Commuting to SEA
 

How easy would it be for a regional pilot to commute from SEA? As I have stated earlier, I would like to live in Seattle once I am a pilot but not many airlines have bases there, and only 1 regional does. What is commuting like with a regional, and is it worth it to commute from a place you love living in, even if it means less hours, more hectic scheduling, etc.?

Once you are a pilot? As in you haven't even done your private license yet? Regionals are always opening and closing bases based on their mainline partners demands, wishes, and contract wins/loses. Come back when you're applying.

I'm not trying to be condescending, its just that the info we give you now will be useless by the time you can actauly do anything with it. In the means time, enjoy living a mere 150 miles north of the greatest city on earth.

No offense taken there, I realize what you are saying. Bases and airlines open and close and things change. But my question is beyond mere airlines and bases.

I just wanted to know if it is feasible to commute from Seattle on ANY regional. Stories and examples are welcome. Obviously the regionals will change, but commuting itself will likely stay the same, right?

Yes, it would be possible to commute to/from SEA, but the question would then be, where would you be commuting to/from? Some commutes are easier than others, ie. JFK-CVG is one hell of a commute, but GRR-CVG isn't so bad.

To hopefully put it in context for you, we have a first officer here at Comair that commutes to CVG from Tokyo and a captain that commutes from Kiev, Ukraine and a FA that commutes from Hawaii and one that commutes from Alaska. These are just 4 situations here that I know of, I'm sure there are more. So yes, I'd say commuting is possible.

178 miles, to be exact!

Fair enough, but bases available make all the difference. DEN would be an easy commute for many people, since it is a hub for 2 airlines and not (as) prone to delays as ORD, NYC, or other cities that have that shear number of flights. If you worked for Express Jet (pre-branded flying) it would have been miserable, since CO used to have a DEN base and there a TONS of commuters going to IAH, EWR, and CLE. If all flights are mainline you'd be last in a very long line to get to work and probably have to two leg it.

From SEA you'd want to work for a company that has a pacific or mountain time zone domicile. Mesa has PHX, Eagle has LAX, Express Jet has LAX and ONT, Republic and Lynx both have DEN and SkyWest has.... a lot. Mesa sucks and PHX is senior. Don't do that. Eagle's upgrade is currently very long, although with flowbacks, etc, this may change by the time you're looking at going. Express Jet is a great place to work, but the branded flying (ONT) and Delta flying (LAX) may not be long term deals. I have no idea how Lynx will turn out, and word is DEN is going fairly senior at RP. Its a bit of a hike, perfectly doable, but you will probably have some competition (from F9, OO, and UA pilots). F9, UAL, and AS all fly the route, in my limited experience its usually pretty full but there are enough flights you'll eventually get a jumpseat. Skywest gives you the big bases in SLC and DEN, plus a million little Californian bases. The little bases are usually more senior and fairly short of anything resembling commutable trips. DEN was discussed above, and SLC has decent competition, but WN to back up the DL flights. DL flights seem to always be full, but WN (and their amazing staff) will save your butt. There are a fair number of commuters on this route, but aside from a dislike of the mainline DL gate agents they seem to mostly be keeping their sanity.

2 years from now? Maybe you can go to Colgan and fly their Q400s in Canyon Blue out of GEG.

edit: if you're driving. As the turboprop flies I think its closer to 150 miles. SEA-PDX is 129 statue miles and with the locations of each respective down town to its airport.... wait, you weren't claiming Woodburn is the greatest city on earth are you? I like a good deal as much as the next guy, but you need more than outlet malls to grab that title.

I'll chime in on this, since I do commute to work from Seattle.

Commuting sucks, and I can't think of a valid way to qualify that statement. I've talked to guys who commute to DEN and they say it's pretty tough getting a seat sometimes due to a LOT of commuters. (Since several airlines have a DEN base.) I've talked to SLC commuters and they say it can be really tough finding a seat due to cruise travel (Seattle) in the summer and ski traffic (SLC) in the winter.

