dckpck

positive space commuting will be revolutionary!

Swakid8

I am currently commuting to DCA. I have the option of Driving and Flying at the same time. The sucky part is there only 3 flights daily from my airport to DCA that always leaves me having to leave early in the AM and United has 3 to 4 to IAD.

Its ok, but it does suck.

JulesWinfield

You occasionally get first class and can have a few drinks on the way home. That's about it.

Pony Express

As others have said, its totally dependent on how hard the commute is. I have a pretty easy commute, 6 flights per day in the summer and normally 5 in the winter (but down to 4 on certain days). Also i could drive (about 4-4.5 hours) or take a train ($60 each way) if I really neee to.

The cons are, you will lose time at home. Ususally 6-8 hours on the front end and minimum 3 but usually 6 hours on the back end of each trip. Additionally, its much harder to pick up open flying for premium pay (however personally I doubt I would do that if I lived in base, but others might).

The pros are, you get to live where you want. I absolutely love where I live. Close family members are only a few minutes away, which to me is HUGE. And if I lived in base, Id probably be flying to visit them twice a month anyways.

Its all dependent on personal situations. I wouldnt commute to LAX from the northeast, but since I commute within driving and public transit range, its not as hard.

bonanza

I have been doing it for 2 years now. The first 6 to 8 months can be pretty stressful if you let it. It is really just a game and you get very creative to get around. In two years I have only had to call off 2 times and it wasn't a big deal to do. Yes it takes away from home time but there are also benefits to it depending on where you want to live.

rickair7777

I wish I could take a train... leave at a reasonable time, know when you have to leave, and sleep, read, surf the net, whatever. Best of driving and commuting IMO.

highfarfast

I was about to post that not all commutes are the same. Mine is similar to ^this^.

Even will add, my commute is on company metal and I can get overnights in my home.

Also, when I go to work, it's a 15 min drive to the airport where I park a 2 minutes walk going through TSA where they all know me. The gates are a mere 30 seconds after security where all the gate agents know me. There's not a lot of competition for the jump seat so I usually get on my first flight option on the way to work.

WiscoAviator

Under two hours and between two major airports seems to be the best way to have a "not bad" commute. For example I've worked with a few guys that commute MSP-ORD and their opinions are more positive than most.

Baradium

Where you work is a big factor in how commuting works. For example, on Endeavor your second flight is positive space if you miss the first (and it's a Delta flight), which takes stress away. On the mainline level, Delta has that but you ALSO can reserve the jumpseat and if you get bumped by a fed they positive space you. Other regionals might also have commuter policies, but you need to know what they are.

I used to do a 2 leg long distance commute and it meant that if I didn't have at least 3 days off I didn't even bother going home, I would just go for the biggest stretches of days off I could get. I have a much shorter commute now and it doesn't bother me at all.

Like everyone else says, the shorter number of legs the better but ALSO, how many commuters live where you do is a massive factor. If there are always 4 or 5 pilots trying to commute on a given flight there is a lot more stress than if there are 4 or 5 of you total and you rarely even see the others.

2GoodEngines

I appreciate all the great comments. Im struggling right now with the decision whether to stay at my corporate gig, which is SUPER easy with only about 4 or 5 overnights and 15-20 days off a month (but is pretty much topped out in terms of career progression, salary, etc), or going 121. I would most likely have to go to a regional first, and the one at the top of my list would have me commuting to IAH from 350 miles away. There are 3 direct flights each day, 2 on company metal and the other on a different UAL regional. Then there are another 5 or 6 flights per day on AA and their regionals that would two-leg through DFW. Ive talked to the gate agents here at my airport for both company and AA, and they say the jumpseats are almost always empty. The regional I’m looking at (XJT) has a pretty nice commuter clause with unlimited “two flight” events and I think 3 or 4 “1 flight” events in a year. They seem to have a nice schedule improvement system to build more commutable lines, and new hire reserve is currently only a couple of months. It all adds up to what I “think” would be a pretty decent commuting setup (in relative terms of course), but my fear is dropping my current gig, getting neck deep with the regional, then finding out I’m completely wrong and it’s a total nightmare. Obviously there’s no way to know without just doing it, but everyone’s input has been very helpful. Now if someone can just tell me exactly what I should do, I can make a decision and get on with my life :-)