word302

To be fair, he wasn't the only one. Attendance is getting more pilots in hot water than it had in the past. Having a defined policy would be much better. One occurrence can get you in trouble if it causes a delay/cancellation.

11and11

Skywest is doing the non commuter policy right. Like people said above - you’ll be fine if you don’t abuse the system. Get a Crashpad and have plan A,B,C,D (at least). I personally never understood why someone should be excused from work because they weren’t able to make it cause of their commute. If you live in base and someone else commutes, why should it be easier for them? If your car breaks on the way to the airport you can’t say “hey, I’m using my commuter policy card right now.” No, you get an occurrence. So I like that there’s no “advantage” for commuters. And don’t even let me started on “registered commuter” standby priority on some airlines. It’s your choice to live out of base....

okay, now everyone can come here and hate me ))

sn00p

This.

Do you know if the ballot cards will come out soon or is that still a bit away?

treelark

Imagine if you're the passenger trying to get to a wedding, or rushing to say goodbye to a dying family member, or whatever important reason they're travelling. Then you find out your flight is delayed two hours because the pilot called in unable to get to work because they choose to live in BFE and commute by air instead of a drivable distance. We have lots of reasons flights go out delayed, crew member not in position to begin their trip is the least justifiable.

I assure you fewer people call in because their car broke down compared to the folks who gave themselves one flight in the morning and didn't make it on. Right now the "defined" policy is try to make it in, and if you can't then let them know but try not to make a habit out of it before you re-evaluate your life choices. I live in domicile, I don't get repeated no-shows without getting a call from my chief, so why should anyone else?

rickair7777

I also understand that there is more "entitled" abuse of commuting these days. Way too many folks who think they'll try the last possible flight and then bang out if it doesn't work out. I always left myself one backup flight, maybe two on a holiday weekend. Never had an issue, not once.

If your car breaks, just get it towed and save the receipt. Nobody expects you to abandon it on the side of the road and uber to work. And I can change a flat tire in about three minutes flat, if that's a problem for you might want to practice in your driveway. And make sure the spare is inflated, the little ones lose air faster than the normal tires.

Nobody is going to be unreasonable (at OO or most other airlines) if life happens. Just don't be the guy who constantly abuses it, unlike many other jobs the whole operation comes to a screeching halt if you don't show up.

Things are much better for pilots now, 20 years ago at some airlines a probationary pilot would likely get fired for one missed commute or flat tire, so you had to plan to arrive plenty early.

MidnightHauler

No, it's not always simply a "choice" to live out of base. To uproot the family, have the spouse quit their job they've had for a long time, have them start a new job, and expect kids to start at a new school across the country is not easy, especially for an average paying regional airline job. If the company needs, or is desperate for staffing at a new base they've suddenly opened, they can't just expect everyone to drop everything and move in base on their dime.
That's why many, including myself, commute. I always have a backup plan, but am not moving for a regional job.

rickair7777

This is the fact of airline life. Not commuting is great if you can swing it but not everyone can. People who consider commuters callously and have no empathy for them are tools... and they might find karma is a you-know-what if their base closes after they get all nice and cozy. Fact I knew such a guy, he was so anti-commute that he constantly tried to come up with excuses to not share the jumpseat in his small turboprop. After his small town base closed he stuck to his guns about not commuting and started planning the move. Then he got his divorce papers.

captive apple

Consumers benefit from lower ticket prices. If a town need x number of pilots then the cost associated goes up as they become scarce. A certain number of people begin pilot training because they know they can live anywhere.

RickRoss

180 seconds?..that’s almost F1 speed.
Sorry couldn’t resist.

word302

Still quite a ways away. We need to grow the OC to about 10% of the pilot group.