I've personally done the commute to PDX. Typically it's do-able, as long as you give yourself 3 or 4 flights to get there. Despite the fact that Horizon does it every 30 mins, Dash-8s fill up fast and can be weight restricted. (Meaning no jumpseater allowed.) Currently I commute to ORD. Aside from the long flight and commuting across two time zones, it's not terrible. Holidays excepted, I've never had a problem getting a seat in the back. However, commuting to reserve isn't cool, since I spend very little time at home. Hopefully that will change soon as I'm able to hold a line.

To answer your question, it's never easy unless you enjoy spending a good part of your days off in airports or on airplanes. Unless you have a strong bond to Seattle that you're not willing to part with (such as myself), I highly recommend living in base. For now, it's working for me, however my wife and I are strongly considering a move to my base this summer so we can see each other for more than 30 hours at a time.

Another caveat of commuting that is rarely mentioned: Aside from more time at home, living in base can provide the opportunity for more income. I've talked to several pilots in ORD who claim that living in base can be worth a hundred or so hours of credit per year if you know how to work the system (Preferential Bidding and SkedPlus). On the other hand, some senior folks prefer to bid reserve and spend a great deal of time at home.

Hope this helps anybody thinking of commuting.

By the way, ComeFlyWithMe, nice screen name. That was the title of our first dance song at my wedding. Nobody sings it like Sinatra.

Thanks. That's where I got the name from! One of the best songs ever.
Yep, that pretty much describes me. I like the area and have extended family up there, plus it's beautiful and the jet capital of the world (Boeing).
If Skywest is still a decent place to work in 5 years that would be OK, and if Expressjet keeps the ONT base that would be nice too (ONT is my local airport here in CA). I think Republic would keep me stuck back east if I got a base other than DEN...

Horizon used to be a choice of mine, until I found out about their slow upgrade.

Really I'm just researching ways to build hours for the majors. I still have to go through Embry (or UND) first, and when I get out, like Doug said, things will have changed.

After Regionals there's also the question of majors. Do any of you know Southwest pilots who commute from SEA?

And how senior are United's and Northwest's SEA bases?

Also, I forgot to ask, does SEA have a lot of commuters in general, or does it really depend on the airline in that case?

Me thinks you are putting the cart before the horse. Stick your big toe into this industry before you decide lock, stock and barrel that you're going to live in Seattle and commute for the rest of your life. As has been said, commuting SUCKS. Period. Try it for a while before you sink any roots but you may find that it's not worth the trouble for someone who is young, single and unattached. There are plenty of places to live in the country where you could live in base AND enjoy a great QOL. However, If SEA is where you want to live, Horizon might not be a bad choice. Yes, upgrade has been long historically but you gotta ask yourself "why?". Horizon's payscale and work rules are at the top of the regional world and not terribly far off from some of the majors. Add to that the ability to live in a base you really want to live in and that's an unbeatable combination. So you sit a few more years at a regional, so what? Thats a few more years without commuting, without crashpads, without spending extra time away from home and being able to actually enjoy your days off. It can also add up to a few extra Gs in your pocket every year if you get good at picking up open time (which you can do very easily when you live in base).

As far as UAL's and NWA's SEA base, my understanding is that they are very senior for both companies. I don't know about UAL but I believe NWA only has A330s based in SEA which means it is very very senior.

PS
Go to UND, Riddle is for suckers. GO SIOUX!!!:D

FYI, the CA jet bases at Skywest are fairly senior. Currently all new hires are getting ORD and MKE, although DEN, SLC and FAT are available within a few months.

Horizon LOVES UND grads. I'd look em up down the road when you're ready to apply and see how things look over there. I've met a handful of people there who are willing to put up with a laundry list of [their own] complaints simply so they can be based in Seattle or Portland.

A couple of months ago I sat next to a SEA based United FO. 15 years with the company and he can't hold CA. I'd call that senior.

