Airline Pilot Central Forums - Commutable Regional From South Florida

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- - Commutable Regional From South Florida (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/regional/89481-commutable-regional-south-florida.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffaluffagus (Post 1931788)

Commuting on reserve is hell. If you have a wife, kiss her goodbye.

She'll be fine. Someone else will be kissing her on the other 21 nights he isn't at home ☺️

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senior Skipper (Post 1931846)

She'll be fine. Someone else will be kissing her on the other 21 nights he isn't at home ☺️

Total D Bag comment

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senior Skipper (Post 1931838)

You say that now. Get back to us after doing it for a month or two. As a commuter, my 11-12 days off can easily turn into 7-8. Commuting is the absolute worst part of the job.

I can see that it can become a major issue and it is certainly not something I am looking forward to. It appears you too are still commuting though, so I assume you still see the value in it as opposed to moving to your base or finding a job closer to where you live currently.

Are your commutes non-stop?

I have come to the conclusion recently that at this time the best option for me is to work for a regional and that (for now) I am not likely to move to a base; just trying to find out if it will work out reasonably well to commute from south Florida.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senior Skipper (Post 1931846)

She'll be fine. Someone else will be kissing her on the other 21 nights he isn't at home ☺️

These hos ain't loyal

One thing I've learned is you don't move for a regional. Look at how many bases that close every year. XJT closed DEN, IAD, and MCI. Republic has closed tons. Eagle has shuttered LAX, NYC, MIA, SJU and others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by use2fly (Post 1931859)

Total D Bag comment

It was a joke. Lighten up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PW4060 (Post 1931904)

I am a commuter, but not by choice. If I get lucky, I can commute non-stop, but that's getting harder every month. I think you're doing the right thing by looking carefully at the bases before making up your mind, although Snuff has a good point about moving for a regional base.

Another thing to consider- if your significant other isn't a crew member, good luck explaining why you have to leave home at noon today, when your trip doesn't start until noon tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffaluffagus (Post 1932054)

I disagree 100%, although, it does depends on your specific situation - of course. I moved to Chicago to be ORD based for a regional. Best decision I ever made (so far).

If your single, don't own a house, and flexible, moving to where you are based is the smartest move possible. This job is infinitely better, (dare I say great) living in base. And, if my base closes? I'll just move to another base, and explore a new area of the country.

I get it though, not so easy when your tied down by wife, kids, house, etc. etc. but hey, it's the nature of the business. Commuting blows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffaluffagus (Post 1932054)

Sadly it's not just the regionals... Look at all the majors that don't exist, and just for Delta, no more DFW, MSY, MEM, CVG (ok technically not CVG, but it's in the final process of closing) Look at (beyond the previous) STL, CLE, RDU, CMH, DAY... and on down the line) These companies with very rare exceptions, are basing crews in the most expensive cities and closing the rest

Quote:

Originally Posted by PW4060 (Post 1931582)

I am a new member at APC. I am getting ready to target regional airline jobs and I prefer those that I can commute to via non-stop flights from south Florida. I have looked at regionals that operate from Florida and the only ones that I have found are Silver (turboprop only) and Republic (Miami is a very senior base, according to what I have read on APC); realistically I will have to commute.
The "non-stop bases" that I found are the following: ATL, CLT, DCA, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, IAH, JFK, LGA and PHL.
Would anybody have any input on how feasible, difficult or even possible it is to commute to these bases from south Florida? My nearest airports are PBI and FLL. Any input on any of these specific routes would be great. I have read the forums and I am aware of the large number of pilots that commute from Florida every day, I am interested in how that works out in real life for a commuting regional pilot.

I attached a calendar for you to visualize how bad commuting could be for you. This is worst case scenario, but one you don't have control over, just have to get senior.
Keep in mind boarding priority for the different companies. If you go to PDT you could bump the number one captain who fly's the 777 out of DFW and made captain before you were born. Its first come first serve. Some carriers use seniority, and their family may be able to use it also to bump you.
Second, some commuter policy's state you need TWO flights with seats available.

As you can see only 4 days you can wake up and go to sleep in your bed. The rest of the month has to be somewhere else. Either a hotel on a trip, in a crash pad, a hotel at your cost, or on a cargo plane.

Lastly how long can you continue this? Some carriers have guys on reserve for several years.

Commuting sucks no doubt. But you shouldn't necessarily base your choice on which regional to go to based on that criteria alone. Although, admittedly, it was my main motivation for choosing the regional airline I'm at right now. I figured I would just move to base after my first year, but after getting to know my base a little better and after a couple trips with the wife, I think I've decided to stay put. CLT just isn't my cup o tea. I still prefer FL.