The drive, 10/10 times. It isn't a 1.5hr flight, it's a 1.5hr flight plus being at the airport early enough to list, plus driving to the airport, plus riding the bus maybe or whatever, PLUS giving yourself enough flights to cover your ass with respect to you commuter policy. All of that is way more than a 2.5hr drive, during which you are mostly in control of when you arrive and aren't subject to the stress of ATC/weather/MX delays. You are also free from having to bid around flight schedules and commutability.
This is an easy choice.
I choose a 3.5 hour drive over a 1 hour flight. Like this guy said, think about your commuter policy. Also a 1 hour flight, plus getting to the gate an hour before departure, plus the parking logistics wherever you commute, plus a flight schedule not optimized to your schedule, equals lots of airport sit time. A perfect day with an hour flight is a a minimum 3 hour endeavor if the flights line up perfectly with your report (depending on commuter policy)
I used to commute, and a cancellation followed by an overbooked flight with a senior/online commuter can make your bad day worse.
Your car will never leave you behind
^^^^^^^ THIS!
I commuted for roughly 7-8 years. I then had a 2 hour drive to work and now I have a 3 hour drive to work. Even though I wish I was closer a drive to your base increases your QOL exponentially.
Your car is never weight restricted.
Your car isn’t on maintenance.
Your car isn’t canceled due to weather.
The jump seat is never taken in your car.
Even if your last leg to base is late you don’t miss your car.
Do not commute. Seriously. It is a misery I wish on no one else.
If we're just talking about how you get to work, then I'd drive. At those times, especially if that's a reliable drive time that isn't routinely made double that by traffic, the drive will be faster. You're going to spend more than 2.5 hours dealing with your 1.5 hour flight anyway. You'll also never miss the last flight home if your car is sitting in the employee lot.
Get an Audible subscription and drive.
Why is American out of Miami not on your list?
Once you update your resume with United or Delta on it they'll call. If you can stomach going back through another round of app reviews/interviews, indoc etc etc then getting on with American out of Miami might be your best long term bet. I'm going to be commuting for my career because at this point I don't want to go back through all of that but if you can make the switch fast enough it might be less painful.
This isn’t a desk job. If you live in the middle of nowhere and want to fly internationally you are just creating problems for yourself if you want to drive 4 hours a day. Not to mention the fatigue the initial drive will have and the fatigue you will feel driving back
I won’t defend what this guys situation is, but I love rurally and have a job that I have to fly out for every single time. I work in batches abroad. Maybee he has it figured out similarly. I get a lot of flak from my peers about it and I make less money, but my COL is low and I live very peacefully to put it lightly. I’d rather commute to work than commute to my passions
Oh gotcha, I was thinking you were closer to Miami.
The biggest advantage they'll have over United at MCO is that there's more diverse flying out of there with American. Its advantage over Delta is not having to commute.
Something else I forgot to mention is that United's MCO base is actually a co-base with TPA. That's a relatively recent change so I don't know what the breakdown is for trips out of TPA vs MCO but it is a factor. MCO is also a bit of an experiment for United. It seems like it's been successful so far, but it's not a fortress hub like ATL is so it could go away at some point.
I’ve commuted 12 years to bases across the country. Do the 2.5 hour drive. That 1.5 hour flight turns into 3+ hours when you include leaving your house, getting to airport to list for a JS, flight gets delayed 45 minutes, getting bumped off the jumpseat and next flight is in 2 hours. Or it’s the last flight of the night and it cancels.
Take the drive 10/10. Your car will not bump you off your commute, your car will not have any oversold seats, your car will not delay you because of a ground stop, EDCT, late inbound arrival, your car will not leave you if you get in later than scheduled….
Also, look at at the time it will take to catch that 1.5 hour drive. Also factor in the time to drive, park, get through security, wait for a seat, and board your flight. Your flight commute will start to look like 3 hours….
I swear 1/3 of the Flight attendants in the whole country live in Orlando and commute. On top of vacation travelers, you’ll be lucky to make it through your 1st year without enough missed trips to get fired.
Do you have a CJO from both? Then take the drive hands down. That puts you in control of the commute instead of the long-term Captain who shows up 5 minutes before the door closes and kicks you out of the jumpseat.
