trashhauler

I was curious if any of the guys based there have any idea why Jack always says that if it were up to him he would close the Lax domicile? Is the domicile inefficient? too costly? any ideas? As far as the rumor mill goes, is the Lax domicile here to stay? Also, how to the guys based there like it? Is living in San Diego doable with a 3 hr call up? Don't worry, I'm junior , so you don't have to lie. Thanks in advance.

trashhauler

There must be at least one guy from the LAX base that's on this board. Any insite on my comments would be greatly appreciated. Come on Tony, you seem to know everything about everything. You can throw your 2 cents in !

FR8Hauler

I have spoken to JL about this and he always says he would close LAX today because it does not meet system form. Whatever that means. He says the bean counters like it, so it continues to exist. I would not move there thinking it will be around forever. Hope this helps. It kind of sucks too if you are a commuter which I did for quite a while. Flts leave weird times of day making you rent hotel rooms on a frequent basis.

trashhauler

Thanks for the info FR8. I have been toying with the idea of moving to San Diego and bidding LA. I'm getting tired of commuting to MEM from the Left Caost and it would be nice to live in Domicile. I don't think living in MEm is an option. I can make the move for a year or 2 anyway, so we'll see what happens.

RedeyeAV8r

LAX never really made sense to open as a crew domicile.
There isn't a true Day/Night sort to the tune of OAK or EWR.
OAK would have much more sense because you can Deadhead to just as many INTL Destinations from SFO as you can LAX and there is a true Day/night Sort there, which LAX doesn't have.
Maybe there were some Big scheduling changes that were planned for LAX but later scrapped. Heck why does the DC-10 do alot of flying in/out of LAX when there are MD-10 crews there? Go figure.
As Far as an INTL BASE goes, LAX never really panned out either.

That being said, if you live (or plan to live) inside of a 3 hour drive ( or whater JP sez is OK) life wouldn't be too bad. From what I understand, reserve goes more Senior in LAX than MEM. If you plan on commuting to LAX, you will have to do much more Offline jumpseating that being based in MEM, (which is a pain in the A$$). You can't jumpseat on a FedEx jet to LAX unless you live in OAK, MEM or IND and with the schedules, often you will have to come in the night before and buy a hotel, unlike jumpseating live into MEM to begin your trip. If you Live in the Bay area, it would work out OK because 1/2 of the LAX trips have DH's to/from OAK/SFO. As far as their trips go, they do not have a lot of variety, LAX-MEM-LAX, LAX-HNL-OAK-LAX, ONT-OAK-ONT, OAK-PDX-OAK, PDX-IND-PDX and OAK-AFW-OAK and 1 or 2 Long INTL trips are pretty much all you will ever do. There are some very Sweet RFO trips out of LAX (if you like RFO). You can always Bid it and if you don't like it, you can always bid back to MD-11 MEM or ANC since you won't incur any training freeze.

FX Bone Guy

I was in LAX for three years, I've been in MEM now as an FO for 5 months. I bid MEM so I could have some more choices for Domestic flying. That has worked out, but now I miss the big DH$$ on the RFO trips. I also miss sitting reserve at my crashpad (or on the beach or golf course) and not getting called. I commute from the Mid west. Maybe I'll see ya'll in LAX again.

R1200RT

Here's my 2 cents. Suck it up big man and move to Memphis like the rest of us that wanted to live in domicile.
Plus I am going to need help with yard work and child care.

But then you are the guy senior to me, so LAX sounds better.

Rock

I can give you a little perspective from someone who just recently shifted to LAX from ANC. I commuted to ANC from Denver for just over a year. I'll sum that up by saying the commute was a nightmare and is getting worse as the base grows and UPS adds pilots. Very few ANC deadhead trips meant I often had to pay for my own ticket, because jumpseating through Seattle or Portland is very unreliable. I'd lose a day getting up there because most trips leave in the morning, and then a day and a half coming home, because FDX trips arrive in the morning, and most commercial flights leave very late at night. More and more of the ANC lines are 3 and 4 departure lines, so you do the math and your extra time away from home adds up very quickly. So does the money spent on airfare and lodging at ANC. On a month with training, I'd spend up to $1000 on commuting expenses.

Flash forward to LAX. I've been there since November and have spent one night in LA. Almost every trip has at least a front or backend deadhead, and deviating from Denver to the West Coast is a piece of cake. There isn't as much international flying, but the ANC-INC-PVG-ANC cycle gets old in a hurry when you do it more than once a month. I like the mix of international and domestic and seem to get some of each every month. The biggest drawback at LAX is its high seniority. I could bid 40% in ANC and barely bid better than 90% in LAX. But I couldn't be happier with my move, and that says a lot. My FedEx life has improved 100% since moving there. More time at home, less money spent commuting, and the same "just happy not to live in Memphis" culture.