As mentioned above, you're probably getting a little ahead of yourself, but it's good to have an idea of what you're getting into. Get your degree (in something you're interested in - even if it's outside of aviation), get your ratings, and enjoy the journey. There will be plenty of time to think about things like commuting and seniority lists down the road.

Seattle is a tough place to commute from unless you live in base. Also, consider companies with commuter clause. SkyWest, despite all CA bases, doesn't have the commuting policy. I have never got a chance to work there and see how anal screw scheduling is but in the words of one ground instructor 'you have to be there'.
I have an interview coming up with Republic and i will have to turn down the job if they offer me something that i cannot even commute. (SDF, CMH, etc).
I was turned down by Horizon last year and have no intentions of applying this year.
Mesaba turned me down at the application level which sucked because MSP/DTW commute wouldn't be bad. (Long commute is fine because you can catch some ZZs).

In my case I cannot move outside of Seattle for two major reasons:
- I own a local business.
- I have been waiting for my citizenship for a year and moving resets the whole process. Given the wait time of 2-3 years now, i am staying put in Seattle.

Interesting. UND would even save me money over Embry despite the huge scholarship Embry gave me. And I used to consider Horizon as a way into the industry. And Alaska DOES say they'll consider applicants who have 2000 SIC at Horizon. Horizon would keep me flying in nice territory (West Coast).
I was thinking the exact same thing. I thought Horizon pilots must have it good. Looking at their payscales, a longtime Horizon captain could make six figures. BUT, what if things change and Horizon pilots get a crappy contract shoved down their throats? My ONLY issue with the longer regional time is that going to a major I would basically start off back at the bottom. The starting pay for Alaska and United is only $4 more per hour than starting pay at Horizon.

Time will tell. I was leaning toward UND for years, then considered ERAU after visiting the campus and getting accepted there. I have a month or two to decide.

ComeFlyWithMe, screw both and go to a local FBO where you can get your ratings/licenses cheap. It's the flight time that counts when you apply for an airline not as much where you graduated from.. Unless you have the money stashed for ERAU or UND, i highly recommend against it. PM me if you like.

Go to UND. You WILL NOT regret it. I got out of UND with a degree and all my ratings for around $40,000. Thats about 1 semester at Riddle. I love it when I fly with captains or jumpseaters who went to Riddle who are still paying $800/mo in student loans. That's more than my mortgage!!!:eek: So why those guys are still paying for their Riddle experience (which most are not positive about), I bought a house. Also, I don't know if you are of the male or female persuasion but for guys, the ratio at Riddle is WAY WAY off. Like 20 guys for every homely girl. Whereas at UND, there are FAR more nursing, education, communications and art majors than there are aviation majors. You do the math.

If you have any questions about UND or my experience, feel free to PM me.

PS
Everyone gets into Riddle if their credit score is good enough;)

This is what I did. I earned my BA in Business from UW Seattle, earned my private at Harvey Field in Snohomish and my other ratings at a small flight school in Dallas. This was a fun and adventurous route for me, and I wouldn't do it any other way.

Unless you're hellbent on holding an aviation degree, consider other options that might cost you less. I've heard terrific things about UND too. Just make your decision carefully and knowledgeably. From what I've heard, you'll want to avoid Riddle altogether. I've met too many people with the same exact job as myself who have three times the Sallie Mae payment.

Commuting is not bad depending on where you are commuting to, and how often. You can commute from Seattle to anywhere, but the farther away you are going to work, the more difficult it will be. It also makes a difference how frequent the flights are to where you are going to work. If you are commuting to Anchorage or Spokane from Seattle, there are about 25 flights a day that can take you back and forth. If you are commuting to Raleigh Durham, your choices go down to just a few flights a day, and two or three legs to get you there. One leg to your destination with some frequency in the schedule will make commuting easy. You will be able to jumpseat on almost any carrier if the carrier you are working for has CASS.