Commuted for 30+ years. I’ve done plane, train, automobile to get to and from work. I’ve bought tickets, I’ve commuted out of other nearby cities that had open seats. I’ve commuted the night/day before trip. I’ve showed 5-6 hours to sign in and forked over $ for a day rate hotel room. I’ve slept in lounge before sleep room. Had multiple hotels stays on Virginia Ave after missing last Flt home. I got a free room at FA training dorm a few times. I’ve missed primary Flt to work and called skds who would get me a positive seat on my backup no questions asked.Delta was considered a non friendly commuter pilot airline when I hired. So I took a chance and decided to commute anyways and it has worked.
Granted there were times I thought about moving to base due to commute but I made it work. My commute was worth it to me for the hassle.
With that said I don’t think commuting crews should be awarded a seat out of seniority. The pre-Covid vs post-covid flight availability makes it tough, just as tough for the pilots who had their base close in the last 25 yrs. I knew DFW pilots that struggled for years but still made it work.