MedStudent2021

I wasn't sure exactly where to ask this question, but this thread seemed close enough. With some seniority, can you bid your schedule to layover in a particular location frequently? Say I live in MSP and commute to DEN or MDW. Would it be possible to spend a lot or even a few of my layovers in MSP?

Smooth at FL450

Yes, through monthly bidding and then trip trade with either the company or other pilots once you're off reserve.

e6bpilot

No. It doesn't work like that really. There are some cities that appear more often in certain bid packs, but you won't really find much consistency from month to month. Also, the example that you gave is one of the biggest commuter cities in our system, so getting those overnights will be tough from MDW.

Timmay

In addition to what others have said about the difficulty of getting specific overnights on a trip, I would add how an overnight at home can unintentionally be a real drag. Sure, it's nice to spend the night at home when you're at work, but sometimes it's not worth the pain of driving to and from the airport an extra time. Especially when it's likely you're either going to have a 0500 showtime or a 0030 release time, depending on what kind of trip you're working. There have been times I overnighted at my home airport and knew ahead of time that I was just going to spend the night at the hotel.

hoover

I'd say depends how far the drive is. When I commuted having an overnight at home was worth it. For me the mental break from not feeling at work was worth it. I never planned on getting anything done at home and the feeling of familiar things around me, friends, family etc really broke up the trip. Plus every once in a while I could drop my bags off and finish the trip with a backpack knowing I'd be back that evening.

To the question- when I commuted I usually could get one overnight at home a month. MSP isnt s highly trafficked city for SW so I wouldn't expect much more than that. I'm based in DEN and I dont see many over nights in the bid pack there.

ZapBrannigan

Same. I had my first overnight home since commuting last month. It was 20 hours and I was desperately afraid I was going to get rerouted right up until I was driving home. I only live about 25 minutes from the airport, so I had most of the day off, dinner with the family, slept in my own bed. It was amazing. Hardest part was not calling in sick for the last day of the trip. 😄

MedStudent2021

Thanks for the info everybody! I do have a follow up to that question.

I'm fortunate enough to have several CJOs, but my top two are Sun Country and Southwest. Most people I've talked to think I'm crazy for considering passing up SWA, but I ultimately want to make the best decision for me. I'm originally from MSP and my wife and I want to move back there ASAP, which plays a big role in the decision.

Look at the two options I'll start with Sun County.
Pros: Home based, quick upgrade, if I don't take the upgrade I can fly some turns with some seniority as a FO and be home more
Cons: Rocky history, long term future is less uncertain

Southwest
Pros: Average reserve is 15-16 days a month and average line is 12-13 days a month, significantly bigger airline with a strong history, likely more stable into the future
Cons: Commute to MDW or DEN, 7+ year upgrade, AM/PM schedule means you can only commute to one side of your trip

The list is significantly larger than that, but those are the main points. Is commuting to SWA a better option for QOL as compared to being home based with a LCC? Am I crazy for even considering this? If anybody has any experience, advice, or general comments I would appreciate them greatly. Thank you!

ZapBrannigan

Did you just copy/paste that question from your post over on the Sun Country forum? 🫤 You realize that's a little frustrating for people trying to follow the thread, right?

But here ya go. I'll copy and paste my answer...


Never worked for Sunny, but my suggestion would be to take the job where you can be based at home.

SWA wasn't really built for commuters, especially on reserve. (No long call, no ability to proffer for trips, no early release, no release until show time once assigned). And as you correctly surmised, with an AM/PM scheme, you're most likely commuting in a day early or staying a day late. That takes that 15 days off on reserve down to as few as 10 days at home when you think about it.

No way to predict the future and Sunny could be bought tomorrow, not for it's MSP hub but instead to purchase pilots and airplanes, but all you can do is make decisions based on the info you have at the time. So if it's going to be MSP, it's Sunny or Delta for you in my opinion.

Best of luck

MedStudent2021

I did and I'm sorry if that's frustrating. Ultimately I know several pilots who will only follow the threads for the airline they work at. I thought this would give me the best chance to get perspectives from pilots who work for both companies.

at6d

We had an MSP Sun Country guy in my newhire class at SWA in 2015.