NWAirlink commuting
 

Going to work for Compass later this month, and am brand new to 121. I live in MSP, and from what I understand it's pretty senior. For ease of commuting to and from MSP, what should my second choice of domicile be, DTW or MEM? Does anyone have any insight as to how long it may take to get MSP as my domicile?

Crash pad info for MTW and MEM would be helpful as well.

Thanks in advance for the info.

passrider.com can get you started on finding all the flights per day between MSP and MEM/DTW.

i will tell you the msp-dtw-msp commute is really bad. lots of flights a day but there are always tons of non revs/jumpseaters and al,most always oversold

best bet is the last departure out of msp, i think it leaves at 1030 gets in at 1240 or so and usually has open seats, problem is you are there the night before and depending on your showtime you may not want to do that

I don't know because I'm not northwest but typically flights between hubs are full with commuters. Could be northwest is different though?

I did the MSP-MEM commute for 1 month. It was tough. There is not very many flights, and most of them are on smaller airframes. Also, crashpads are tough to find down there, and the cheapest DECENT hotel is $70/night with crew rate. MSP-DTW at least has more options, plus crashpads and cheap crew hotels. My .02 cents.

Don't forget there are a number of "bridge across" options between MSP and DTW. Try looking at going through ORD, MKE, GRR, GRB, ect... creates many more options on top of the 16 or so nonstops per day.

FedEx provides some additional options for commuting MSP-MEM.

You have to call 1-866-357-5711 between 2-24 hours before the flight to list. Jumpseat Finder helps with scheds.

Good suggestion, although anything through ORD could be tought.

USE DSM if you are traveling between mem-msp. its a through flight so as soon as you land you continue on. for example you fly from msp to dsm, 30 minute turn, and keep going to mem. works good. i have done that several times.

Both DTW and MEM are tough commutes out of MSP. I thing DTW is the better option, though. There are many more flights (to be bumped off of), and much much much better options for crashpads and cheap + good hotels.

I've done both commutes for a while and I thought DTW was way easier. The flights are full between both but there are so many more between DTW-MSP. MEM flights start late and end early so it is much harder to get to work or home on the same day. DTW wins on hotels but MEM has Beale St. Good luck.

I would agree....DTW much easier. the more 757 and A320/19 flights make it better with the jumpseat options

I had good luck using OMA as a bridge airport to MSP as well. My experience domicile in DTW and living in MSP is doable, but its tough. Good luck and fly safe.

DTW is easier than MEM and the comment about MEM flight times is dead on. However, the cost of living is lowest in Memphis. Your commute may be worse, but you can live better and closer to the airport in Memphis (Germantown, Southaven, and Olive Branch are good choices). Detroit is cheaper than Minneapolis as well, but you would probably want to live well outside the city near Toledo or Ann Arbor to avoid getting shot. I commuted out of MEM for two months and was hardly ever able to commute and work on the same day (now I'm based in MEM and only commute 8 miles). I typically got bumped off of at least one or two flights per trip for NWA pilots. FedEx is a great way to commute to and from MEM, but make sure you know your commuter policies. If you have some kind of call in honest policy, even though FedEx is a positive space jumpseat, if that flight cancels and you don't have another way to get there, you'll be hit with a "no show". If your policy is similar to ours (Mesaba), you have to be listed on NWA, Pinnacle, Compass, or Mesaba flights in order to call in honest. You can use the crew bus in Memphis to get to FedEx, but the only way at DTW is by taxi, which costs $17 if my memory is correct. I was never able to find a shuttle there.

BTW, if you're considering Memphis for Beale St, just move to New Orleans and frequent the French Quarter and Bourbon Street (commute through Houston or Atlanta from there on NWA). Beale isn't all that great by comparison. ;)

I would have to agree with the above post. The cost of living in Memphis is probably some of the lowest in the country right now. I just bought a home there on the edge of the city for 108,000. Not bad for a home that has only been lived in for about 12 months / 2 car garage / all brick/ 3 bed /2 bath. The fireplace had never even been used :eek:.

So I don't make the commute from MSP-MEM anymore but I did for about 7 or 8 months until MEM opened in April. I only had to spend the night because of a missed commute out of MSP 1 time though. I think the key is bidding correctly while being smart about utilizing ALL your options on the commute. The fedex flight seems to always have seats and leaves around 2130 if I remember correctly.
As far as FedEx cnx'ing I would say that is always going to be less likely than the pax flights.


To the original poster however, congrats on the new job, god luck on the decision of domicile, and of course welcome on board the wild ride of the 121 coaster

Thank you! I am looking forward to it all, wild ride included.

This is the way to go right here. The benefit is that Fed-ex will CONFIRM your seat 24 hours in advance. So you KNOW you have a ride a day before hand, leaving plenty of time to find a different path if Fed-Ex is full...but that barely ever happens. Works pretty good. Only downside is you commute at night.

Didnt see it said but Fed-Ex does have Limited flight operations on Sunday and Monday.

Actually, I think they've got a late morning and late evening each way. Too lazy to check the schedule right now.

How likely would it be to get MSP right away? Or how long could I expect to wait. It looks like I may be somewhere between #275 & #290. Where could I expect to live right after training? How senior is MSP?

Thanks again for all the great info guys. :-)

Anyone..... Anyone?

You're probably pretty likely to get your first choice, if not right out of training, probably within the first 6 months.

The most recent base award came out, but the Chief pilots hadn't received the bid preferences from the newbies (myself included), lost paperwork or something, so they are re-doing it for the most recent new hires. What I'm saying is that they are doing their best to get crew members what they want. I sure appreciate it, I'm sure everyone else does too.

Good luck!

I don't think you'll have a problem getting MSP. MEM is not fun to commute out of to MSP. Also consider if you can't get out of MEM you can always take compass to SDF and go UPS if Fedex doesn't work. I'd say if you wanted to commute Airlink, then you would probably have to do the bridge thing.