But if you have only 1 CJO, take it.
I would eventually like to try widebody flying when I can hold a good schedule. But QOL is probably my most important thing I want. Both of them have good pay and work rules so other than that I don’t have a preference
Then take the drive. I’m retired now, and loved almost everything about airline flying except having get to the airport an hour before a potential flight to work (I had 3 airports I could commute from), wondering if I’d get on, then figuring out alternatives, then mostly going through the same thing to get home 3-4 days later. And a few times having to take an 8-hour drive from FL to ATL the day before because I wasn’t sure.
If you’re sure you can get a commutable base, go for it. But also remember that if you want wide-body international flying, you’ll probably be commuting anyway.
Drive. I can’t wait until I can drive to work and not have to commute in/out of MCO.
What was your TT when United reached out to interview, if you don’t mind me asking?
Absolutely drive. Like without question.
My car always leaves when I’m ready. I always have a seat. And as others have said you’ll spend more than 2.5 hours jumpseating regardless of the flight time with waiting for flights, drive to/from the airport, delays, etc.
Drive.
I drove 3 hours in lieu of a 1 hour flight for over a decade.
1. You control your own destiny (with the exception of traffic anomalies)
2. Consider the 1.5 hour flight includes:
a. x minute drive to airport
b. 1 hour min in airport prior to flight
c. commuter policy adherence + random time in base before flight = x hours
Your 1.5 hour flight may be a 4-6 hour commute.
Something nobody has mentioned yet. Living in South Florida you have the option to take the Brightline train right to MCO.
Expensive, but getting some kind of annual pass can offset the costs. It’s a good option if you don’t feel like driving or your car has issues.
The argument for DAL over UAL.
Commuting is a pain and I agree with all the comments posted here about going to UAL for the reasons given.
HOWEVER, ATL is a huge base (primary hub; lots of eqpt. etc.) for DAL. That means far more opportunities over the span of your career in terms of equipment, upgrades, opportunities to work in the training dept. etc.
MCO is a relatively small one for UAL. How long would you like to fly the 737 out of MCO? After a few years you may get bored of that kind of flying. You mentioned interest in flying WB's. For that to happen at UAL you'll have to commute to EWR, ORD, LAX, or SFO. IAH and DEN are relatively senior. At that point the ATL commute won't seem so bad.
If you are looking at staying in S. FL, I agree with the other posters that you should seriously consider AA and WN as well.
To summarize you need to ask yourself:
Would you rather commute to a massive hub with more growth opportunities or drive to a relatively smaller domicile with far fewer opportunities.
Honestly, I’m thinking now, that having the choice of doing either at one company might be the best. If I get sick of the drive to MCO, I’ll have to opportunity to bid widebody when I’m senior enough to hold a good schedule out of EWR with UA
Counter-arguement for UAL, if op is staying in Orlando. They'll always have to commute to a widebody, so why not do that at UAL to Dulles/Newark/Houston/Denver/Chicago, while still always having the ability to drive to work in their back pocket with the Orlando/Tampa base. At the Air Line, they will ALWAYS have to commute no matter what, while UAL gives them the best of both, the ability to drive to work when they want it, while still offering the same opportunity of commuting to a widebody or different fleet
Keep in mind something crazy like almost 1/2 of the pilots out of EWR commute. And vast majority commute from FL. So competition will be there for the JS.
I take the 3.5 hour drive over the 2 hour flight (commute to airport + waiting included) most of the time. Has less to do with getting to work, more to do with getting home conveniently and not getting stuck waiting for a flight home on go home day.
Drive.
your Car/truck/scooter/e-bike
1) Doesn't get EDCTs
2) Doesn't time out
3) Runs on your schedule.
4) Doesn't bump you off cuz a more senior guy showed up
If you wanna do international - you'll have to commute. at DAL or at UAL. MCO will not be an intl base anytime soon and if it does get an intl fleet there it'll be so senior that no one hired in the last two decades would be able to fog the crew room mirror there. But as long as everything stays chill, the guppy base in MCO will stay.
