Another question that has been on my mind, I am from Wausau, WI and all my family lives here. Long term I do want to live in the area. I can move, as I am not married and have no kids. And I understand going to flight school and building hours as a CFI will require me to move for about three years. I’m ok with that. However, let’s say after I’m done building hours, and flying for the regionals as a FO. What are typically the requirements from the airline for how far away you can live from your base?
For regionals I really am eyeing up endevor or sky west seeing they are based out of the twin cities. However Chicago and Milwaukee are other options for me to as I live 3 miles from the regional airport (CWA) in Wausau, WI.
As a career pilots perspective, what is life like as a commuter pilot? And what’s everyone input on this topic?
Great question. The airlines do not care one bit where you live. They care about if you show up on time for work. We have pilots that live all over the world, but most have far shorter commutes.
Now that being said, I absolutely do not recommend commuting. It takes up a fair amount of your time off, costs money and can be very stressful. I have commuted my entire career and wish that I had not done so. The pilots that live within driving distance of their bases see their families quite a bit more and have far less stress.
I would suggest finding a place to live that is between your base (hopefully MSP or ORD) and Wausau.
It’s often said one of the best perks of the job is that you can commute from anywhere and one of the worst is the same. While I’ve never commuted I’ve known pilots who have literally commuted from Europe, Australia and Asia. From what I’ve seen pilots who commute have a different job than those of us who don’t for all the reasons Chris states. That said more than half the pilots in the country do commute so it clearly can be done.
The main thing to remember is while the airlines don’t care at all where you live, it’s YOUR responsibility to get to work on time and you’ll be given no consideration if you’re not. Further you have a responsibility to your passengers and crew to arrive at work well rested and fit to fly.
Chris,
(Wow there are three Chris’s in this thread already hah) I think it depends on your family situation. As the guys said, avoid commuting if possible. It can be a nightmare and take away time for rest and time with family. If you are single still, take advantage and move to where you’re based and make life a little easier on yourself. With that being said, there may come a time where your significant other, your family or some other factor prevents you from living at your base. You will still have the flexibility to do so. My dad commuted his whole career and he doesn’t regret it for a minute. I plan to commute through my time at the regionals. It’s not the best but it’s a choice. It’s all about your priorities.
Thank you everyone for your inputs! I have a few more questions here too:
If a person commutes, how hard is it to get a jump seat on a flight?
Also how far in advance does a a commute pilot need to let the airline they want a jump seat from in advance?
I guess what I am really curious, how does this work in general? I’m assuming your not paying for the jump seat if the seats on the same airline you fly for?
How hard is it to get toilet paper? If it’s the first week of the Zombie Apocalypse, near impossible. Right now, not to bad. It’s the same with commuting. Sometimes it’s fairly easy, other times it’s not. If it’s the day before Thanksgiving and everyone is trying to get somewhere you may have an issue. A regular Weds in January, you’re probably ok. That of course is taking into account all the variables in which case the question is really impossible to answer. If you’re going from one major airport to another and there are lots of flights is obviously easier than commuting from a small Regional field where there’s only one flight. BUT maybe you’re the only one commuting from that town which is better than the many near the major airport. Again there are many variables which is why EVERY commuter I know ALWAYS has a plan B, C and D to get home. They all also all have at least one horror story when they got stuck. As I said it’s your responsibility so if you see there’s a serious storm coming into the area you may have to commute a day or 2 early. Holiday weekend is the same deal. It short it depends.
In most cases you don’t and can literally just run up to the gate and list. But JS rules vary and it’s usually a good idea to list early to “reserve” the JS. At many airlines if more than one pilot lists it goes by seniority but that’s only up till a certain point. Example: I’m senior to you but you must 2 days before and I don’t. If I list before 24hrs prior I can bump you but if I don’t the seat is yours. Further most airlines will allow as many JSers as there are seats in the back.
You NEVER pay for the JS on your airline or any other in the country. It’s a courtesy we all extend to eachother which is why it’s very important to always be respectful. It’s a privilege not a right.
Some Regionals have Commuter Policies, like if you list 2 times and get bumped (can’t get on) then you’re pay protected, or atleast not penalized for attendance. Others don’t have specific policies.
I got bumped twice trying to commute from Philly and Newark to Chicago in my first month. Gave up after that. I was a brand new at it and decided to just move to base.
Chris can probably attest to there being a learning curve to figuring out how to commute efficiently and with as little stress as possible.
In the United family of airlines, we can list for the jumpseat in advance, but it is processed 20 minutes prior to departure and awarded in seniority order. This means that a senior pilot can easily bump you from the jumpseat at the last minute. Some airplanes have two jumpseats, but most have one.