today would be permitted to
pickup a four (4) day trip departing tomorrow.
e. A Short Call reserve must be available for a trip assignent in accordance with
Section 20-J of the Basic Agreement. If more than one Short Call reserve is legal
for a trip it will be assigned as follows:
i. Domestic Trips will be assigned to Short Call reserves in the proper silo,
or as close as possible. If more than one Short Call reserve is in the same
silo, it will be assigned to the earlier Short Call pilot.
n. International Trips will be assigned to Short Call reserves with minimum
schedule disruption as described in LOA 91-02 paragraph 3-E-1. Ifmore
than one Short Call reserve has the same schedule disruption, it will be
assigned to the earlier Short Call pilot.
2
f. Once a reserve is assigned to Short Call, the pilot is released until beginning the
Short Call window. The Company may attempt to contact the pilot in order to
assign him a trip, including one attempt during rest, but the pilot is not required to
answer and may refuse the trip until his Short Call window begins. If the trip is
assigned, the pilot's rest may be reset.
g. If unused, the Short Call reserve reverts back to the Long Call list in FIFO order
based on the time his window ended (or the time of his early release, if
applicable) or he may be assigned another Short Call window that begins after
nine (9) hours of FAR rest. Ifhis Short Call window ends after midnight, he will
return to the FIFO list behind reserves starting reserve duty that day.
h. A Short Call reserve may be assigned a trip more than thirteen (13) hours from
departure if there are no long call reserves or all long call reserves are lining up
for other trips.
1. Short Call reserves may aggressively pickup assignments departing on the
following calendar day but not assignments departing on the same day as the
Short Call window begins. The aggressive pickup window for domestic flying
will open at twenty-eight (28) hours prior to departure or 1100 the calendar day
prior to departure, whichever is earlier. The current Silo rules as described in
section 20-J apply. If a pilot on Short Call aggressively picks up a trip for the
following calendar day, the reserve must remain telephone available for the
duration of the current Short Call window with the understanding that flying may
be assigned that would create a situation where the aggressively picked up trip
would need to be removed. The earliest legal departure for picking up a domestic
ID is ten (10) hours from the Short Call window end time (or the early release
time, if applicable) to allow for nine (9) hours of FAR rest (Crew Desk may, at
their option, modify the end of the Short Call window to allow an aggressive
pickup that would otherwise be illegal). International trips are not limited for
pickup by this restriction.
J. The Active Option as described in Section 20-J-2 is not available to Short Call
reserves.
k. The pilot can opt to minimize Late-Night calls between 0100 and 0659 via the
CHGLNC command, and the crew desk will only call during those hours if
required in accordance with LOA 04-06.
1. When a pilot calls off the sick list before noon, he is considered a Short Call
reserve with his window beginning at the time he calls off sick list unless the crew
desk advises him otherwise. This assignent is automatic and does not count
towards the seven (7) window monthly limit. The pilot must be available as a
Short Call reserve at the moment that he calls off sick list.
m. The 1500 automatic release provisions of section 5-G-1-e-( 6)-(b) will apply to
Short Call reserves on their last day of availability.
n. Crew scheduling will determine the start time for all short call windows.
o. Crew scheduling will not assign reserves in international categories to Short Call
unless they are eligible (considering RDO moves) for at least a four (4) day trp,
unless no such reserves are available.
p. Short Calls will be built with designated silos. If no reserves are available in the
designated silos, crew scheduling may move up or down to the next silo.
3
q. Out of silo aggressive pickup of Short Calls is pennitted only with crew desk
concurrence.
r. Reserves can not be convei1ed to Short Call unless they have at least five (5)
hours remaining toward the actual monthly flight limitations per section 5-B-2-a,
unless no such reserves are available.
s. After PBS awards the Company may offer lines consisting of a short call window
on each work day. These pure short call lines will be awarded in seniority order
only to those pilots who have requested one.
4. Rules for converting Long Call reserves to Sh0l1 Call
a. If converted between 0000 and 1759 on an active reserve duty day, ten (10) hours
notice is required prior to the stai1 of the Short Call window;
b. If converted between 1800 and 2359 on an active reserve duty day, twelve (12)
hours notice is required prior to the start of the Short Call window;
c. Short call windows will become available for assignent at 1300, except, if the
short call window is built after 1200 it will become available for assignent one
(1) hour after it is built unless earlier assignent is required for legality. Short
call windows become available for aggressive pickup four (4) hours prior to the
time at which they are available for assignment.
d. There is a limit of seven (7) Short Call assignents per month (except as provided
in Paragraphs 31 and 3s above); this limit can be exceeded with pilot concurrence.
e. If a reserve has reached four (4) conversions for the month, the crew desk wil
bypass him and convert a pilot who is below him in FIFO if in the same silo.
f. RDOs will not be moved to assign a pilot to Short CalL. However, a pilot on Short
Call can have his RDOs moved for an international flying assignent per LOA
91-02 paragraph 3 - E-1.