tnkrdrvr

Could you do it? Yes. Would it be fun? Probably not. Especially when junior you would be forced to commute potentially days early for some trips or drive. On the other end you could have a 24 hour wait after a trip to fly home. A lot would depend on fleet. The good news is you won’t be extremely junior very long and that will enable you to hold better lines for you probably before you were off probation. There are more than a few who live this here.

BoilerUP

There have been plenty of people hired in the last 7 years who have commuted to SDF from places like OKC, TUL, ICT, BHM, PNS, GSO, etc...and many others who have had far more exotic and complicated commutes.

I honestly wouldn't sweat it.

Brett Hull

I do. Five hour drive from my house when I have to, which is maybe a half-dozen times a year, or 4 hours from the airport I commute from to SDF. It’s no sweat, even on probation. Came close to missing a trip once due to the airplane breaking at departure time, but was rescued by the hot standby. I still could have driven and made it on time if they had not launched the hot.

FTv3

Yeah, you don’t want to Jumpseat (right) into trips on probation. If anything goes wrong, let’s just say you don’t want that kind of attention. I also think they expect new hires to have responsible commute plans (read: solid backup options). You can certainly use the last UPS flight as a backup.

I lived about the same distance (slightly further) from SDF as a new hire and drove numerous times. Just easier, less stressful. I’d definitely use it as much as you can tolerate.

mooseboost

More dumb questions for the crowd...I'm betting I'll end up with an ANC commute from PHL - how often are jumpseaters bumped off on brown-tails these days? Looking like it's doable (via the IPA jumpseat finder, can't see direct ANC connections on the website because it's not in the lower-48?) but I don't want to end up stranded in SDF after getting bumped off...FDX has several options through MEM, anyone use them from PHL with success? 24 hours prior booking on them hopefully works, just don't know what the chances are I'd get bumped on them either, and lastly jumping on pax carriers could work to get the SEA but I hear SEA-ANC can be difficult to get...just trying to figure out the most pain-free option! Thanks in advance!

tnkrdrvr

The only one of your questions I can answer is the SEA-ANC leg. Generally, Alaskan runs quite a few flights covering that every day. When I commuted to ANC, it was the easiest leg of the commute.

FTv3

Disclaimer - I’m not an ANC commuter but I ask the guys that do it on a regular basis how it goes.

Seems somewhat common to get bumped off a flight (SDF ANC) that you booked but most say they get on another one -> theres a bank of 4-6 flights that go within minutes of each other. Most guys say you have to be on the JS booking site right when it opens (13? days prior) if you want to have any chance of being on the list for those flights. You can put yourself on the waiting list.

Some guys go through Rockford which is longer and not as frequent but rarely full. There was a flight out of EWR a few nights a week - not sure of its current status.

On the pax side of the house SEA is a very popular hub. I’ve heard guys saying they sometimes get bumped off multiple JS’s but always eventually make it. SLC has directs and I’ve heard Dallas guys say they have non stops out of DFW. A lot of guys buy tickets - they say you can find cheap oneway tickets in the off season if you buy well in advance.

C17B74

Really good/insightful info to know. Overall assessment: sounds like a constant pressure cooker/mind screw, that sucks. Not proactive, dedicated and motivated = not getting to work.

FTv3

A LOT of guys do it, and I mean a lot, who could otherwise have a much easier commute to SDF so there are justifiable reasons and it’s probably not as bad as it sounds. I know many use a combination of buying tickets, airline miles, bidding for CML DH’s, etc. = easy&low stress commute. If I didn’t have young kids at home I’d probably do it. It’s kinda of a different airline up there. And if you have to sit reserve and not get called out, it’s way better to be in AK than SDF.

mooseboost

Thanks for all the info! I appreciate all the insight posted here..sounds like I have a few workable options, just gotta stay on top of it!