Originally Posted by
Aeroengie
Hey guys, just got accepted into the cadet program and am trying to decide between LGA, EWR, and PHL. Will probably be living in NJ, wanted to know what the pros and cons of those bases are considering their proximity, if you’re working at one of those bases are you happy with your decision or would you pick another one if you could? Thanks!
Originally Posted by
CFIsoonToBeFO
How soon till you have your time to start as an F/O? Information today can & will change in days/weeks/months. Congratulations and good luck
Truth!, we knew you could do it!
If you're going to live in NJ....
LGA is an expensive mess to drive to from anywhere in NJ, and, there's no easy public transportation for it either. It's kind of a train to a subway to a bus sort of situation. If you get assigned LGA out of training, you'll be able to move to EWR pretty quickly, PHL likely a little longer. Also if this does happen, it's not the end of the world, just less ideal than EWR or PHL to get to.
Having said that, EWR, although an operational mess, has a LOT more trip options than PHL. Soooo, living in central Jerzey, I opted for EWR.
To answer the last line of question, I bid for EWR and was awarded LGA out of training. I was transferred within 4 mos to EWR. I've considered several times moving to PHL (equal distance for me to EWR or PHL) but the trips just aren't as varied. You can manipulate your schedule by dropping swapping and trading more at EWR.
Having said all that,
CFIsoonToBeFO is correct (something you won't hear me say too often
). I'm not familiar with the cadet program but my guess is this is all likely to change, but not much, before you get out of training and actually have to go to a base. I say not much because for the 4 years I've been here, LGA and EWR seem to be two of the more stable bases.