Residence
 

Are pilots allowed to live somewhere other than where they are based?

Sure they are. In those cases they commute (by air) to their base. It's called "commuting" and it's talked about ALOT on this forum. Look aroud the threads and you'll find tons of insight and experience on commuting.

Aviod if at all possible! It is so much easier living in your base, ie sitting reserve at home vs a crash pad. Early shows dont really bother you.

Now that being said it is verrrry possible to commute most places if you have roots some where.

Commuting
 

Yes possible but much more difficult since 911. It can add a days to each trip so a three day turns into a five day since you have to spend day one and five commuting. By the end of a month you might end up with only a handful of true days off at home.

SkyHigh

IMO, I think the best scenario would be not to commute. I would prefer to live where I'm based. My QOL would probably be better. I like the suburbs and surrounding areas of MEM, ATL, CHA, & GSO. New construction homes in these areas are alot cheaper than they are in Florida right now. Don't know to much about the western part of the US.

Chasing the time
 

An alternative to commuting, of course, is to just pack up and move to your new base. This has hazards too, since cutbacks and closures can occur without warning, or an even better opening may surface at yet another base. Some pilots have ended up owning two or three houses in different cities. :eek:

It's a free country...you can do anything you want. You just have to be able to get to work on time. I would guess that at least 50% of all airline pilots commute, but it's easier for major airline guys.

Actually I take that back. American eagle used to "require" their new hires to live at their base in San Juan. I don't know if they still do that or not.