Sink r8

How well do you think these (newly single) people will sleep in their new cozy beds, in-base, after their wives and kids fail to make the move so daddy could get his eight hours?

There are already enough divorces among pilots that try to keep their spouse near her parents, or the kids near their school.

Gnewt

Of course commuting is a choice. Who said it wasn't? How many of the soon to be displaced CVG dudes who won't be able to sell their houses will move to Michigan or Tenessee? Not many I suspect. While you're deriding them for making a bad choice they will be clamoring for longer trips so they dont have deal with overstuffed RJs any more than they have to.

Gnewt

texavia

I've been reading this forum for quite awhile.

I got into this racket for the money and the ability to live where ever I wanted. I didn't go to work at Delta, I went to work at Northwest and I've commuted for 16 years.

Well the money sure as h%$ ain't there any more and according to PineappleGuy and others I'm supposed to live where it pleases him/them. It doesn't matter what the subject is, those of us from NWA are supposed to just shut up and be da%$ed!

Having made this one post on the forum I'm going to do what others from NWA have done -- leave it.

It is going to be a long, long time to retirement.

Pineapple Guy

Waves, actually, that's EXACTLY what most on this board DO dispute.

Quote:

It is generally a choice, but it is not always as simple as one might think. Problem is, it’s a very difficult choice to uproot one’s family in order to chase around aircraft and the almighty $.

So DON'T do it! It's NOT worth it!

Quote:

Tradeoffs, base closures or changes, aircraft movement, scheduling changes, family ties, and a myriad of other so called choices factor into that decision tree. I do think you have a good point about more bases should equal less commuters, and I will agree, that commuting or not commuting is a choice, but it is a tough choice with many moving parts. For most families, it is not merely just a simple relocation. My example is a bit unusual, nevertheless, it is an example where commuting is somewhat mandatory. About 7 or 8 years ago, my FA wife wanted to move back from ATL to SLC. I told her that she would probably get SLC immediately, but it could be years before I get in. Results: I got in immediately and she is still commuting. I know this is an unusual example, but I’ll bet every commuter has a pretty good reason to commute.

I agree there is more to it. That's why I'll ALWAYS support a pilot's right to commute. I just don't want to pay for special accommodations to encourage the practice. That is a cost to the corporation, which ultimately comes out of my paycheck, to be blunt. And I've had enough people take chunks out of my paycheck already!

hockeypilot44

If you're working too hard or can't get to work due to our weak commuting policy, call in sick.

KC10 FATboy

Are you saying that you justify a pilot going to work fatigued so as to keep the family situation at home stable?

I'm just the messenger here. If you've seen the aviation Senate safety hearings, they were absolutely 100% against commuting. In fact, the families were shocked to learn how the two pilots in the Colgan accident spent their nights. I believe the Senators have directed the FAA to conduct a study on the effects of commuting pilots and fatigue.

Now, you and I know what the effects are -- nothing beats a good nights rest in your home bed. Heck, there are nights when getting a good nights rest at a hotel can be challenging due to the noise. The wildcard is, we have no idea what the FAA is going to "find" during their study.

People who commute should be prepared for the worst. The FAA could outlaw commuting. The companies should be prepared as well. They might need a lot of pilots real quick.

iaflyer

Yes - I worked at a cargo company that did provide hotel rooms for us before trips - but the day in the hotel room was one of our work days. It benefited the company because we never flew out of our pilot base. Personally, it would be great to have a hotel room prior to the trip - plus to get per diem and the trip rig to sit in the hotel room. But the cost to an airline would be very high - and again, something they would fight tooth and nail.

I agree they are trying to stop the sleeping in the crew room or whatever - but that's pilots being idiots. I worked at COEX and flew a turboprop out of EWR and commuted from Florida. I was making very little - maybe $900 a month after taxes the first year? But I had a crashpad I was paying $160 a month for. Why? Because I was responsible and I knew that sleeping in the crew room would be silly. I didn't get into aviation to sleep in the crewroom and the next day fly a 16-hour duty day.

Waves

Pine, I can't beleive how many posts were done while I was concocting my response. I think my response/rebuttal will trump everyone's on the commuting issue. Give me a minute.

Pineapple Guy

Spoken like a true pilot!

Glad to see you have all the answers. I thought I was the ONLY one who did!
I'll wait for you to come down from the mountain with those stone tablets....

hockeypilot44

I still stand by my calling in sick if the flights are full. I'm going to keep posting until pineapple responds. It makes me laugh how passionate he is about this issue.