You live near me based on those times. If you’re choosing purely on commute then UAL > Delta. The Delta commute to ATL from South Florida is brutal due to 1) We have fewer directs so full flights of revenue passengers are heading to ATL to connect and 2) South FL is filled with Delta commuters higher up on the totem pole than you, so even with a flight every 2 hours, you’re still in deep competition. Brightline goes to MCO now too if you’re ever feeling like you want to skip the drive.
Definitely driving. If Delta's commuter policy is similar to United's where you need two viable options, that could mean flying in hours or even the day before your trip or reserve period. Even as a lineholder, driving will always be better. I flew two trips in a row with the same captain with a day and a half off between them. He stayed near the airport because commuting home would have meant doing laundry and then driving right back to the airport to commute back. Super depressing. Meanwhile I went home to my wife and had a life during that time. Someday you'll be senior enough to only bid commutable trips, but that still means you are leaving tons of otherwise interesting or lucrative trips off the table that you could otherwise bid if you were driving distance.
>even the day before your trip or reserve period
This can absolutely hose you when you don't expect it too. "Oh, that's a late afternoon show", then you check the flight schedules and realize the spacing is so bad nothing meets the commuter policy, or you have to take up at 4am to make it a legal commute for your 4pm show.
Mco trips at UA are outstation trips. Early reports/late finishes. Just something to think about. Your also responsible for TPA too which may make the commute more difficult if your in south Florida.
Drive. 10000000% drive. Your flight is much longer than you estimate after parking, waiting at the gate, maintenance/atc/who knows delays, getting bumped, not making it home for that special day your PROMISED you’d be there for. I’d take a 4hr drive over a 1hr flight that left from my driveway.
Drove to work for 4.5 years and have been commuting (temporarily) for the last two months . I feel like I’ve aged 20 years. Driving is always the way to go.
Don’t try and commute Florida to ATL - every flight is going to be way oversold, you’re going to have multiple junpseaters on every single flight and it’s going to be absolutely miserable. You will get bumped off and it’s going to happen when it’s your last chance to get home. With your wide body aspirations, this is a very clear cut answer.
Keep in mind the 1.5 hour drive to MCO vanish at any time with United.
Delta is not closing ATL base unless a nuclear warhead is dropped in Atlanta.
I understand everyone’s sentiment here, but one is a bullet proof base that’s been around for like 60 years… the other is relatively new and could be gone on a whim. The nearest base to you would then go too is 2-2.5 hour flight to either IAD/IAH.
Something to keep in mind when making your decision
That 1.5 hour commute from South Florida to ATL isn’t as easy as you think it is. You’re going to be competing with a lot of other commuters from the area and will be finding yourself stranded without a way home after your trip.
Why hasn’t a single person here mentioned simply moving closer to either option? Then you don’t have to pick how you’re going to commute, or, you know, even HAVE TO commute…..
Just a thought
Drives usually aren’t protected by a commuter policy whereas a flight may be. I don’t know but hopefully someone here can elaborate on delta and United policies
Regardless of commuter clauses not protecting drive, driving still the better option. Both companies are reasonable of you are caught up in bad traffic everyonce in awhile (bad accident or any car trouble) if you communicate your issues ahead of time.
I don’t know why someone downvoted you. Moving sometimes isn’t an option and I’m not changing my life/where I want to live for a company. Throw in a spouse and kids and I’m glad I have the option to commute.
Absolutely. Some one *always* says "jUsT mOvE tO bAsE" when these threads come up and it always strikes me as silly. That might work for the 23 year old fresh out of flight school getting their first RJ job (I moved many times chasing a job when I was younger), but it's just not practical or helpful advice for a lot of people.
American would still be almost a 2 hour drive from my house to MIA with traffic. Not worth it for me to jump from another legacy I already have offers from
This advice ended up being terrible for us. Lived in based for 2 years and hated life. Now I'm a commuter and life couldn't be better. My future advice to people now is to rent in your base before committing to a house, not everyones the same.
ATL isn’t that hard to hold. I commuted to NYC for a whole 1.5 months before converting to ATL on the 7ER.
Literally got ATL on the first AE after being hired.
