On commuting

Being able to live where you want is one of the nice things about being an airline pilot, but it's also one of the biggest quality of life (QOL) hits you can take in your life. I currently commute from Prescott, AZ to Houston, TX for my job, and I do the trip typically twice per week. Luckily the trip for me is free of charge (another nice perk of the job), however, choosing to do such a commute often requires you to travel on days that are technically "off" from work in order to be at work on time early the next morning. This, of course, means less time at home.

Other troubles that commuters run into are the lack of "commutable" trips, particularly if you're a reserve pilot. Oftentimes crew scheduling will give you an assignment that ends late on your last day of work, requiring you to stay another night away from home before you can catch an early flight the next morning. Of course, on the other end, scheduling may give you an assignment that starts early on your first day, requiring you to commute to work the day prior. In this way, what seems like a long 3-day break can suddenly turn into 1 single day at home.

So, why do we do it? Well, there are lots of reasons. Some people have a family; a wife and kids, and don't feel as though a move would be best for everyone. Those like me, however, are much easier to please: we commute because we like where we live. I love stepping off the plane after a 20-hour day of flying/commuting to smell the mountain air in Arizona. I love being able to go out to the local brew pub with everyone whenever possible and try (unsuccessfully, of course) to not talk about airplanes. Also, Arizona to me is the one place I can forget everything related to airlines, airports, ground delays, and scheduling. Having 1000 miles between my personal and professional lives makes my personal life that much better.

But of course, I'm writing this from my crashpad in Houston, my home away from home for the next 4 days. It could be worse I'd imagine; I could live here!