Unless you live near NYC, LGA sucks. You should be one of the first few to bid in class so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it.

For anyone else on the fence about LGA, here’s my experience so far being based there. I came from a WO regional and was based in CLT. Looking at the PBS awards, the CLT trips for AA look very similar to what I was used to at the regional. Other than the destinations of course. Similar trip footprints. Probably the way AA builds the departure and arrival banks in the hubs.

I’ve always been a commuter and probably always will be. As a commuter I honestly think I was home more being based in and commuting to CLT compared to if I actually lived in base for LGA. Covering three airports in LGA with lots of early 5am and 6am reports and late finishes after 9pm and 10pm when the last departure banks have already left to commute on. You will need at least one hotel for just about every single trip if not a hotel before AND after your LGA trips. Or share a crashpad with a bunch of other pilots… even with some decent seniority.

In CLT, 90% of the time I was able to leave my house in the Midwest around 9am to noon and commute in on day 1 and commute home last day. Occasionally I would have to take a 6am flight but also sometimes I could take a 5pm flight as my first working leg was around 10pm. Not a red eye btw. Usually just one leg to finish around midnight give or take. And again, from what I see… the trip footprints on the AA side look very similar. I’d still have a smaller “total trip footprint” that includes the commute compared to staying home and driving to work in LGA.

I decided to stay in LGA a little longer just to be able to hold a line. I should be able to get back to CLT on this next vacancy award. Looking at the PBS awards, as a line holder who commutes, I would seriously rather be bottom line holder in CLT than top 20% in LGA.