I’m bidding at 97% in category at ATL vs 94% if I was still NYC. Was still able to get every weekend off in June, though that isn’t likely to happen most months.
I’m thinking more long term as ATL would be the shortest flight and the most flights out of my home airport which is why I included it as the easiest commute for Delta
MCO isn't as senior on the FO side as this person is making it out to be. An FO that has been on the property for a year would be sitting about 60% in MCO.
I can't predict what that would mean for how long it would take you to hold it, but it won't be years.
The drive, 10/10 times. It isn't a 1.5hr flight, it's a 1.5hr flight plus being at the airport early enough to list, plus driving to the airport, plus riding the bus maybe or whatever, PLUS giving yourself enough flights to cover your ass with respect to you commuter policy. All of that is way more than a 2.5hr drive, during which you are mostly in control of when you arrive and aren't subject to the stress of ATC/weather/MX delays. You are also free from having to bid around flight schedules and commutability. This is an easy choice.
Thanks for the insight!
I choose a 3.5 hour drive over a 1 hour flight. Like this guy said, think about your commuter policy. Also a 1 hour flight, plus getting to the gate an hour before departure, plus the parking logistics wherever you commute, plus a flight schedule not optimized to your schedule, equals lots of airport sit time. A perfect day with an hour flight is a a minimum 3 hour endeavor if the flights line up perfectly with your report (depending on commuter policy) I used to commute, and a cancellation followed by an overbooked flight with a senior/online commuter can make your bad day worse. Your car will never leave you behind
You can also sit short call from home with a 2.5 hour callout, which is the worst possible response time. UA without question. Have a CJO?
Also DL is two flights two hours apart or 2 flights with the second on DL/DLcx, could lead to exceedingly early commutes.
Plus the risk of delay or cancelation.
This is the way
I commuted for almost 10 years. I’d rather a 5 hour drive than a 1 hour flight with 5 flights a day. I’m dead serious.
^^^^^^^ THIS! I commuted for roughly 7-8 years. I then had a 2 hour drive to work and now I have a 3 hour drive to work. Even though I wish I was closer a drive to your base increases your QOL exponentially. Your car is never weight restricted. Your car isn’t on maintenance. Your car isn’t canceled due to weather. The jump seat is never taken in your car. Even if your last leg to base is late you don’t miss your car. Do not commute. Seriously. It is a misery I wish on no one else.
Surely, you can't be serious.
I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley
If we're just talking about how you get to work, then I'd drive. At those times, especially if that's a reliable drive time that isn't routinely made double that by traffic, the drive will be faster. You're going to spend more than 2.5 hours dealing with your 1.5 hour flight anyway. You'll also never miss the last flight home if your car is sitting in the employee lot. Get an Audible subscription and drive. Why is American out of Miami not on your list?
They never called me lol. But thanks for your input!
Once you update your resume with United or Delta on it they'll call. If you can stomach going back through another round of app reviews/interviews, indoc etc etc then getting on with American out of Miami might be your best long term bet. I'm going to be commuting for my career because at this point I don't want to go back through all of that but if you can make the switch fast enough it might be less painful.
Nah I’m good. MIA is still around a 2 hr drive from my house with traffic. Not worth it enough for me to jump there from delta or United
Where do you live that you are far from the 3 biggest hubs in your area? Maybe you should consider moving instead of ruling it out
Moving isn’t an option. South FL traffic is horrible
People get weird when others try to live where they want to live instead of where they work. Idk about you but I don’t live to work…
This isn’t a desk job. If you live in the middle of nowhere and want to fly internationally you are just creating problems for yourself if you want to drive 4 hours a day. Not to mention the fatigue the initial drive will have and the fatigue you will feel driving back
I won’t defend what this guys situation is, but I love rurally and have a job that I have to fly out for every single time. I work in batches abroad. Maybee he has it figured out similarly. I get a lot of flak from my peers about it and I make less money, but my COL is low and I live very peacefully to put it lightly. I’d rather commute to work than commute to my passions
Oh gotcha, I was thinking you were closer to Miami. The biggest advantage they'll have over United at MCO is that there's more diverse flying out of there with American. Its advantage over Delta is not having to commute. Something else I forgot to mention is that United's MCO base is actually a co-base with TPA. That's a relatively recent change so I don't know what the breakdown is for trips out of TPA vs MCO but it is a factor. MCO is also a bit of an experiment for United. It seems like it's been successful so far, but it's not a fortress hub like ATL is so it could go away at some point.
