dscraw

Does anyone specifically commute from LAS to DEN? Or know anyone who does?

I’m heading to TSA and will be pursuing a DEN domicile. We have family in LAS area and I believe the cost of living is slightly cheaper. I have one more military move to use, so are looking at LAS to be near family or DEN to get rid of the commute. How much time should I expect to add to my trip for the commute from LAS to DEN? I know it’s personal opinion, is the commute worth the headache of having extended family near by and familiarity of the area, or should I move to Denver to give myself extra time with my wife & kids because the commute would go away?

VegasChris

I don't commute, but I do live here. I moved here 2009. I am 9 months away from my R-ATP mins. Denver is on the list of domiciles I could commute to- but I would rather commute to LA, SFO, or PHX.

Its about a 2 hour flight (so add an hour before to get LAS and one time zone change)- So at least 3 hours - United, Frontier, and SW have multiple flights there daily. Its the better option when compared to ORD or STL. I am not sure if they have a redeye to get to a 5am show time in DEN

My CFI is starting with TSA right now as well hoping to do the same thing as you.

Vegas does have a lower cost of living, but housing is through the roof right now and we have the worst schools in the country. There is a lot to do here other than the strip, its hot in the summer, cold in the winter and windy all the time. No state income tax (but we have state government with a democrat super majority so that could change) Our sales tax is already pretty high in Vegas.

Living in base is always the better option, but it all depends on your family situation. What we make up for in lower cost of living I am paying extra on for private schools- so it evens out

Good luck on the decision

rickair7777

That's a relatively easy commute with lots of flights. Assuming you leave yourself one backup flight under normal non-holiday conditions, it would add 3-4 hours as opposed to living in base.

Extended family is great for the wife and kids. Especially the wife when she needs to do something with the kids.

Also no tax in NV... not huge deal at a regional but at a major that can save tens of thousands.

All that said, living in base is usually better, guess it depends on how bad the wife needs the family nearby.

Hacker15e

Vegas is a decent city to commute from in general, although typical Vegas commute rules will apply:

- Getting to LAS on Friday evening and leaving LAS on Monday morning is tough because of the tourists. Jets are full and it pushes commuters to the jumpseats instead of being able to sit in back.

- Know when major festivals and conventions will be in town and plan accordingly, as that also impacts loads and JS availability. I have been surprised to see year-over-year that EDC was the worst for this, but there are certainly a few others that have a noticeable impact. The majority of the "typical" conferences don't seem to be a big deal.

- You'll really appreciate getting bumped off the jumpseat by a more senior or mainline dudes in Aloha shirts toting their golf clubs or going to a poker tournament while you're just trying to get to work or get back home after a week away from home. Part of the game, tho.

rickair7777

That can happen, but SWA guys have in the past deferred their JS priority so that I (offline) could get to work. Some of them were going home after a trip. I try to pay that forward.

Silver02ex

I flew with an FO recently who lives in DEN and commute to LAS. He said there's about 30+ Spirit pilots alone who does that commute. I believe there's 50+ between Spirit, Frontier, and SWA. Lots of flights but lots of competitions.

Hacker15e

Not sure what your metric is for this, but it is certainly not a good assessment if you are even casually careful with your choice of where to live in the valley.

I have had kids in the school systems of Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, California, DODDS, and Nevada. In my experience only the DODDS and California schools were better than the Clark County SD in any number of capacities. I'm very happy with the schools my kids are in (and they've attended Elementary, Jr High, and HS down here).

But, the thing to remember is that the CCSD encompasses all of the Vegas valley and all of the multitude of neighborhoods within it. The Henderson and Anthem schools are going to be better than the NLV schools for obvious socioeconomic reasons.

VegasChris

This is what I am referring to:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...cation/prek-12

We are second to last- I stand corrected.

There are some good pockets, and as a pilot you can afford to live in the better areas, but in no way would I say our public school system as a whole is anywhere near satisfactory- hence why I spend the money on private schools for my kids. So the cheaper cost of living here is not as cheap as someone might think, especially if you have kids.

There are charter schools, tech schools, and magnet schools also and those might be a better choice, but the school district as a whole is not good right now. Hopefully it will change, but until it does I am paying the extra money for private school.

dscraw

Thank you for all your responses and input. This decision is an extremely difficult one. I guess the Army moves have made us too adaptable. Both have good positives and all the disadvantages to each location don’t feel all that burdensome to me I guess. I suppose it comes down to commute and whether or not I’m willing to do it. Note I suppose: If we were in Nevada, we’d be in south Vegas in the Henderson districts. I’m tracking the rest of the school districts perform poorly.

Hacker15e

Well one of the issues is that Henderson does not have its own school district -- it is right in there with the rest of the Vegas and NLV schools.

Henderson has been trying to break off into its own district for many years, but who knows when/if that will happen.

Regardless, the southern schools are generally better than most of the rest of the valley.