The LAX commute, three month redux

[bLizZuE]

Tickets between LAX and PHX are not $50.

Additionally, if you’re getting done at 2200L, you’ll need to charter a jet because there are no flights to buy that fabled $50 ticket.

I am seeing mostly sub-100 bucks. Obviously if you get done late it won’t help you.

 

[NickH]

Tickets between LAX and PHX are not $50.

Additionally, if you’re getting done at 2200L, you’ll need to charter a jet because there are no flights to buy that fabled $50 ticket.

American is typically $49 non-stop a month out, rising to $69 and $89 at two weeks. At 2200L, that won't help you, but that's going home West.

 

[JordanD]

Lived in Omaha. Liked it.

Lived in MI and PA. Liked it.

Internship in Oregon =

Living in California =


Now LA leaders want the CA Governor to recognize homelessness as a natural disaster in order to use federal funds to “fight” the homeless problem. LOL

I’d remove a teste and move to California before I ever voluntarily lived in Omaha.

 

[Adler]

I’d remove a teste and move to California before I ever voluntarily lived in Omaha.

Omaha was my California-Brah airline's best layover.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I’d remove a teste and move to California before I ever voluntarily lived in Omaha.

Lived right outside Offutt AFB. Pretty awesome place with wholesome friendly people. I enjoyed my time there.

 

[Finny]

I’d remove a teste and move to California before I ever voluntarily lived in Omaha.

Technically lived there for two and a half years. Never spent more than 9 months concurrently in OMA. There was a reason for that...

 

[ozziecat35]

Lived in PHX for 5 years (non airline) and meh. The novelty wore off. Live in Chicago now, beats PHX, am from Michigan, actively working to move back. Not living on the West cost keeps In-N-Out special. The only west coast that rocks is on Lake Michigan.

 

[derg]

American is typically $49 non-stop a month out, rising to $69 and $89 at two weeks. At 2200L, that won't help you, but that's going home West.

I generally don’t get my schedules that quickly and practice “CSI: Continuous Schedule Improvement” so I have frequent changes.

 

[derg]

I’d remove a teste and move to California before I ever voluntarily lived in Omaha.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Docs? Start prepping!

 

[NickH]

I generally don’t get my schedules that quickly and practice “CSI: Continuous Schedule Improvement” so I have frequent changes.

I suffer from a similar disability, but I usually have at least two weeks, and sometimes more than a month to know my first flight. You aren't getting a refundable flight for $50. But it might work in that one direction.

 

[bLizZuE]

Lived in PHX for 5 years (non airline) and meh. The novelty wore off. Live in Chicago now, beats PHX, am from Michigan, actively working to move back. Not living on the West cost keeps In-N-Out special. The only west coast that rocks is on Lake Michigan.

We should do some Chicago meet ups.

 

[CFIscare]

Not sure if they still have it, but the Westin connected to the terminal gave us a special rate when I was there. I think I only paid something like $100/nt.

Negative, otherwise I would have been all over that.

So glad I don't have to commute anymore, but DTW was a fantastic airport to commute to. Only issue was the annoyance if you needed to go to the North Terminal, or vice versa.

 

[RMCBear08]

1. Not a Time Saver. Even though my commute flight went from 3-ish hours to about 60 minutes, I actually spend as much time “block to block“ commuting. Primarily because PHX-DTW, I could book a jumpseat and know i was going to get on the flight. Since it’s all connection or off-line commuting, I have to leave enough time for ”Plans A-E” and often time I end up spending hours on end in LAX before my flight leaves which often exceeds the amount of time I’d spend getting to DTW. Most of the flights in the 320 package end after 10pm and there are no options to get back to PHX. The only options at this point are sleeping in the quiet room in the pilot lounge or getting a hotel. The first (viable) flight is about 0630 so, considering statement #2 (below), it doesn’t make any economic sense to get a hotel. However, I’ll spend 7+ hours at the airport in order to wait for an hour flight home. Compared to DTW where it would range from running like a madman to make a 20 minute connection home, to about a two hour sit before flying home. A shorter flight does not mean a shorter commute AT ALL

2. Fewer Hotels at a Much Higher Cost. I averaged about a hotel and a half per month in DTW and even staying at the nicer places on the Marriott program, my costs rarely were more than about $70. In LAX, it’s been about a room per month which generally START at $150 and a majority of the trips on the 320 arrive after the last connection to get back to PHX.

3. Better Food Options. You’re about a 15 minute walk from the terminal to Westchester with coffee shops, ramen shops, sandwich shops, Sushi, that famous In N Out Burger and a grocery story that airport food is a worse case scenario option.

4. Crowded! Hot damn, it feels like literally everyone industry-wide that based in LA appears to be living in PHX. So if you’re one of 15 jumpseaters, it’s fairly normal. Often, you’ll arrive at the gate and the other pilots have been trying all morning to make it out of PHX or LAX.

5.. West Coast Best Coast - CHANGE MY MIND!

6. Southwest - Best jumpseat and most pro-jumpseater policy in the business. They shouldn’t pay for drinks on OAL when non-revving, AT ALL.

Live in base, don’t commute. Got it!

Agree with #6, except when they have issues with listing. Been denied twice because, “sorry, it’s our system.” Sooo...I can’t just list now?

 

[BigZ]

We should do some Chicago meet ups.

We've been sort of trying forever.
I'm starting a long term in 10 days, but there's idle times here and there, I plan to spend at least some of them at PWK.

 

[arkflyr]

Live in base, don’t commute. Got it!

Agree with #6, except when they have issues with listing. Been denied twice because, “sorry, it’s our system.” Sooo...I can’t just list now?

A few tricks for this one is to list for the next available flight that you can. They only need a record locator and they can then move you up. If that doesn’t work try another agent, sometimes they just don’t know how to make it happen.

If that doesn’t work see if you can find the pilots for help, SWA is full of commuters and most are willing to do all they can to help. Plus this has been an ongoing thing source of irritation with SWAPA, they are trying to get the ability to just walk up and list at the gate back, I’m not holding my breath for the company to get it done though.

But listing for the next available flight usually does the trick, they just need to be able to pull your info from their system.

 

[ozziecat35]

We've been sort of trying forever.
I'm starting a long term in 10 days, but there's idle times here and there, I plan to spend at least some of them at PWK.

I’m all for it, just getting schedules to line up.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

Omaha was my California-Brah airline's best layover.

It's a cool city, really. Surprisingly cosmopolitan. I thought about going there, actually, instead of where I wound up. Though it would have wound up being an offline commute.

 

[ClarkGriswold]

LAX blows

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

LAX blows

Nah. SEA blows. SEA is the new SFO.

1-2-3 rule.

1 cloud, 2 planes, 3 hr delay.


Clear and a million LAX will typically get you in no problem.

Clear and a million at SEA, while still in the cruise levels: Slow to .74 , turn right heading blah blah. Then given on course. Then given a heading to the left, slow to .73. Then given on course. Then max forward airspeed. Then don’t exceed 280. Slow down, go fast, turn here, turn there.



Don’t even get me started when there actually are clouds at SEA.

 

[NickH]

SEA has been a runway short for a while.

It's entertaining that the East-West debate has been based on LA vs. NJ, two places that represent the worst of both sides. Can we have AK vs. SC or ME?