It’s been established that the nature of the lines at Southwest aren’t the best for commuting, but...

…For the commuters out there, what strategies do you use to use to maximize your priorities in your schedule? I’d define commuter as more than a 1.5 hour drive, or having to non-rev to get to work.

Things that would be good to know:
- your seniority (junior, mid, or senior)
- your priorities (QOL or pay)
- type of commute (drive time or air time)
- your base, or ideal commuter base, and why
- strategies (trip trades, bunching up work blocks, conflicts, etc)
- other?

 

If I am on reserve Im screwed on one of the trip no matter what normally.

AM reserve is good because you don't have to sit around the airport all day, since you'll come in the night before and get a hotel or a crash pad. PM reserve if you don't have a pad you have to be there (available) for the start of the rap even if you get assigned a trip at 11AM for a 6PM report time. Its ludicrous for commuters. Hoping to change that in the future...

With a hard line or some variation of a line, you can work trade into a later start day 1, and maybe it'll be commutable with an early release day 2,3,4 whatever. Or trade stuff around and get an earlier release and back up your trips to a 4, 5 or 6 day block. It can be done. I commute about 50 timezones away so I block all my stuff together when I work out west.


I commuted (2 hr flight) for 2 years and really didn't mind it. I would still block stuff together so I spent less time not being paid in the back, but in the end it wasn't bad. But I don't have kids so I am much more flexible with regards to all that added extra. The one thing I will say is I picked up out of about 6 different bases and it cost me the same for hotels wherever I was so I could move around and make stuff work without spending too much time in the back of the plane begging for rides.

I commute on SWA mostly, when I fly out of any of our bases minus the two California bases we have non stops from my home city. Frequency of flights is a big help, Id rather commute to BWI with 8 flights a day over HOU with only 3 flights a day. Off line options help as well.



Im a year 2-3 guy, displaced, to the worst base possible (no nonstops and takes 8 plus hours of travel to get there or back)
No kids
Work a bunch so prefer pay over QOL for now.
Hate reserve even if I lived within 2 hours of a base.

 

Back when I was commuting, I was junior enough to pretty much always get weekend PM reserves. So I ended up picking a base (phx) where I was fairly sure I could get a seat flying in the morning first day (ruled out LAS), and the first flight out after the last day was early morning so I could nap a couple of hours in the lounge after my last leg and commute home early the next morning.

LAX - PHX, there was at least 4 flight options to get there in time and the return flight was before 7am and always had seats open.

I was pretty new so my priorities were kind of dumb/basic, but mostly I looked at seniority, availability of flights in and out, and cheap/easy hotels. I knew I was going to get weekend reserves no matter what so I chose both base and AM/PM based entirely on those 3 priorities.

 

I am considering putting in an app for SWA but am unsure of how doable this scenario would be.

I understand that MDW is a junior base, and because of that I’d be banking on getting based out of there early on.

I have family 1.5 hours from MDW that I could stay with while on reserve. My wife and I would like to live 1-1.5 hours from Grand Rapids, MI. I see daily flights out of GRR.

Is this a realistic commute? Anyone with experience able to describe what this might look like? How early I’d have to fly in? How likely is it I’ll be able to get on a flight out of GRR? What happens if I’m not able to get on a flight out of GRR?

Any advice or insight is much appreciated!

 

I don't know about the flights, but the pilot I know who lives north of GRR just drives to MDW. By the time you wait for flights and deal with the stress of loads, it's probably quicker.

 

I see tomorrow SWA has three nonstops to MDW.

I also count five UAL and four AA flights to ORD. You could go to ORD and Uber.

 

or just drive… it’s less than 3 hours if you’re on the south side of Grand Rapids

 

This is probably a dumb question but would I be able to hop on any of those flights at no cost as a SWA employee?

 

As a jumpseater only...yes

If there's room in the back then you get a normal seat. Just have to be dressed as listing for a jumpseat

 

Thanks for the insight!