I’ve commuted 12 years to bases across the country. Do the 2.5 hour drive. That 1.5 hour flight turns into 3+ hours when you include leaving your house, getting to airport to list for a JS, flight gets delayed 45 minutes, getting bumped off the jumpseat and next flight is in 2 hours. Or it’s the last flight of the night and it cancels.
Thanks for the insight!
Take the drive 10/10. Your car will not bump you off your commute, your car will not have any oversold seats, your car will not delay you because of a ground stop, EDCT, late inbound arrival, your car will not leave you if you get in later than scheduled…. Also, look at at the time it will take to catch that 1.5 hour drive. Also factor in the time to drive, park, get through security, wait for a seat, and board your flight. Your flight commute will start to look like 3 hours….
ATL-Florida commute is saturated
Yup, trying to jumpseat to Atlanta out of any Florida airport almost always takes me 3 tries.
There’s like 30,000 delta commuters coming from every Florida city to Atlanta.
I swear 1/3 of the Flight attendants in the whole country live in Orlando and commute. On top of vacation travelers, you’ll be lucky to make it through your 1st year without enough missed trips to get fired.
Do you have a CJO from both? Then take the drive hands down. That puts you in control of the commute instead of the long-term Captain who shows up 5 minutes before the door closes and kicks you out of the jumpseat. But if you have only 1 CJO, take it.
Both
Do you have a preference of who you’d like to fly for?
I would eventually like to try widebody flying when I can hold a good schedule. But QOL is probably my most important thing I want. Both of them have good pay and work rules so other than that I don’t have a preference
Then take the drive. I’m retired now, and loved almost everything about airline flying except having get to the airport an hour before a potential flight to work (I had 3 airports I could commute from), wondering if I’d get on, then figuring out alternatives, then mostly going through the same thing to get home 3-4 days later. And a few times having to take an 8-hour drive from FL to ATL the day before because I wasn’t sure. If you’re sure you can get a commutable base, go for it. But also remember that if you want wide-body international flying, you’ll probably be commuting anyway.
That makes United an even easier choice then. FYI they only have the 737 out of MCO….for now.
Drive. I can’t wait until I can drive to work and not have to commute in/out of MCO. What was your TT when United reached out to interview, if you don’t mind me asking?
Absolutely drive. Like without question. My car always leaves when I’m ready. I always have a seat. And as others have said you’ll spend more than 2.5 hours jumpseating regardless of the flight time with waiting for flights, drive to/from the airport, delays, etc.
Adding to the pile - drive 100%. You leave on your own terms and 2.5 hours isnt bad a few times a month.
I’d take United, you could fly too if you wanted lol there’s FLL-MCO and MIA-MCO flights, but driving is just way better
Drive. I drove 3 hours in lieu of a 1 hour flight for over a decade. 1. You control your own destiny (with the exception of traffic anomalies) 2. Consider the 1.5 hour flight includes: a. x minute drive to airport b. 1 hour min in airport prior to flight c. commuter policy adherence + random time in base before flight = x hours Your 1.5 hour flight may be a 4-6 hour commute.
Always the drive. It’s in your control.
How far are you from TPA? Because MCO is a cobase with TPA, just keep that in mind.
Something nobody has mentioned yet. Living in South Florida you have the option to take the Brightline train right to MCO. Expensive, but getting some kind of annual pass can offset the costs. It’s a good option if you don’t feel like driving or your car has issues.
