pnb987pb

Any ANC based FedEx bubbas out there that commute from the Lower 48 on this forum? If so, can you please shed some light on your quality of life and schedule? Thanks!

2005 Blues

I live in Seattle. One leg, 3 hour flight to get to work. FDX has a flight going up 5 days a week. Coming back need to go offline, Alaska has many flights to Seattle. Continental and Delta also have one a day too. Overall, not too bad and the flying in ANC is excellent on the MD-11 IMO.

Now if you live anywhere else in the lower 48, your commute could get quite painful. MEM, IND, and EWR all have daily direct flights, albeit long ones. Anywhere else is going to involve multiple legs and could take a L-O-N-G time and make your month a nightmare. Especially if you're junior and have to make the commute 3 times a month. I know many guys who've done it from San Antonio, Atlanta, or others but they said it was extremely difficult.

Depends where you live, SEA not too bad. I don't think I'd want to do it if I lived anywhere else.

Barista

Chunky love... Can you field this?

angry tanker

It all depends on where you live, and your senority. There are not many deadheads out of ANC, and just a few from the west coast back. Not a lot of bank for deviations, so, take it for what that is worth. If you are not near, MEM, EWR, OAK, SEA, ORD, or PDX, you are jumpseating offline. Most of the flights end up going thru SEA, and that is the choke point. Give a little more specifics on your story, and we might be able to help out a little more.
Good side is it isn't MEM

meatloaf

Glad you asked. Recent issue: The 2-3 MD11's per night have now been replaced often with a single 777. The problem is--as I understand it--that out of the 11 or so 777's we have, 2 of them are former Air France birds, and they do not allow for j/s travel in the back. (due to O2 configuration).

This means bump city out of MEM to ANC if you get one of those 2 airframes. Happened to me recently and it became a major scramble. Gotta go to another city to find a ride up North. Bottom line is that MEM-ANC has become a gamble now, and I've heard this out of several other folks. The timeline doesn't work if that happens--so I'm outta there come next bid.

Anybody else seen this on here?

MD10PLT

Ditto, been bumped several times. Getting to ANC has become a nightmare. Although the 777 is a nice ride, it's just a huge gamble with no back-up. Likewise I'm outa there ASAP.

Beertini

All of this is subject to change with the Hong Kong FDA opening up. I would think there is a good chance ANC will become un-commutable which means there will be a 3rd FDA that is difficult/impossible to fill for the company.

Beertini

Wildmanny

I agree with most of this post, except where our friend Blues says "SEA not too bad". I'd say not too good. If you live in SEA, maybe you can make it work with marginally less stress than some others, but anywhere else, forget it. Offline twice or three times to get there isn't going to work for long.

Yes, FedEx has flights in the AM to ANC and you can get on them. No, you can't commute into the majority of the flying there on them. So, you almost always have to go up the night before, seriously impacting quality of life. Most guys are now just buying tickets because jumpseating offline is a major gamble, now we're talking say 2 commutes both ways, $1000. Alaska is pretty much the only game in town (with 2 CALs) and they often will canx flights if loads don't look that great. In that case SEA becomes a jail and I've seen it personally where nobody can nonrev or jump to Anchorage for a week. Too bad if your flight leaves tomorrow. SEA as a "choke point" is a major understatement. Coming back from ANC is brutal. Especially in the winter when there are only like 11 flights a day. The whole state wants to escape and if you are lucky enough to get a jumpseat, you'll be eating your knees for three hours...with another bubba sitting right up against you. It's a joy!

As for guys leaving ANC because of all these reasons in addition to the ones mentioned through the thread, that's true. I can't believe how many guys are planning to punch out back to Memphis and it's all because of the commute. Blues is right. If you live in Indy or Newark, sure get on and enjoy your 6 hour leg to work, as long as that doesn't canx or equipment sub, or whatever. Anywhere else, I wouldn't even try it. Unless you're senior and if that's the case, you probably could have been up there by now anyway. If you're junior, I'd consider a move there, or bid MEM. Everyone who wants a widebody almost could hold it there.

Bottom line, commuting isn't any piece of cake to ANC. It isn't going to get any easier if they open an FDA in HKG as the flying will likely go down the drain. In that case, everyone is going bid out. We'll be back to Purple Nuggets Deux in no time.

Plus, it rains constantly in Seattle and that's no fun for anyone.

WM

Freight Dog

I'd say try using UPS to ANC out of SDF or ONT, but those are the most heavily commuted routes in the UPS system.

One tip: the UPS 767-300 that flies out of Rockford, IL (RFD) to ANC 4X per week is rarely full. It will take 4 jumpseaters... and I've never seen an offline guy on it.

pilot141

Just more info - FDX runs an MD-11 out of AFW to ANC.

Right now it stops in PDX but it has been direct in the past and might get there again.

I know guys in Dallas who won't leave ANC yet because their seniority in MEM on the -11 would suck, so they commute to decent lines rather than sit reserve. Even with an extra day on the front and back end of the commute they still have more time at home because of how inefficient our reserve days are.