Threshold for drivable commute
 

What's your threshold, with respect to drive time, for a long-term drivable commute and why?

Depends on what kind of trips/lifestyle you like....
If you like one day trips, then I would say 30 minutes max.
If you like 5-9 day trips, then I would say 1 hour.

Still a personal preference. Some guys/gals handle traffic better than others.

I have an easy commute, 1+10 flight time to base with upwards of 20 flights a day into base. On a good weather day with light loads I'd arrive in base one hour prior to show time (and still have a legal backup flight available that gets me in prior to show). I have to leave my house to catch my commute one hour minimum prior to scheduled departure (I can reach the gate in just under 45 minutes). So, on an absolutely perfect day, I leave my house a little over three hours prior to show. Much more typically, I leave home 4-4.5 hours prior to show. Sometimes, I'll leave as much as 5-6 hours prior if the weather sucks, there is a gap between primary/backup flights, flight loads are heavy, or I'm expecting heavy traffic en route to the airport.

The bottom line is, if you live inside of three hours drive time to base driving is almost the sure answer. Inside four hours, and it is probably still the answer on most days.

1:20 from Newark, 1:45 to Kennedy and LGA no traffic. Life’s been a breeze so far. Sit reserve at home. If you hold a line I think 3 hour drive to commute is doable, and way better than depending on flights. YMMV

I did a 5 hour drive to base for 4 years. Honestly, it was too long. I’d say I could do 3:45 no problem, but that last hour or so killed me. I was very junior doing it though, so that had a negative impact too. The hardest part vs flying is you have to be alert the whole commute vs sleeping in the back of a plane with a flying commute.

I’m in the middle of nowhere for commuting though. I’ve still gotta drive 2:40 to get on an hour block flight commute to work. I consider it much easier than the drive even though it can take more “time” than the drive sometimes.

So I guess it depends on your threshold for commuting pain.

Depends...

Depends on the kind of flying and report/end times.

I'd say four hours would be about the longest (I did five briefly once). But that's only if you're report/end times are reasonable... getting up at 2330 to hit the road at 2359 for a 0400 report for a six-leg regional day is an obvious no-go.

For a typical junior schedule, try to keep it to two hours. The early shows will still suck but you probably got a couple hours more sleep in the wee hours when you really need it.

If you're doing one-leg transcons or longer, then you can push the commute more. Time zones are going to be jacked up anyway and one leg is less fatiguing by a long-shot than 4-6.

For locals, I wouldn't drive more than about 20 minutes, but again depends on the number of legs and duty day. If you can drive in , do a turn, and drive home all in less than ten hours, still a pretty OK schedule.

Traffic matters too... four hours in stop-and-go traffic would be about the same for me as twelve hours on cruise control.

Within a reserve callout time. In my case, I drive 1hr 40min to domicile. While I’m a lineholder, it’s a nice option.

I agree that the time of report matters. I live 1 hour and 50 minutes from my driveway to the parking lot. If I have to get up before 5am, I drive in the night b4 and get a hotel room. Hasn’t happened a lot lately as I’ve transitioned to a PM schedule.

I drive 20 minutes each way, 6-8 times per month.

I would take the bus if it stopped in my neighborhood.

I hate driving.

I have a 3 hour drive to employee parking lot, FLL to MCO, and don’t mind it. If I have an early show time I get a hotel in base, but usually can get a late showtime day 1. For me it’s easier than taking the 40 minute flight and spend less time sitting around the airport for hours.

35 min drive enjoying family time on reserve. There’s also a train 2 minutes from house to airport but I’d probably be lucky if all I got was shanked riding it

I work for G4 and have a 1 hr 15 min drive to the emp parking lot. I like where I live and I like working for g4 so it’s doable for me. It’s a stress free no traffic drive in FL. Personally that’s my limit because we have just day trips. If I worked for someone else and fly 3-4 day trips I’ll be willing to drive up to 3 hrs. Driving to work> jumpseat commuting to work.

10 minutes, 20 tops! Longer than that, I'm moving!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

At various times -

:30 one way
:50
1+15
3+00 on a good day

Commuted

I know guys with 4 hr drives, guys who've commuted for 25 yrs, and guys who've never driven more than 20 minutes. Guess who had it the easiest? Guess who raised his family where he and his wife have both of their extended families? What do YOU value more?

<30 Minutes: Great, convenient, can do day trips

30-60 Minutes: Can still do some day trips, but might be far if you work at Allegiant

60-120 Minutes: Not a big deal for a 4-day, still within reserve callout distance

2-3 Hours: It feels more like a road trip to get to and from work. You could make reserve work (I've known some guys who drive partway and hang out at a Starbucks all day in case they're called). Will be rougher for 0500 starts or 2300 ends. Still beats a commute.

3-4 Hours: In my opinion still better than a commute, some might disagree. May have to drive the day before or after depending.

4+ Hours: Start considering the commute.

Thing is, most airlines require two chances to make it. If you don't have a ton of frequency, it's possible you'll constantly be on the 0600 flight for 1600 show times. That sucks; you're leaving home 11 hours before you need to be there, and then starting your actual work day. So it's easy to see where even a 4 hour drive might not be so bad. Plus, no need to stress about load factors or weather. No matter how delayed you are on the last day, no matter how oversold flights get, there's still a car waiting to take you home.

It takes me 3:40 to get from my driveway to the employee lot. I bid long trips and three work blocks per month. Yes, it can be a pain sometimes getting home after midnight. But the first thing I do when I get home is walk down to the dock, have a seat, look at the stars and thank God I live where I do. Then I get to enjoy it for the next 5 days until I go back to work.

To each their own. That's what makes this job even better is being able to choose where you want to live.

Well said, I agree. I currently live 15 mins but 30 is my max since I do all day trips.

