Commuting: Lost the Edge?

Richman said:
Hey Doug,

I feel yer age 65/merger pain....

I was number 4 to upgrade on the -9 in MEM some THREE years ago. Crew planner said "pack your bags, Richman, you're going to upgrade training!"

Three days later, out of the blue, the age 65 thing happened. Didn't even see it coming.

So I sez "well, lets stick it out on the -9, and see what happens". Well, merger happens, and the first thing they do is park 30 DC-9s. Yippie. Time to park it on the 757.

I was one of those guys who always pitied commuters, and said I'd never commute, but life is funny sometimes, and I wound up making one of the worse commutes in the system (fNWA, that is) from FLA to DTW.

I no longer really have anything keeping me in SoFL, except for my GF. She is ADAMANT about not wanting to live in ATL, and I'd have to downbid 3 categories to do better than I'm doing now, so that's out. Besides, thanks to the merger fandango, I'm sitting 1,000 numbers junior to guys who were hired after me and are younger besides. Plus the old guys who promised to move on to greener pastures if we saved the pensions, didn't. They decided that being top of the list isn't so bad.

Sucks, but it is what it is. I've thought about changing bases, but the commute to DTW isn't that bad, seniority is relatively good, and local hotels are cheap and have minimum of bodily eminations on the comforter. I wish we had the old NWA Crew Control program where you could put all your commutes into your PC ahead of time and it would book them automatically, but you can't have everything.

Richman
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Oh yeah man, it was a good run, wasn't it? :)

I'm starting to see about a three year cycle.

1998 Things were moving fast
2001 Things were moving backwards
2004 (Well, 2005) bankruptcy
2007 "You know, if I put ER captain in the system hon, I'm gonna probably get it on the next bid"
2010 Post merger/Age-65 stagnation/"Hey what does '60P' mean behind your name?"

So two more years and perhaps it'll be zooming again!

You know, I'll probably just stay put for now because anything else will be a pay cut or involve selling the house and moving and whenever you do that from a position of relative weakness it never turns out well.

You know, DTW would bring the commute costs down significantly, but the drop in seniority relative to the quality of trips would suck and instead of holding my breath for 5 hours and ending up in, say, PRG the next morning would be holding my breath for 3 hours and ending up on a double all-nighter to GRU.
 
Oh you boneheads! :)

Each level has it's challenges and trust me, when you win the 'golden ring' and the luster wears off a bit, you'll find yourself asking the same questions. Been there, done that, trust me! :) I'm not going to say, "Hey there's this guy in Baton Rouge, commuting to reserve in ATL to fly a CRJ for peanuts so the challenges I perceive at my level are moot!" No, I've been that guy sitting reserve to go fly a 1900 for peanuts across Lake Michigan and hopefully they would assign me a layover so I get an extra $25 to feed myself.

I could pretty much keep my mouth shut, leave the "talk out loud about my own career challenges" postings to myself and rob some of you guys a glimpse into the world a lot of you have goals to reach, or just like the other 99% of the professional pilots at the majors and go "Bah! I've got mine, who cares about providing insight to others, they'll figure it out one day themselves... where's the remote control?"
 
Doug Taylor said:
Oh you boneheads! :)

Each level has it's challenges and trust me, when you win the 'golden ring' and the luster wears off a bit, you'll find yourself asking the same questions. Been there, done that, trust me! :) I'm not going to say, "Hey there's this guy in Baton Rouge, commuting to reserve in ATL to fly a CRJ for peanuts so the challenges I perceive at my level are moot!" No, I've been that guy sitting reserve to go fly a 1900 for peanuts across Lake Michigan and hopefully they would assign me a layover so I get an extra $25 to feed myself.

I could pretty much keep my mouth shut, leave the "talk out loud about my own career challenges" postings to myself and rob some of you guys a glimpse into the world a lot of you have goals to reach, or just like the other 99% of the professional pilots at the majors and go "Bah! I've got mine, who cares about providing insight to others, they'll figure it out one day themselves... where's the remote control?"
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One List.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Oh you boneheads! :)

Each level has it's challenges and trust me, when you win the 'golden ring' and the luster wears off a bit, you'll find yourself asking the same questions. Been there, done that, trust me! :) I'm not going to say, "Hey there's this guy in Baton Rouge, commuting to reserve in ATL to fly a CRJ for peanuts so the challenges I perceive at my level are moot!" No, I've been that guy sitting reserve to go fly a 1900 for peanuts across Lake Michigan and hopefully they would assign me a layover so I get an extra $25 to feed myself.

I could pretty much keep my mouth shut, leave the "talk out loud about my own career challenges" postings to myself and rob some of you guys a glimpse into the world a lot of you have goals to reach, or just like the other 99% of the professional pilots at the majors and go "Bah! I've got mine, who cares about providing insight to others, they'll figure it out one day themselves... where's the remote control?"
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Ahh, just giving you some crap! I've been happy with the route my career has taken so far, but man, it sure would be nice to be able to get to that major at some point. I'm getting sick of worrying about money; for me, stagnation at a major seems like it'd be the better of the two evils. Perspectives, I guess.

