Commuting for life
 

Aloha,
I am retiring from the Navy and start INDOC in a couple weeks at UAL. Hawaii is home however I have contemplated living on the mainland for at least a few years. Because I anticipate being a commuter for the long haul I have been looking at living in Denver where I at least have some family in the area and it is a large UAL base. I am guessing this will help with the commuting as I would commute from one UAL domicile to another. I have read all the gouge on how life is so much better when you live in domicile and especially while below the G line, however I cannot bring myself to pay 13% state tax to CA and my wife would never be happy on the East coast. That being said, I am hoping to get LAX or SFO based and commute from LIH and/or HNL. I know my 4 day trips will turn into 5-6 day trips and I know that life will not be as good as it could be if I live in the mainland. What I am hoping to hear in this thread is any real experience with guys that have commuted to CA from HI or can put me in touch with someone that has. I am on the fence on where I should set up shop for at least the year of probation. Thanks for any info anyone cares to share.

Think 737 and gum

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we have a fair amount of pilots who live in hawaii and fly out of SFO and LAX... the challenge is going to be your first year/two where you will be low on the totem pole. If you can suck it up for a couple years your QoL will improve with time... B/L: if you are happy in Hawaii then give it a go.

Yeah, my wife and I would love that. However I am hearing that is going senior and lately it has all been EWR, SFO, LAX.

So you dont want to pay the CA taxes, but dont mind paying the HI taxes? In the income brackets you are looking at the first couple of years the tax rates are pretty close, 8-9%. The 13% is only for those making 1 mil plus....which I am pretty sure pilots wont be making anytime soon.

You can almost guarantee a SFO slot in training, if not, you will be able to hold it on the first vacancy bid that opens. Move to the bay area, there are reasonably affordable areas within 2 hours of the airport and relax at home while on reserve. A commute from the islands as a new guy will be soul sucking.

Good luck

Inter-domicle commutes can be some of the worst ones out there, and DEN is probably the poster child.

Specifically DEN is not a widebody base there so there is an entire heard of very senior pilots and FA's that commute to the west coast. You will be junior to all them for both the cockpit jumpseat and available seats in the cabin. It's not hopeless, and there are lots of less senior DEN pilots that make a west coast commute, but be forewarned.

And that's probably putting it mildly. If you are flying four "six day" trips a month you are not really living in Hawaii anyway. ;)

My advice: settle in CA for a couple years as a new guy to learn the ropes, gain some seniority, and acquire some situational awareness. Then pull the trigger on the next chapter.

Hawaiian is still hiring, no? Would that not be easier to give them a crack instead of the commute? Otherwise as previously mentioned maybe think bout Guam if that base still exists.

All good info. I should have clarified that HI is one of several states that does not tax military pensions. I would pay $700 or so a month to CA to be a resident. I do appreciate all the info none the less. I don't think HAL will have their contract modified for a couple more years.


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Well, we did just get a 13% raise... so live in CA and just pretend you are on 2015 pay. Check your PMs...

Welcome to United! Denver actually wouldn't be too long to hold as a base. It's come down quite a bit in the last couple years. If you could hold out and bid it on the 737 at your first shot, it shouldn't take too long. Also the guppy flies a lot of Hawaii out of LAx and SFO. As your seniority allows it, you could bid Hawaii overnights.

That being said, I made the move to my domicile and haven't looked back. Living in base is a dream, especially above the g line. West coast is going pretty junior, but I get the tax issue. How much is your time at home worth to you?