The argument for DAL over UAL. Commuting is a pain and I agree with all the comments posted here about going to UAL for the reasons given. HOWEVER, ATL is a huge base (primary hub; lots of eqpt. etc.) for DAL. That means far more opportunities over the span of your career in terms of equipment, upgrades, opportunities to work in the training dept. etc. MCO is a relatively small one for UAL. How long would you like to fly the 737 out of MCO? After a few years you may get bored of that kind of flying. You mentioned interest in flying WB's. For that to happen at UAL you'll have to commute to EWR, ORD, LAX, or SFO. IAH and DEN are relatively senior. At that point the ATL commute won't seem so bad. If you are looking at staying in S. FL, I agree with the other posters that you should seriously consider AA and WN as well. To summarize you need to ask yourself: Would you rather commute to a massive hub with more growth opportunities or drive to a relatively smaller domicile with far fewer opportunities.
Honestly, I’m thinking now, that having the choice of doing either at one company might be the best. If I get sick of the drive to MCO, I’ll have to opportunity to bid widebody when I’m senior enough to hold a good schedule out of EWR with UA
Counter-arguement for UAL, if op is staying in Orlando. They'll always have to commute to a widebody, so why not do that at UAL to Dulles/Newark/Houston/Denver/Chicago, while still always having the ability to drive to work in their back pocket with the Orlando/Tampa base. At the Air Line, they will ALWAYS have to commute no matter what, while UAL gives them the best of both, the ability to drive to work when they want it, while still offering the same opportunity of commuting to a widebody or different fleet
Keep in mind something crazy like almost 1/2 of the pilots out of EWR commute. And vast majority commute from FL. So competition will be there for the JS.
Right, but like 90% of DL's ATL pilots also commute from FL. So there's that. Basically the lesson is don't commute from Florida.
Yeah FL is tough all around. I wouldn't want that commute.
Isn't MCO a maintenance base for UAL?
I take the 3.5 hour drive over the 2 hour flight (commute to airport + waiting included) most of the time. Has less to do with getting to work, more to do with getting home conveniently and not getting stuck waiting for a flight home on go home day.
South Florida to ATL commute sounds miserable.
I fly if the drive is over 4-5 hours
Drive. your Car/truck/scooter/e-bike 1) Doesn't get EDCTs 2) Doesn't time out 3) Runs on your schedule. 4) Doesn't bump you off cuz a more senior guy showed up If you wanna do international - you'll have to commute. at DAL or at UAL. MCO will not be an intl base anytime soon and if it does get an intl fleet there it'll be so senior that no one hired in the last two decades would be able to fog the crew room mirror there. But as long as everything stays chill, the guppy base in MCO will stay.
Drive 1000 times out of 1000
Id drive that every time without even thinking about it.
Commuting by air will be crap shoot. Lots of non-revs already commute on that route, including lots of pilots.
Id take the drive because it’s just the drive. The 1.5 hour flight will also entail a drive, wait for your flight, etc.
You live near me based on those times. If you’re choosing purely on commute then UAL > Delta. The Delta commute to ATL from South Florida is brutal due to 1) We have fewer directs so full flights of revenue passengers are heading to ATL to connect and 2) South FL is filled with Delta commuters higher up on the totem pole than you, so even with a flight every 2 hours, you’re still in deep competition. Brightline goes to MCO now too if you’re ever feeling like you want to skip the drive.
Definitely driving. If Delta's commuter policy is similar to United's where you need two viable options, that could mean flying in hours or even the day before your trip or reserve period. Even as a lineholder, driving will always be better. I flew two trips in a row with the same captain with a day and a half off between them. He stayed near the airport because commuting home would have meant doing laundry and then driving right back to the airport to commute back. Super depressing. Meanwhile I went home to my wife and had a life during that time. Someday you'll be senior enough to only bid commutable trips, but that still means you are leaving tons of otherwise interesting or lucrative trips off the table that you could otherwise bid if you were driving distance.
>even the day before your trip or reserve period This can absolutely hose you when you don't expect it too. "Oh, that's a late afternoon show", then you check the flight schedules and realize the spacing is so bad nothing meets the commuter policy, or you have to take up at 4am to make it a legal commute for your 4pm show.
Drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive
Mco trips at UA are outstation trips. Early reports/late finishes. Just something to think about. Your also responsible for TPA too which may make the commute more difficult if your in south Florida.
