While it might be economically worth it to commute for FDX vice living in base at Frontier, the financial differences involved at the regional FO level is never going to be enough to justify a commute. Especially once you pay for crashpads, etc.

Unless your grandma is sick and you need every last dime or something like that.

Live where you want to live. The ability to live anywhere, yet work as an airline pilot in a different base is absolutely amazing. I have commuted all 5 years now and I have very few complaints. It is a one leg commute 5+ options a day and it’s not a horribly long flight.

Now the key here is you have to be smart about where your going to work. If your living out West (and are not going to move) you can’t realistically consider an airline with only 1-2 bases and all east coast. At least for a regional, HELL no. If it’s a legacy, well they all have bases in the same geographic areas so you will eventually get somewhere close to home. You might have to do DEN-EWR for
A bit, but eventually your going to get DEN or IHD, LAX etc.

Skywest is definitely the way to go. I would also look at Envoy. DFW commute wouldn’t be bad and you have a flow in your back pocket.

Do any of you guys know if SkyWest pays out the 7500 bonus to 135 pilots, or just 121 pilots? I'm a current 135 pilot. That big 22k bonus was the biggest reason I was even considering commuting to commutair.

135 as well.

Wow. This crowd is going soft.

What makes him so soft about moving to a location for him and his fiancé?


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The dirty little secret nobody wants to talk about (until there's an accident or incident) is that since part 117 took effect, same day commuting in most cases is illegal.

You have to report for your duty period having had a 10 hour duty free period WITH and 8 hour rest opportunity.

so, unless you live within 2 hours of base, or unless you commute into base then get 8 hours rest opportunity; you are illegal to start on day one.

It really shows how much the unions are in bed with the companies that they allow their members to knowingly violate federal rules to appease the airlines.

We all know you can't show up on day 2, day 3, day 4, or more without having had 10 hours free from duty with an 8 hour rest opportunity. Please show me the exemption within the law saying that doesn't apply on day 1.

If they put you in an overnight hotel 4 hours from the out station, you'd call and make them adjust your show time.... yet, everybody thinks it's okay to commute 5 hours then sign in for a full day.

Just food for thought....

Some airlines are beginning to do home basing. It's been that way in the corporate/135 side at many places for a long time. Many cargo haulers like Atlas, Kalitta and others now offer home basing... and as far as I know, the first passenger airline to offer their pilots home basing is Via Airlines. I predict one of three things. Either the FAA will modify the rules to appease the airlines, or airlines will start home basing.... or they could also provide crew hotels to commuters and make it your responsibility to come to work 10 hours early unpaid. (this will be the first way they handle it until pilots revolt realizing it applies to all trips, not just ones too early to commute in for)

Yea.......No.

I'll give you maybe......mayyyyyyyybe sitting in the actual JS on your commute COULD maybe, possibly, but not really be duty. Unfortunately everything else is hot garbage.

If you live an hour from your base is driving to the airport duty? No, it's not. So why does getting on a plane make it duty? Is the van from the hotel to the airport after an overnight FDP? No, it isn't. Being free from duty is just that. The FAA has defined what duty is and what it isn't. Simply getting into the back of a plane is not FDP, or even duty, so you aren't violating anything.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/88/24/dd/8...e345c66f6d.jpg

Career decisions should always be made in the context of the life of the career. Often times two years of pain can translate into forty years of bliss.

I can’t answer the OP’s question specifically but some general food for thought. To me whatever gets you the fastest to your last job is the route you want to take in a seniority work environment.

No. Not even a little bit.

117 rules limit what the company can do to you.

The company must give you time free from duty AND a rest opportunity.

What you do with the opportunity is up to you.

In the event of an accident, they would look at your rest. A blatant and obvious failure to be at all rested could get you violated, that would be something like what Cogan chick did, 24 hours of skiing and jumpseat travel, followed immediately by flight duty.

You're not required to spend eight hours chained to your bunk before reporting.