Commuting questions

[shawn_855]

Hello everyone,

I am looking at becoming a commercial pilot, I live in Halifax my wife is in the military and therefore do not have the option to move. I am wondering, is it possible to "commute" to work as a pilot based out of another city. If so, what are the polices, who pays for the commute flight, how far before your shift do you need to commute, etc

Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated

[goleafsgo]

Porter has a base in YHZ. As for the other regionals I believe only Jazz and Encore have a commuting policy and they differ between the 2 companies. Jazz you have to give yourself a 2 flight buffer to get to work. Also you should be able at Jazz at least, depending on base and plane, to have pairings with YHZ overnights fairly often. I can't comment on any of the others.

[Lightchop]

There are dozens of pilots at Jazz that commute to both YUL and YYZ from Halifax. Since most of those flights are operated by Jazz, you always have the jump over any AC pilot. Then if you're at AC, you have priority on seats in the back over Jazz. Lots of people make it work without an issue.

[valleyboy]

Unless you are experienced and can hold a job at a level 2 carrier it will be difficult to find an entry job that will allow you to commute. Unless you are a captain most small companies you commute on your own dime and most do not have any travel benefits, means you are paying full fare tickets. Commuting in Canada is not the norm while south of 49 the majority of pilots commute. The americans are geared up for it and captains will even bump a passenger to get a commuter pilot on. Not so in Canada. Jump seating is a pain in the ass and very restrictive and most companies wish it would go away. If you are starting out in this profession and expect to be at home (if not a home base) I suggest you thing about changing professions. I also think the hiring frenzy is slowing and depending on cut backs, route changes and feeder fleet reductions we could possibly be on the down side of the crest. As we are seeing WS went completely "silly bugger" with fleet expansion, it will be interesting to see how the industry reacts to the latest developments.

[goleafsgo]

There are dozens of pilots at Jazz that commute to both YUL and YYZ from Halifax. Since most of those flights are operated by Jazz, you always have the jump over any AC pilot. Then if you're at AC, you have priority on seats in the back over Jazz. Lots of people make it work without an issue.

Yhz-yyz is all AC

[Lightchop]

YUL is Jazz. My mistake on the YYZ, you are correct.

[genetic jack hammer]

Jazz you have to give yourself a 2 flight buffer to get to work.

That being said, if there's a known weather event moving in, or a high travel period, it's up to the commuter to figure out when to arrive at their base. The two flight rule often gets misunderstood under these conditions. In my 12 years here at Jazz, i've known many commuters who've had to come the day before (maybe even on the first flight in the morning), just to be made available for their pairing. It's a crap shoot, but many pilots commute. Have your options available (AC, Jazz, WJ, Porter), either direct or through YUL or YOW. Good luck.

[shawn_855]

Unless you are experienced and can hold a job at a level 2 carrier it will be difficult to find an entry job that will allow you to commute. Unless you are a captain most small companies you commute on your own dime and most do not have any travel benefits, means you are paying full fare tickets. Commuting in Canada is not the norm while south of 49 the majority of pilots commute. The americans are geared up for it and captains will even bump a passenger to get a commuter pilot on. Not so in Canada. