Commuting
 

I know airline pilots make some crazy commutes. I'm considering PSA CLT, which would be about a 2hr drive from where I live now. Is that even considered a commute to you guys? How about a 3hr drive if I try to move to the coast? Is that a pretty easily doable drive time to get to work?

A 2 hour driving commute isn't too terrible as long as you hold a line. If you're doing a reserve with a short callout time, it will be very tiresome driving back and forth between the airport and home everyday you don't fly.

So the guys that really have to commute when they're on reserve short call have to shell out for hotel or crashpad when they don't fly?

You got the idea. I knew some people who would fly in for their reserve shift, and try to fly back out the same day. They would call their crew trackers/crew support/whatever else and ask to be released early to make their flight. Sometimes they got off early, other times they would have to get a hotel or stay at the hotel de la crew room.

That is correct. The main reason that I chose PSA was the location of the base. I would not have to fly to commute, but could drive. Also, reserve is only a couple months here, so it isn't too bad. I know people that commuted to reserve for 3+ years before getting a line, and that is not something that I was willing to do anymore.

Cool. Thanks for the info guys.

When I was at Comair and DTW-based, I could sit long-call reserve at home. If it was short-call, I had a crash-pad.

The call out time is two hours in CLT and DAY. Is your drive two hours in non-rush hour traffic or rush hour traffic? As a line holder, your drive isn't going to be a factor as there is no requirement to live in domicile. Living toward the coast, you could drive or jumpseat. I did that as a line-holder in DTW.

I'd be driving from columbia. So it would probably be risky to sit at home with a two hour call out. No telling what could happen on I77

Columbia..argh, you just gave me a shaw AFB flashback.

I've done that sort of commute arrangement before. Bags packed and in the car, uniform pants & tee shirt on...then hang out around the house all day.

Depending on traffic / day of the week sometimes I'd head one town over to give myself a headstart, use the gym, go shopping, whatever. Typically not for the whole 12 hours, but just for the peak traffic (traffic problem was only a few hours once a day in my case). Yes kind of annoying to do that every day but better than hanging out in base for the whole week, and gas is cheaper than hotels. Might want a prius or something if it turns into a long-term arrangement...or a C-152.

We also have visibility on other reserves' schedules and open time so I had some means of gauging risk.

Reminds me of a 757 captain I knew from AA. He had a ranch in Colorado and flew his C-310 in and out of Stapleton, then jumpseated from DEN to DFW for his trips. I'm sure it made for some long days!

Just move/relocate and live 15 min from the airport. Overall, big picture, it'll make your life easier. If that is not an option - then yeah, you'll be miserable until you hold a line. If you commute coast to coast, you'll be miserable no matter what.

A lot of people do it, but SOME of those people end up building up all this anger/stress/anxiety over it and it takes away from the fun of the job.

Just find a room in a house where you can cut a deal on the basis of only being there less than 30-40% of the time.. you won't need it long with the growth.. soon you will hold a line

Worst commute i ever heard of:

2 hr drive to BOI, BOI-SEA, SEA-EWR.

2-hour drive is a piece of cake for reserve, if you do what a lot of guys in that position do...Locate a good place that is an hour away with WiFi, and hang-out for the day...Duty-off and dirve home. sleep in your own bed, if you get called out, go fly...once your a lineholder at PSA ( pretty damn quickly in this era ) you're set...

..... says the guy who's new to the industry and has never experienced a base closure. 90% of pilots who are jaded are jaded for a good reason.

I used to do that living in CMH and sitting reserve in DTW. CMH to DTW is about a 3 hour drive. It got old really quick.

I do a 2.5 hour drive to domicile. Normally weekly. I also commuted for years. I'll do the drive any day. I actually drive past my home airport to avoid commuting and just drive. I haven't checked loads in a long time. Life is much less stressful. Unless you live right next to commuting A/P and its a very short flight, odds are it'll take you 3 hours at a minimum to commute on a plane.

Most commuters moved to base for the job somewhere along the way only to have the base shrink or close. That's fine if you're single and renting an apartment, but if you're married with kids in school amd a house, moving becomes inpractible and you find yourself as a commuter. Some guys have military obligations and are forced to commute. One thing I have found out is that some commuters do not have a choice.

Rule number 1 about commuting: You don't move for a regional. Look at the tons of base closures at various airlines over the years.

That's what I'm thinking. Go to the regional that'll be easiest to get to.

And to a lesser extent, that rule can apply to some legacies. If it it's simply removing a fleet form a domicile and one can't hold it anymore. But the base closure stil applies;

UAL SEA-MIA-HNL
DAL/NWA BOS-MEM-ANC-HNL-BNA-PDX and others I'm forgetting.
AA SFO
USAir PIT-BOS.

Let's take it to FedEx, OAK and EWR.

And YES, I would AGREE that a domicile is "safer" at a legacy than the whack a mole style opening-closing of regionals. But it STILL applies.