It takes me 2:15-2:20 garage to parking lot with no serious traffic/construction or snowy roads. Not practical for day trips or my company’s reserve rules, but as a line holder it’s doable. I like podcasts (each is 45 minutes to an hour) listen to a couple of those, plus I am in love with my commuter car, so driving to commute isn’t bad (as long as it’s not post red-eye or an 0500 report).

There are 5-6 flights a day from my local airport, but it’s all regional.... My car is never delayed, canceled or weight restricted. And, if it leaves without me, something REALLY went wrong...

I once drove home from CLT to TPA just because it wasn't non-reving.

Funny. I have been on my way to the airport and just kept driving - for 5 hours.

I live in the middle of the city and it was a minimum 45 minute drive to airport parking. A friend flew for Delta and lived in Peoria, Ill. He was based at ORD for much of his career til it closed and then he drove to Cincinnati until he retired. The crazy things pilots do, but he never had to fly for his commute.

I drive ~4 hours to EWR. I hate it. Somewhere around the 2-2:30 mark is where I start to lose my mind. I could probably do it for the rest of my career. Even with 0500 shows and 2345 releases effectively being red eyes on either end of the trip. But it is miserable.

Still, its much easier than driving an hour to BOS and then worrying about getting on or not. Or getting back.

I do a combined commute. (Delta NYC 757/67)
Commute out of Norfolk, VA with a less than 30 min drive to airport.
NYC based with an Ozone Park crashpad.
Crashpad is mostly for shortcall and the 1 day breaks between trips where it's not worth coming home or if weather looks crap and I go up the day before.

That said, I bid to minimize my commuting. I only commuted once, one way in December. After having 27 days in a row off.

I normally sit long call at home. There is a 3-4 hour window a day, where if I got called for an exactly 12 hour callout, I can make it, but I have no legal backup if I don't get on the next flight. Driving is my option if I don't get on. But then it's middle of the night, so no traffic.

Very, VERY rarely do I get less than a 16 hour callout. Unless it's for shortcall starting in 12 hours. That's common, but I also get 2 hours into short call "non contactable" if I let skeds know.

So I usually sit at home until a trip/shortcall pops, then try to JS. If it looks ridiculous, I will rent a car one way and drive up if I don't get on. It's about a 7 hour drive one way. Probably do the ground commute ever other month.

If the wife wants to go on a trip on months I hold a line, or I get a decent reserve trip far enough in advance, we will often drive to NYC in her car since non rev on a RJ to NYC is crap at best from ORF.

Drive car, drop her off at AirTrain, park in employee lot, meet her at the gate after checking in.

I agree with most my drive is 3:15.
I’d much rather drive than depend on flights. My personal limit would be 4 hours.
My drive is all highway cruise set at 80 mph
(God blessed Texas with 75mph speed limits)
Now if I was doing stop and go city driving, I don’t think I’d last more than 30’minutes.

I know a number of guys who drive to EWR from Boston. I’m sure it sucks but much better than a flying commute.

I live 1:30 from the nearest major airport and commute to EWR which is a 2 hr flight. On a perfect day it’s 5 hours from my house to EWR. I almost always have to go the night before and occasionally miss the last flight after getting back and end up sleeping in ops in order to catch the 0600 back to my home airport. I’ve been doing this for 6 years and I hate every minute of it. We finally decided to move to base which will be a 1+15 to EWR. I can’t wait. I’d probably rather do a 4 hr drive any day over a flying commute, even an easy one, of any distance. I hate having to factor that in 6-8 times a month.

How hard is it at most airlines (with a bit of seniority of course) to push multiple trips together in one block so one can minimize the number of times one has to commute?

Could you do like 6 day trips, or even 3 or 4, 4 day trips in one block to only have to commute twice a month (or even once) instead of 4 times?

Sure, you’d be done from home in longer stretches, but still be gone same
number of days total each month

You could easily do it at Delta.

Thats what I do at AA. 30hr rest every seven days is the only hinderance, I look for trips that have that 30 day rest. I was doing red eyes and 117 restricts legs at night, its been a few months but something like only 3 days of 0200-0600, dont qoute me on that. I can avoid red eyes now so i have already forgotten the rule

I want one! Preferably CDG :)

“Hinderance”?.........

Blame google, I havent been able to spell in 5 years

I go to work about once a week, 1:40 works for me.

Gate to gate my commute is about 90 minutes. But rarely do I simply walk off my plane and onto the next. It isn't uncommon to sit for two hours waiting to go home, then 90 minutes plus the drive on top of that. And if it's full and I get bumped from the JS now I'm waiting another 1-2 hours on top of that. It can take 5-6 hours to get home. A 2 hour drive? I'll happily take it.

My measure of a reasonable commute is one that takes longer to walk to the crew room than drive to the car park.:)

I have a 2h35m drive to ORD. Most of the time it’s fine, but there are times when it gets long, especially late at night. I probably get a hotel in base once every 2-3 months, just to ease the pain a little.

Nice arrangement if you can get it. But I wouldn't want to live that close to most hubs. I can think of a few.

Do you have bars on your windows

In March my commute would be a 6:20 hr flight or a 2,700 mile drive. If I miss the flights, I can drive and make it in 4 days :D

.........no..........

Commuting 101
 

Hello All,

Forgive me if this thread exists already, please redirect me if that’s the case.
I’m a corporate pilot looking to transition to 121 flying and actively pursuing ULCC and legacy carriers. I completely understand that living in base is vastly different than commuting. If living in base is not an option for me, could someone provide some guidance on what to consider for a commute.
For example:
Is a 4hr drive better than an airline commute that only has 3-4 flights a day?
How many flights from local airport to domicile would be condidered sufficient?
Any other tid bits will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance