Commuting from PHX to the East coast will cost you approx 12-15 days a year of your life extra getting to and from your job. Commuting from PHX to LAX will cost you.......12-15 days a year of your life extra getting to and from your job. Uh, no WX? BS, I was in the SWA JS when the Hud broke at the marker on a CAT 3. Oh RJ cat 2 only, I've seen KONT. I also bought the last ticket on SWA around Turkey day. Oh and flying all night to get bumped off the fist 2 flights to PHX in the am. I walked in my door at noon in PHX after I landed at 04-something. The end result.....I moved and now look forward to summers again. Aloha

 

And I know someone else here who hated the commute so much that he moved from PHX to LA.

 

Commuting is not for everyone. It really sux in my opinion. Remember 9/11/2001? The cockpit jumpseats were prohibited for many years (unless riding on your own airline). This was prior to CASS for those that are too young to remember. There was a time that folks had to buy ZED fares or even full fare tickets to get to work.

Think of commuting as a part time job in addition to your real job. Plan ahead! PHX and LAX recently had very low Vis (morning fog). This caused numerous delays and cancellations. I can recall one instance where many PHX-LAX commuters were SOL one fine day. Try finding a quiet area in the airport to call crew skeds without a PA Announcement on an overhead speaker.....LOL

 

Not too young to remember, I was there, but that's not entirely true.

That only lasted till maybe late mid 2002. It was on your own airline, as well as airlines that could verify your employment. Meaning, an Express, Connection, Airlink carrier was allowed on their mainline partner and vice-versa.

But YES, commuting back then sucked, commuting before CASS sucked. Had to buy tickets a few times as well as 2 leg it on what WAS a single leg commute till that all got sorted out.

 

And switched to drones (from tankers so not really that much of a downgrade) and now proudly drives a Volt around. So precious!

 

+1. Perfect metrosexual.

 

I just give myself the 2 flights and don't stress. If i don't get on the first one, I call and ask to be PSed. Half the time they do it. The other half I know if I don't make it I'm covered. I know you lose the $$, but I can almost always pick something up or have them catch me up to the last 3 days of the trip. International guys it's a bit more difficult if you are only flying 3 trips a month I know. This is from the perspective of a domestic guy. I just use the commuter policy. That's what it's there for. Cheers!

 

several years ago I had 2 UAL pilots (UAL Metal) in the Jumpseat. One of the pilots was VERY senior and the other JSr was a pilot I had flown with in the past and knew him to be a good guy. Anyway, we are at cruise and the JSr mentions that he had trouble catching a flight to work and he called the Crew Desk and said if they could not get him on the flight, he would not make it to work. He got the JS basically by a higher priority. As soon as the more senior JS heard that he went ballistic saying "You got no right to usurp seniority blah blah blah etc etc.....and I am filing a grievance with ALPA" The guy would not let it go and kept at it making the more junior JSr apologize. I found it hard to take sides on that one because the offending pilot was a buddy of mine. Eventually the matter was dropped, mostly because of steril cockpit and after landing each went about their way.

 

Easy to say. I try to say the same thing when I commute but it still is stressful. What's even worse (and you didn't state above) is trying to get home and missing that last flight of the night, dragging your exhausted self to a hotel for 6 hours of sleep, and blowing $100 just to get home a day later.

BL - commuting blows...no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

 

I have a different commute: ATL-EWR...and I can't say it's stressful. But the thought of losing the pay with so little in open time is stressful in and amongst itself. I agree. I don't plan to commute forever.