Locality Pay
 

Hi,

I'm about to start looking for Regionals to work for. I currently live in California and I'd like to stay here or possibly Miami. And I'm definitely not looking to commute for all my regional years. So, my question is do airlines offer locality pay based on your base? If not, would it be a smart idea to move in a city like Miami since rent and taxes are cheaper?

Also, I'm not a fan of moving cities every few years so if I was to live in LA or Miami I could still work for major airlines living there in the future.

As they say, the biggest perk of being a pilot is "you can live anywhere you'd like" as long as you're willing to commute.

No locality pay.. As far as regionals in CA, Come to compass for the best LA opportunity (quick upgrade, upgrade in base) wth the highest risk (loss of contract/meltdown).. Go to OO for the most stability but with longer upgrades and expect to upgrade in the midwest. Excargodog has some good posts here and there with lots of elaboration on my points above.

Yes, Regional airlines give you $1000 extra per month just for living in the state of California because everybody who lives there is special.

What about promoting to a major? Does compass offer any advantages? Or is it better to go somewhere with a flow to AA?

Some jobs do, so I was wondering

It was a valid question for someone new to the airlines.. As far as flow, I'll let the envoy guys answer that. Keep in mind there are no true flow opportunities on the west coast. The best "flow" program is to find a quick upgrade and flow yourself to a major lol

Edit: compass has frontier but... It's not really a great opportunity the way it's set up. And there's horizon - alaska.. But I'm talking mainly about CA.. Your choices are CP or OO

Thanks! Compass doesn't seem like a bad choice really. We're just very close to the end of the contract and who knows what's going to happen. I still have some time left, so hopefully more info comes out on this.

Yeah man, i'de say still apply when you are ready regardless. You'll get a type and some flight time out of it either way.. It's not like there won't be other opportunities for you if Delta drops us, that flying will go somewhere. Wish you all the best either way homie!

Keep in mind too that where you live (not where you are domiciled) determines your state tax rate, as long as you do less than 51% of your flying in one state. And you might be at a major for a LONG time before you are senior enough to bid and hold your desired domicile.

A top tier Delta or United pilot living in California will annually pay $35-38K in state income taxes. Living in one of the seven states with no income tax or the two states that don’t tax wages, can make that much of a difference annually at the end of your career.

https://smartasset.com/taxes/states-with-no-income-tax

Commuting from a state with a lower (or no) tax rate might be a reasonable option. Especially if it’s a reliably easy single leg commute.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/micr...t-income-taxes