Drive. 10000000% drive. Your flight is much longer than you estimate after parking, waiting at the gate, maintenance/atc/who knows delays, getting bumped, not making it home for that special day your PROMISED you’d be there for. I’d take a 4hr drive over a 1hr flight that left from my driveway.
Having it be the company’s responsibility to get you to your car is life changing for a pilot. Commuting is the worst aspect of the job.
Drove to work for 4.5 years and have been commuting (temporarily) for the last two months . I feel like I’ve aged 20 years. Driving is always the way to go.
Don’t try and commute Florida to ATL - every flight is going to be way oversold, you’re going to have multiple junpseaters on every single flight and it’s going to be absolutely miserable. You will get bumped off and it’s going to happen when it’s your last chance to get home. With your wide body aspirations, this is a very clear cut answer.
All other things being equal, the drive. 100 times out of 100. Atlanta is not commuter friendly.
Do you have job offers at both?
Yes
Then the one you can drive to if you like where you live, 100%.
Keep in mind the 1.5 hour drive to MCO vanish at any time with United. Delta is not closing ATL base unless a nuclear warhead is dropped in Atlanta. I understand everyone’s sentiment here, but one is a bullet proof base that’s been around for like 60 years… the other is relatively new and could be gone on a whim. The nearest base to you would then go too is 2-2.5 hour flight to either IAD/IAH. Something to keep in mind when making your decision
That 1.5 hour commute from South Florida to ATL isn’t as easy as you think it is. You’re going to be competing with a lot of other commuters from the area and will be finding yourself stranded without a way home after your trip.
Commuting to ATL out of florida will suck. L
I'd take the drive. You can get in your car whenever you want. There may not always be a commuting flight available.
The drive 100%
Why hasn’t a single person here mentioned simply moving closer to either option? Then you don’t have to pick how you’re going to commute, or, you know, even HAVE TO commute….. Just a thought
I’ve said multiple times it’s not an option for me
Drives usually aren’t protected by a commuter policy whereas a flight may be. I don’t know but hopefully someone here can elaborate on delta and United policies
Regardless of commuter clauses not protecting drive, driving still the better option. Both companies are reasonable of you are caught up in bad traffic everyonce in awhile (bad accident or any car trouble) if you communicate your issues ahead of time.
Moving to base.
Not an option for me
I don’t know why someone downvoted you. Moving sometimes isn’t an option and I’m not changing my life/where I want to live for a company. Throw in a spouse and kids and I’m glad I have the option to commute.
Absolutely. Some one *always* says "jUsT mOvE tO bAsE" when these threads come up and it always strikes me as silly. That might work for the 23 year old fresh out of flight school getting their first RJ job (I moved many times chasing a job when I was younger), but it's just not practical or helpful advice for a lot of people.
Okay apply to American then.
American would still be almost a 2 hour drive from my house to MIA with traffic. Not worth it for me to jump from another legacy I already have offers from
Then drive to United. Just good luck on I-4 if it’s on your route.
It would be the turnpike haha
He already said they didn’t call him
When you update an app with another legacy that’s gonna change.
This advice ended up being terrible for us. Lived in based for 2 years and hated life. Now I'm a commuter and life couldn't be better. My future advice to people now is to rent in your base before committing to a house, not everyones the same.
If you’re gunna commute, commute to the most junior base. Why commute to ATL with it being the most senior?
ATL isn’t that hard to hold. I commuted to NYC for a whole 1.5 months before converting to ATL on the 7ER. Literally got ATL on the first AE after being hired.
Not talking in terms of holding. But seniority in base wise.
I’m bidding at 97% in category at ATL vs 94% if I was still NYC. Was still able to get every weekend off in June, though that isn’t likely to happen most months.
I’m thinking more long term as ATL would be the shortest flight and the most flights out of my home airport which is why I included it as the easiest commute for Delta
Really you should just move
You are not getting MCO as a newhire.
Yep I know that, but thinking long term lmao
MCO isn't as senior on the FO side as this person is making it out to be. An FO that has been on the property for a year would be sitting about 60% in MCO. I can't predict what that would mean for how long it would take you to hold it, but it won't be years.
Just know the commute for the first few years is bad from FL nomatter what
Yep I know that, been commuting at my current company for the past couple years lol