Commuting
 

Just hired by Air Wisconsin. I'm retiring from the military and desire to live in Dallas after the military. Air Wisconsin doesn't fly into the DFW area. Of Air Wisconsin's domiciles, Columbia, SC is the most junior. Curious what people's thoughts are on commuting from Dallas to Columbia?

My advice would be to relocate closer to Columbia. I commuted for years and it was such a hassle and nightmare. Any out station base makes commuting difficult. I know longer commute and have regained my sanity. I now no longer worry about having to come in the day before and getting a hotel. Nor do I worry about getting home after I’m done. I just make a mad dash to the parking lot and jump in my car and go.



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The long story short, out station bases like Columbia and Milwaukee are not commutable what so ever. It’s usually a 5am show and a release on day 4 after the last flight leaves. Beyond them not being commutable, the accommodations are usually a hotel that rarely offer airline discounts or befriending someone with a extra bedroom. Crash pads are almost virtually non existent. When i was ORF based, a vast majority of the crews bases there lived in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. Very very few commuters.

Terrible idea. ORD or IAD will be much easier. The way the flight schedules work in and out of CAE you’re basically going to always have to come in a day early and leave a day late. Depending on your schedule and if we can keep staffing levels up that may end up meaning you don’t go home between trips at all.

ORD/IAD will have much more frequent service and the trips are usually commutable on at least one side.

Things get a little dicier if you can hold ORD reserve or CAE lineholder, depending on how much reserves are getting used you may come out ahead in CAE but it’s hard to say.

Any chance you can get hired by a regional with a DFW or TX base?

I’m currently based in MKE and live in DFW...I have not had a hard time getting to MKE from either DFW or DAL. However, I always have to get a hotel the night before and sometimes have to get one at the end of the assignment. I’m trying the commute to CAE next month as I hold better seniority. AA has two direct flights to CAE from DFW but the times they are scheduled make it hard to commute in and out on the same day.

well i'm going have to commute from Las Vegas so we'll see how that works out. Not sure of my base yet.

Potential commuter from Seattle here. At what point do I wonder, will getting a cheap apartment near the airport at MKE will be cheaper than getting a hotel every trip.
Also, anyone care to share their schedule here?

Commuting from Seattle to MKE sounds awful TBH. I think there is a direct flight but i doubt its more than a couple a day. Typically with outstation bases like CAE and MKE. Your first day you have a 0415-0600 show and on day 4 are done after 1800. So commute in day prior and commute day after. So losing 2 days at home. That’s how it was when i was ORF based while I was at AW. But i lived in base. The commuters usually bailed as fast as they could for a hub base and a vast majority of pilots lived in base

Commuting - Every Single Pilot I Know Hates His/Her Job.

Live-In-Base - Every Single Pilot I Know Loves His/Her Job.