But seriously, I'm not complaining about my own position in life. I've done more than I've thought possible at my age. But, someday... :)

jtrain609 said:
One List.
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Don't you start! ;)
 
are you old?
dasleben said:
Ahh, just giving you some crap! I've been happy with the route my career has taken so far, but man, it sure would be nice to be able to get to that major at some point. I'm getting sick of worrying about money; for me, stagnation at a major seems like it'd be the better of the two evils. Perspectives, I guess.

But seriously, I'm not complaining about my own position in life. I've done more than I've thought possible at my age. But, someday... :)



Don't you start! ;)
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Doug Taylor said:
would be holding my breath for 3 hours and ending up on a double all-nighter to GRU.
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?? What's wrong with that? That's the trip I bid. Signs in at 2030, signs out at 0630, commutable both ends. One of those plus another 4 day somewhere and you are looking at 12 days work a month for 72-74 hours a month. Two commutes, no hotels and less days worked than a reserve line. More time home with the kids. Plus, it leaves time in the month for a nice WS/GS if one comes along.
 
Ya know... given current trends in the industry.. I think in the next few years nobody's going to have too much to complain about. I was thinking about how things are cyclical in the industry and the economy.. and things usually tank around 7 or 8 years into a decade.. then seriously rally around the 00-01 mark. In the 2000's, we had the rally from the late 90's recession tanked by 9/11. This go-round, assuming things remain relatively stable, we'll get our upswell. Things are going to be fine.
 
Cptnchia said:
?? What's wrong with that? That's the trip I bid. Signs in at 2030, signs out at 0630, commutable both ends. One of those plus another 4 day somewhere and you are looking at 12 days work a month for 72-74 hours a month. Two commutes, no hotels and less days worked than a reserve line. More time home with the kids. Plus, it leaves time in the month for a nice WS/GS if one comes along.
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I never found my groove with Sao Paolo!

Sao Paolo was one of our first heated "layover discussions" where the perception was there that I spent too much money because it was supposed to be "cheap" -- when it's not at all. Nothing too serious, but a great time to talk about the perception about how much things cost in certain countries compared to what a person having never been there THINK things should have costed! :)

Last time I went the time between the airport and the hotel was long enough to watch a damned Tyler Perry movie on the screens on the bus, then the flight attendant thought, "Well hay! Let's start that movie again!" -- erm... no thanks!

Besides, you're a marine! Y'all can put up with anything! But then, on the other hand, you're a Citadel Marine so there's a little "pinky-up with high tea" there somewhere! :) ha! Just giving you grief, brotha! :)
 
kellwolf said:
I have to jump in on this, too. I'd rather be stagnant at Delta than fighting for scraps just to get hired somewhere other than a regional.
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Well, what this thread signifies to me is that no matter how high you get in the food chain, you still have major challenges to overcome in this job. I sometimes feel regional pilots glorify jobs at the major airlines, feeling like "if I can just get to ______, everything will be OK!" I felt that way myself. Then when I talked to friends at those airlines, I started to realize it was the same stuff, different paint scheme. There is a lot of things better about being at the "brass ring airline," but all in all, you'll be dealing with many of the same challenges as you would at a regional.

I have friends at many different major airlines, and I see on their Facebook status all the time... "Ground stopped; delayed; maintenance problem again; crew scheduling please stop calling; argh this guy I'm flying with is annoying; please, oh please flight attendants go away," and so forth.

Once you finally get to a major, the tune changes, but still stays the same. "I'm stuck here on the 737, while you're doing international 767, so I'm not going to feel too bad for you." "You're sitting pretty in the left seat, while I'm slugging it out right seat domestic, so stop complaining."

Once we stop and realize that at no point will we reach a pinnacle of aviation and say, "There, I made it, now I can relax." We'll always be looking up at someone who has it "better" than us. What we need to do is just try to make our lives as easy and happy as possible in the HERE and NOW. Because tomorrow or the day after, the entire industry can crap the bed and all our plans and hopes will be wiped away. Then where will we be? Probably sitting here complaining how our lives are ruined because of terrorists or fuel or senior pilots or incompetent management or whatever else can set back everything we've hoped for.
 
Good post, but I think that's every profession.

I think even Ron Jeremy thinks, "One day, I wanna go LEGIT! I want to do a Broadway musical!" :)

At the end of the day, it's a job and ultimately, you'd rather be home. But that's why it's called a job! :)
 
What good is it being a pilot if you can't get yourself where you want to go?

Go where you want, man. Chasing bases is stupid... but commuting's never really been my bag either. I imagine the real issue is the underlying ennui you feel towards the same old grind.
Change it up. Try something new. Blaze a new trail.
 
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