We have 4-6 flights to LAX from MEM everyday except monday's. Are you saying it's hard get to LAX without going thru MEM? I guess after talking to the guys who live in Wales and India nothing seems like a hard commute

 

He is talking about Pilots who live in DEN, SLC, PDX, BOI,LAS or any western city other than OAK. LAX isn't a sort facility like IND or OAK, in other words FDX flight don't come into lax and sit for 3 hours and then launch again.

It is almost impossible to J/S in to LAX (on a FDX jet) and 3 hours later operate your FDX revenue flight, again unless you live in OAK.

You are forced to offline jumpseat on the PAX carrieres and most often than not you need to come in the night before (meaning pay the Hacienda $$ ) or finish you FDX flight and Pay the Hacienda $$ and Jumpseat home the next morning.

Bottom line, if you plan to commute to LAX and don't live in OAK, plan on spending a few extra nights a month in the Airport hotel's and plan on doing more offline jumpseating

 

Fair enough, I guess it's a ??good?? thing that I live in domicile.

 

Been there done it too, and also been there done it in MEM. I'd rather be on the bottom in LAX for a year than on the bottom in MEM for a month. Year round golfing, beaches, lots to do, and AFW out and backs... not THAT bad.

 

Being a junior commuter in LAX sucks because the times the flights leave and the crashpad issue (very expensive). It is decent once you get some senority but the only advantage to being based there is if you live close by...

 

The general rule is Commuting Sux. Commuting (no matter who you work for) will generally cost you more days away from your family. It is a balancing act of living where you want and commuting. In some cases at FDX. if you are senior and can hold Deadheads or weekend layovers at your resident city, you can gain many of those days back. When you factor in coming back for annual or recurrent training, not to mention upgrade or transition training, you will spend more days away from home than if you lived in Domicile.

Occasionaly pilots are forced to commute due to cutbacks/furloughs. It really sucks when you lived in Domicile and are displaced by cutbacks. Or worse furloughed for a couple years and then recalled to a domicile across the country.....been there done that, got the T-Shirt. Fortunatley, that is not the current case at FDX, but it could be some day.

Living in SoCAl and being based in LAX is a good thing, but in the case of FDX, unfortunately MEM is your future ( unless you are a Senior CAPT in LAX) because it has all aircraft/Seats and will always give you more seat progression choices. Unfortunately MEM isn't the greatest place to "Plant the Flag" so to speak. Many of us have done it, many have moved away after 2-3 or 7 years. Very few FDX pilots actually stay there after they retire. You can see the Moving vans idling after the Fire Truck Fountain and "So-Long" Cake is served in the Crew Room.