Commuting as a Dispatcher

MT said:
And getting in and out of SGU is dang near impossible. You're looking at commuting out of LAS which isn't the easiest either.
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Fortunately... or maybe unfortunately ( since I don't even have my dispatch license yet even) it was a just a hypothetical scenario. I live within 2 hours of CLE, CAK, CMH, and YNG so hopefully that would help if and when as far as for commuting. A bridge that won't need to be crossed for awhile though.
 
LAS had quite a few commuters is what people are warning you about (as does SLC). The issue is getting from SLC to SGU and vice versa----my guess is a weight restricted -200. I would highly recommend just relocating out there---it makes life a lot easier.
 
PlaneFan82 said:
LAS had quite a few commuters is what people are warning you about (as does SLC). The issue is getting from SLC to SGU and vice versa----my guess is a weight restricted -200. I would highly recommend just relocating out there---it makes life a lot easier.
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Yeah I would likely relocate to wherever I go eventually, but my g/f starts medical school in 2 years, to where I am not sure yet, so I could have to commute for a year or two because I definitely want to be with her.
 
Also I had one more question. Although I guess it's a non-rev question not so much a commuter question this time.

So if you work for a regional that services an international, say United, could you non-rev free on international flights? (of course while paying foreign tax costs or whatever costs)

Sorry, it's all new to me and the internet is very vague since I am not talking about working directly for United.
 
I commuted for 2 years between NYC and MSP----totally wore me out, and my now wife hated having me away from home.
You can non-rev internationally (you just can't occupy a cockpit j/s) and pay taxes for the travel. London is the most expensive as far as taxes go.
 
I just attempted to understand the complex world of ZED fares, holy crap my brain hurts trying to fully comprehend all that. I get the gist of it, I think, but man does it seem to be way too complicated.
 
You can try to utilize international jumpseat privileges in the back on any carrier you have a reciprocal agreement with, but expect a lot of blank stares and nos from gate agents. The better way to go international is just to go as a normal non-rev. Then if you get put into premium class you can indulge as well. As a "jumpseater" you can not do this.
 
jayd1038 said:
I just attempted to understand the complex world of ZED fares, holy crap my brain hurts trying to fully comprehend all that. I get the gist of it, I think, but man does it seem to be way too complicated.
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Don't let your brain hurt over it. It is not that complicated. Essentially you pay a reduced rate to travel on other airlines. That rate depends upon how far you are going and what ZED fare class agreement your carrier has with the other. Low Medium or High. The cheapest ZED fares would be ZED-L for a short distance. The highest ZED fares are ZED-H for a long distance.

You're best off using your non-rev privileges that you are afforded by the major carrier that your regional contracts for. FYI, London and Sydney have the highest taxes of all the international destinations.
 
MT said:
You can try to utilize international jumpseat privileges in the back on any carrier you have a reciprocal agreement with, but expect a lot of blank stares and nos from gate agents. The better way to go international is just to go as a normal non-rev. Then if you get put into premium class you can indulge as well. As a "jumpseater" you can not do this.
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Or go on a cargo a/c (as a jumper) and avoid any taxes if I'm not mistaken.
 
I am finding it extremely impossible to find any airline airport jobs at CLE or CAK online. How on earth could I go about finding one at one of those locations so that I may be able to get my ADX license and be promoted within?

The correlation to commuting here is, would I probably need to find a job outside of my area and commute to it. i.e. get a ramp agent or ticket counter position in an airport only an hour or so fly-time time away and try to commute by flying? Is that even do-able for say a baggage handler position? This is if I decided to go the work up to ADX from within a major route.
 
jayd1038 said:
Guess it would probably help if I did a better job on checking the regionals too huh? Thanks for the heads up!

I am a little concerned about Envoy right now, but beggars can't be choosers I guess lol.
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Well, expect 9.20 an hour to start as a station agent for Envoy...it's a pretty thankless job. I'm not sure I'd wish that job on anyone. Although I guess it's where I got my start; for whatever that's worth.

And one more thing to add: I wouldn't be too worried about Envoy's ground handling business. That part of the company sees very consistent growth.
 
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Dispatch_Ken said:
Well, expect 9.20 an hour to start as a station agent for Envoy...it's a pretty thankless job. I'm not sure I'd wish that job on anyone. Although I guess it's where I got my start; for whatever that's worth.

And one more thing to add: I wouldn't be too worried about Envoy's ground handling business. That part of the company sees very consistent growth.
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I keep hearing such awful things about Envoy, even read a bunch of awful reviews that pretty much say the same thing. Makes me really really unsure if it would be worth leaving my current job where I just got promoted.

What are your reasons for disliking Envoy so much and not wishing that on anyone? You can PM me if you don't want to talk about specifics on here. I would like to hear about it if you don't mind.
 
jayd1038 said:
I keep hearing such awful things about Envoy, even read a bunch of awful reviews that pretty much say the same thing. Makes me really really unsure if it would be worth leaving my current job where I just got promoted.

What are your reasons for disliking Envoy so much and not wishing that on anyone? You can PM me if you don't want to talk about specifics on here. I would like to hear about it if you don't mind.
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honestly dude, I love Envoy. I think it's a great place to start! More so I think they are a great company, sorry if it came across otherwise. Being a station agent anywhere is pretty awful. Its really just the job, I'm sure AA mainline gate agents would agree as would the agents for any other company. I'm just now of the opinion that if you go to school to dispatch aircraft, then you should dispatch aircraft..
 
Ground jobs for the air carrier are going away. More and more it's being contracted out to ground handlers. WFS, Swissport, DGS, etc are going to be taking it all before it's over with. Use that station job as a stepping stone to something in corporate before your job gets farmed out to one of those guys.
 
BayouMLU said:
Ground jobs for the air carrier are going away. More and more it's being contracted out to ground handlers. WFS, Swissport, DGS, etc are going to be taking it all before it's over with. Use that station job as a stepping stone to something in corporate before your job gets farmed out to one of those guys.
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Yeah that's definitely my game plan. I don't want to be a station agent for my career. I just want to get that aviation experience on my resume, my foot in the door so to speak, and hopefully it helps my in the application process wants I get my dispatch license.

The station agent job to me would be that, and an opportunity for a new job with the ability to travel the world free or cheap for a bit.
 
As you look at your options for entering the dispatch career, I would be cautious about working ramp and customer service jobs trying to get promoted into dispatch. Depending on the airline, it can can take a while to get promoted into dispatch from ramp and gate agent positions. Externals with a new license often get hired quicker than many internals at the regionals.

If you want to dispatch, go to dispatch school and apply to every regional job posting.
 
Flagship_dxer said:
As you look at your options for entering the dispatch career, I would be cautious about working ramp and customer service jobs trying to get promoted into dispatch. Depending on the airline, it can can take a while to get promoted into dispatch from ramp and gate agent positions. Externals with a new license often get hired quicker than many internals at the regionals.

If you want to dispatch, go to dispatch school and apply to every regional job posting.
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Thanks for a heads up. Yeah I probably won't necessarily try to move up within as much as get my license while working a ramp/gate position and at least have that aviation experience on my resume. I would consider trying to get a job with SWA though b/c I keep hearing from people they like to promote within, but that's not really a big worry at the moment.
 
When you work as a customer service agent or ramper and are commuting, where do you typically stay when at the work city?
 
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