Where to live as a FedEx Commuter
 

If you are picking a place to live based solely on commuting convenience (Memphis excluded - kind of oxymoronic - I know) where would it be?

A few basic assumptions.
1. You are Memphis based.
2. Cost of living isn't a factor. The only factor is commuting convenience.


1. Any major city? Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, etc?
Plus: lots of flights day and night, off-line options, deviation options to out-stations
Minus: delays, parking

2. Geography? Nashville, Little Rock, Atlanta?
Plus: if all else fails you can drive to Memphis, off-line options (Atlanta), deviation options to out-stations (Atlanta)
Minus: you can drive (3-5 hours is a really long drive especially at midnight-1 am), limited radius

3. Hub? Newark, Indy, Oakland, Anchorage, Osaka (I don't know how to spell the place in China). I won't mention Alliance or Greensboro.
Plus: lots of flights. Lots of d/h's start and end at these places
Minus: jumpseat protection. Coming from Oakland, Anchorage and China you'll most likely be outside contractual protection.

4. Small City? Wichita, Cedar Rapids, Peoria? (If you live here and don't consider it a small city, sorry. Not looking to slight anyone)
Plus: less competition for jumpseats, fewer delays
Minus: fewer back-ups, no daytime flight (maybe), fewer off-line options, fewer deviation options

5. Climate? Miami, San Diego, (Greenbay)
- This one is a little tricky. In over ten years I've seen FedEx cancel a flight for wx once. Plus, no matter where you live, you still are dependent on Memphis weather. Still I'm going to include this one.
Plus: fewer delays
Minus: deicing, off-line flights cancel, deviation flights cancel

Please weigh in with your opinions.

If you are married - wherever she wants to live! :eek: :D

Why would one be outside contractual protection from these locations?

Mr. White

I have commuted from a little city (SHV) and a big city (IAD) far easier to get a jumpseat and commute from a little city. Can't imagine what the DFW guys are thinking about the outhouse picking up one of their rides next month.

You need to add seniority to your factor list. Big city is easier if you are senior.

Seniority is a driving factor. So is the FedEx deadhead policy. If you live near a major airline hub (ORD, DEN, DFW, IAH) you can focus on bidding deadhead trips and using your bank money to get to and from work. If you can't bid deadheads, you are stuck competing with a bunch of guys all trying to jumpseat to Memphis on a decreasing number of jumpseats.
If you live in a smaller city served by FedEx (BOI, BIL, ICT) you will have less competition for FDX jumpseats, but also take the risk FedEx will decide at some point to stop operating out of your city.
I live in a location that is a hybrid of both. Near a major airline hub and a smaller FedEx facility. That gives me deadhead and jumpseat options. Being in the middle of the country near a large airline hub usually allows me to fit inside FedEx trip bank limits 95% of the time.

Excellent point, but see assumption #2. The only factor to consider is commuting convenience.



I'm referring to the "no harm no foul" part of the contract. If you start your day commuting from Osaka you'll probably be outside the protection parameters.



FDX lag and Rock - great point about seniority. Some people stay junior to bid double d/h's, stay in the right seat of the 777 versus left seat of the 757, etc.

Add assumption #3. On average, you need to commute to Memphis 2-3x per month (FedEx or off-line) and deadhead 1-2x per month. Say 60-80% seniority range in your seat. Junior line holder or VTO.

I also thought FedEx had a "guaranteed" seat reservation though a 1-800 number. 24 hours prior? Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't that add a layer of ease to the commuting process? Knowing you have a seat reserved for you. Can you ever get bumped out of one of those reservations? I would think commuting from a hub would be less of a hassle since there would probably be more flights from, let's say OAK-MEM or LAX-MEM. Am I wrong?

Mr. White

You can only be guaranteed a seat if there is one available. Commuting out of ATL DFW DEN for example means you are fighting for every jumpseat, particularly Monday night.

One other facet to consider is that one day Fedex commuters will be doing it on mostly 757's and 767. Both crappy machines from a commuter standpoint. I would hate to be a new hire here looking at commuting from a long distance on these two aircraft. I commute from Atlanta on mostly the 767 and it may fly great but from a jumpseater's point of view it sucks. YMMV.

You're joking ... right?

Yes, your 777 has unusually nice jumpseat accommodations. Almost all other jumpseats s*ck. I'm afraid that's just a fact of life when you decide to commute to an airline job.

FedEx jumpseat are pretty reliable. After commuting for 30 years at 2 different airlines I can tell you that I really don't care what kind of aircraft gets me to work. And ... I always make a point of thanking the Captain for the ride.

I can hear the conversation now, "Honey, we can't move to XYZ city because I would have to jumpseat to my really good job in MEM on the FedEx 767." That's hilarious!*?


:confused: