Originally Posted by
jamin35008
I figured commuting would suck really bad, but is it worth commuting to stay away from a regional that only has being able to drive to work working for them right now as I see it. Colgan seems to be on a rocky road right now and very unstable, and with the gas prices the way they are thats going to cut huge into my take home (130miles round trip) I figure with my car getting 30miles to the gallon thats about 4.3 gallons round trip, times 3.50 a gallon is about $15.00 a day in gas times say 17 working days...grand total is....255.00 a month gone from driving which I might not be able to afford. That sucks. It would be free to fly to ORD and go to work but on that note with 3 weeks vacation that I have at Eagle now I am figuring (on avg) at least half a day to get to work and half a day to get back home, so one day a week traveling that would mean about 49-50 days a year extra away from home and the cost of a crash pad. Its a tough call and a lot to think about! Anyone know what a crash pad goes for in ORD? What are you paying for one, anywhere?
I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys commuting. If you take your local base, you expect to spend $255 per month on gas (a reasonable extimate). If you commute, expect to pay that much or more for a crash pad. Don't forget you will need transportation from the crash pad: at the least, bus fare; at the most, a "transportation special" car. And you have to get to the airport you are commuting FROM: either catch a ride, take the bus, or pay parking. I have asked a few guys how much they figure they spend on commuting. The cost ranges from $400 to 700 per month. OUCH! Taking a job that pays $2 more per hour and requires a commute could cost you in the long run.
About the cost of driving, keep in mind that how many times you drive to/from base has much to do with the kind of schedule you get (after you get off reserve). If you can get 2 day trips, your driving would be cut in half; 3 days, one third.