1st world problem??

In the famous words of Michael Scott:
1675097561501.png


Feel free @JDean3204 to PM me. I came from an ACMI background, knowing that the next step would to be my last (hopefully).

<mod added a tag just in case they scroll on by...>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For those interested, when I left my ULCC I was 45% company wide closing in on 7yrs of longevity with a 20-30min drive to work. We were living in a city my wife and I had little to no connection with and where we had zero family. I left the company for several reasons, but mostly the money wasn’t enough to put up with being perpetually treated like the bottom feeding regional with whom I started my 121 career. In addition to several concerns regarding systemic operational issues and a rapid erosion of our QoL due to significant changes in pairing construction and the ability to drop/swap trips, I had genuine concerns over the company’s ability to recruit/retain pilots to fuel an ambitious growth plan. Perhaps most importantly, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering “what if”/not having really gone after the dream job. I have always wanted to fly really big airplanes to destinations really far away, and right now the industry is in as good a position as I’ve seen in my 15+ years of professional flying to facilitate a move like this. After much consternation, my wife finally had enough and told me to come talk to her “if/when you get the job offer.”

So far, I am glad I made the move. My regrets are not having continued to try to get here after we signed new contract at said ULCC a few years ago, and having to sell a very nice house where we lived, in which we had a killer backyard. But if those are my biggest regrets, I’ll consider it a good move. Hopefully, whenever I set the parking brake for the last time I can say it was the right move.

Oh look, it's me in 12 months (hopefully)
 
Been a hot minute since I’ve posted here, but hopefully it will help. Late last summer/early fall I gave up the left seat of a ULCC for my dream shot with the legacy I grew up wanting to fly for. We moved back to the area where I grew up in north county SAN and I now drive to LAX (sometimes SNA but usually LAX) and it’s usually a little shy of 2hrs to cover the 118 miles from our driveway to the LAX parking garage. SNA has consistently clocked in between 1:15-1:30. Factor in getting from the garage to the gate and on an “typical” day I can sit short call at home as long as I’m packed and ready to get the monkey suit on and hit the road asap. Once or twice in rush hour traffic, LAX has been 2.5 hours if not a little longer with the worst being 3.5hrs on the day before thanksgiving. I knew it would be bad so I budgeted plenty of time and made it with room to spare. BUT, it beats hoping I get a seat, and hoping nothing happens to make a commute run late. As long as I plan ahead and find a good podcast or two, it’s a perfectly pleasant drive.

For those interested, when I left my ULCC I was 45% company wide closing in on 7yrs of longevity with a 20-30min drive to work. We were living in a city my wife and I had little to no connection with and where we had zero family. I left the company for several reasons, but mostly the money wasn’t enough to put up with being perpetually treated like the bottom feeding regional with whom I started my 121 career. In addition to several concerns regarding systemic operational issues and a rapid erosion of our QoL due to significant changes in pairing construction and the ability to drop/swap trips, I had genuine concerns over the company’s ability to recruit/retain pilots to fuel an ambitious growth plan. Perhaps most importantly, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering “what if”/not having really gone after the dream job. I have always wanted to fly really big airplanes to destinations really far away, and right now the industry is in as good a position as I’ve seen in my 15+ years of professional flying to facilitate a move like this. After much consternation, my wife finally had enough and told me to come talk to her “if/when you get the job offer.”

So far, I am glad I made the move. My regrets are not having continued to try to get here after we signed new contract at said ULCC a few years ago, and having to sell a very nice house where we lived, in which we had a killer backyard. But if those are my biggest regrets, I’ll consider it a good move. Hopefully, whenever I set the parking brake for the last time I can say it was the right move.
Miss flying with you man. Glad you're loving life over there.
 
I don't live in SAN but in Irvine. I do the commute to VNY regularly. You just need to plan the times, right now near noon there is virtually no traffic. I always seem to get the 7am show though which then I just give myself plenty of time to be early. I'll be tired no matter what, might as well be on time.
 
So at best of times I’m 2.5 hours from the employee lot, at best, and 4 hours in a worst case traffic scenario. Does it suck? Hell yeah it does, but I’ve got a ton of good podcasts to listen to, I always have a seat in my car, and it leaves exactly when I want it to. A crummy drive is not bad at all when compared to a jumpseat.

of course with that said, and looking from the outside, a jumpseat from San to lax doesn’t seem to bad for those times you just really don’t want to drive. There’s like a flight every 20 minutes! I know a guy that used to sit short call at his house in San diago.
 
Not to thread jack but it's kind of on topic. Anyone here done or know somebody that's done the SAN-LAX drive for work? I hear stories about about how many guys who live in SAN who choose to commute to SLC/LAS/PHX, etc rather than drive to their airline's LAX base because the drive is so bad. I do it fairly regularly not for work, but I'm wondering if it really sucks that bad that commuting by air is better.

@JaceTheAce
 
Oh look, it's me in 12 months (hopefully)

When I was hung up trying to decide, I thought of my favorite quote from one of my favorite movies: “you got a dream? You gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”

Also it was much quicker than 12mos for me from the time I updated my apps until I was sitting in indoc wondering wtf I’d just done.

Miss flying with you man. Glad you're loving life over there.

Ditto, amigo! Glad you’re doing well, though. If you find yourself in SAN, we’re visiting a local brewery and your money is no good here.

So at best of times I’m 2.5 hours from the employee lot, at best, and 4 hours in a worst case traffic scenario. Does it suck? Hell yeah it does, but I’ve got a ton of good podcasts to listen to, I always have a seat in my car, and it leaves exactly when I want it to. A crummy drive is not bad at all when compared to a jumpseat. of course with that said, and looking from the outside, a jumpseat from San to lax doesn’t seem to bad for those times you just really don’t want to drive. There’s like a flight every 20 minutes! I know a guy that used to sit short call at his house in San diago.

I’ve looked at the commute by air, I only see 3 daily flights anymore unless I’m just dumb and missing something? Which is entirely possible. Not what it was just a few years ago when we got to fly an 8 leg day with 3 or 4 LAX/SAN flights of fury on the Bro!
 
Last edited:
I used to do a four hour drive from Akron to Detroit every week when I was at Pinnacle. Granted, not in the LA traffic, but same amount time, basically. I didn't mind it at all. Now, the 1.5 hour flight from Atlanta to Detroit when I moved down here and started commuting by plane? That was pure hell, and it cemented in my mind that I'd never commute again.

Wot n tarnation took 4 hours driving CAK-DTW?! I routinely clocked PIT-ARB at around 4 hours.

;)
 
Just a little thread bump…

Well it’s happening. I’m moving back to the airlines. Only sad part is saying bye to home basing, other than that I’m stoked to be moving on!

Now… living in SAN, should one fly to SFO or drive to LAX?? The beauty is I can trial and error this hopefully, AS runs base bids a few times a year so if one doesn’t work I’ll try the other.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top