OOfff

3-3.5 hours from home to base is shorter than almost any commute, and close to half of all pilots suffer through that

rickair7777

Depends on the drive. I'd rather do 3+ hours door to terminal air commute, than fight traffic for 3+ hours.

Of course with the drive you chose when you drive to avoid traffic (I do).

Bahamasflyer

Pretty easy to bid early starts and late finishes in NYC and avoid traffic most of the time. And as a bonus they usually go junior since the ones that commute by air dont want them.

CX500T

So for Delta, 3-3.5 is cake on reserve but you probably need to come in closer for short call. At Delta, promptly available isn't contractually or FOM defined but "2 ish hours to airport in normal traffic" is the usually accepted leash.

Also in NYC, you can use any of the 3 as your anchor point. I've sat short call at a dirtbike track in NJ knowing I can shower change and be at EWR in 2 or less from call..

LAX (our other multi airport base) it's to LAX only.

For me, under 3 in normal traffic (not middle of night nor rush hour) is way easier and quicker than any DAL FOM "legal" air commute. Just the 2 hour gap between flights (or reasonable if using pwa) plus the get to airport, park, tsa, gate puts you well over 3 hours.

And you never have to worry about seats open, alternate fuel, payload etc.

Kriegsflieger

Great insight, thank you.

I really appreciate all the replies.

TheCrimsonKing

If you already live 3 hours north of the city and you're trying to see if staying in your current house will work, then this comment may not be of much use and you can probably skip it. But if you're just trying to scout out areas to live, then I'll second what other people have said and say avoid a bridge/tunnel commute at all costs. Before I started flying I commuted over the GWB for a short time from Westchester County to NJ, and if I left early enough and miraculously missed traffic, I could do it in 45 min. If I hit a wreck or the middle of rush hour, it would be more like 2 hours. The typical time though was 1.5 hours. All this to say, it was almost always unpredictable.

If you're willing to stay east of the Hudson, the Metro North line will take you as far north as Poughkeepsie, giving you access to lots of towns in northern Westchester and beyond (although it can be an expensive around there, there are some nice small towns in that area). Alternatively you could go further east into CT and find a place somewhat in the vicinity of New Canaan. I have a friend there who says it's very nice and somewhat rural. Maybe these suggestions aren't the kind of places you're looking for, but they highlight the fact that you can find places to the North and East that will help you avoid the worst of the traffic and added tolls of tunnels and bridges, and if you can find a place near a commuter rail stop, you'll avoid the NY/NJ/CT road rage on top of it all. If you're going to do a 2-3 hour commute, might as well spend most of it comfortably seated reading a book or listening to music.

The last thing I'll add is that the rail idea will likely only be convenient if you're commuting to JFK. If you plan to commute to EWR, plan on living west of the Hudson. Crossing the bridge is just not worth it.

hoover

rail will work for LGA as well just gotta get off and onto a bus in NYC

knewyork

Commuting from Dutchess County to EWR is very easy, and even shorter and more predictable than driving to JFK. Just cross at the Newburgh Beacon Bridges. Otherwise anywhere south of there, yes, stick to the same side of the river.

Sliceback

Drove 3:15 from MD to JFK for 18-19 yrs. It is what it is....it's time. Doable? Sure. Great? No. Commuted for a year. Car was easier. Quit commuting and went back to driving. Never had to check loads or weather.

Would leave the house 6 hrs prior to sign-in if I was going to deal with traffic. 0500 sign-in's? I'd give myself :30 minutes pad as the risk of traffic issues was close to zero.

Worst drive times? Holidays, Friday - Sunday nights. Worst trip ever? A couple of 7 yr drives. Brutual weather (heavy rain, Belt Parkway flooding...or July 4th weekend. Five hr drives wasn't stunning, ergo the 6 hr departure before sign-in.

Best deal was going back to 1:15 drive. Does your car even warm up in a drive that short???

hoover

how one can wake up and leave the house before midnight and drive all night for a 0500 check in to fly is crazy.