Adlerdriver

What?
I guess you must have gotten hired at the airline that keeps its domiciles secret until you leave your old job and report for basic indoc. .... Oh, and that also put a gun to your head to make you take the job.

Fixnem2Flyinem

nope, I got hired at a place with home basing. Nice guess though. No need to get snarky, I really think while times were good, that should have been the time the commuting/crashpad situation should have been visited. But... those times are gone and we will all be paying for type ratings again soon. Safe flying

*edit*
Im dead serious when I say I didn’t mean to offend those that commute, because I did it as well briefly. I did it long enough to realize that wasn’t the lifestyle I wanted. Coming back to LAX, paying for an Uber to my overpriced bunk where I had to sneak into not to wake all the farting and snoring other pilots recovering from their long days.. Even at the best of times it was unacceptable, from a CRJ FO to a 787 CA, the whole spectrum shouldn’t have to deal with that sort of lifestyle. Granted the 787 CA could probably afford a studio apt, why would they? Maybe I’m just rambling, I just think the fact that airlines know these conditions exist for flight crews and for the majority are the only financial possible way to make getting to work on time realistic is sad. But again, that is all out the door given the new climate we find ourselves in

Adlerdriver

Great. Sounds like you solved the problem for yourself.
That has nothing to do with your statement below:
No airline makes anyone commute. If they won't pay to move you and make a east or west coast blue state with out of control taxes an affordable option, then you don't take the job. Problem solved.
Or you accept a temporary commute by saving and planning for accepting the job and then commute until you can hold a domicile to which you can afford to move.
Certainly, if you can negotiate a new hire move to domicile package, that enhances options available and maybe in the long run brings in higher quality candidates, so it's a plus for the pilots and the company. Even if an airline had the best move package and COLA negotiated into their contract, there would still be plenty of pilots who CHOOSE to commute because they don't want to live in one of the domiciles at airline X.

But the bottom line is, commuting is a personal choice just like upgrading ASAP and being junior or staying senior in the right seat or any other QOL decisions we all have to make. How you could suggest that a personal decision like that was made decades ago for all of us now is bizarre.

Fixnem2Flyinem

I apologize for the way I came across, I just hate when I see flight crew being told it is just the way it is and deal with it. Especially the regional side when every penny counted. I really was hoping that airlines would start to realize the commuting conditions could have been something to remedy in order to attract greater talent and experience. The simple gesture of giving a crew member a clean and safe room that included proper privacy would have been an excellent recruiting tool, especially to the professionals that simply cannot afford or desire to live in ATL, SFO, LAX, NYC..However, that will not come to fruition now

Vincent Chase

I'm not going to ask.
No, wait. I will. Does your trunk have ample amounts of bleach and hefty bags?

rickair7777

That IS the solution for those who don't want to commute. Several options which provide that amenity, ACMI, fractional, even overseas.

Or in my case I just delayed my career until I could get on with a company that both payed what I wanted and had a nearby base. Commuting is not a lifestyle catastrophe (within reason) but I prefer not to.

Either way, there's a cost in career compensation, but that's your choice. If you have the flexibility and willingness to move OR commute anywhere than your career can progress faster. I'd recommend moving to base every time if you can.

But the airlines don't really owe us pos space commutes with hotels in base.

havick206

When were crashpads ever sanitary?

Years of crashpads and dive bars builds up ones immunity.

badflaps

Don't forget the company headsets.

WutFace

This is outdated nonsense. One of the casualties of all the mergers and acquisitions over the last 20 years has been employee choice.

Employers don't have to compete for employees when there's only one or two to choose from. Wages, benefits, and domiciles will all suffer as we slowly merge into one national airline.

Cost of living adjustments based on domiciles would be a great way to alleviating one of the major stressors of the job (commuting). But no way red state pilots would agree to that. We're all just crabs in a bucket, pulling each other down.

LoneStar32

Negative. One has much more control over the cleanliness of their home, not so much at a crashpad shared with 24 other pilots/FAs. I don't care how clean you think your crashpad is. Plus people "choose to commute" during normal circumstances, not to the epicenter of the global pandemic. I hope to god you never get to a leadership position at an airline.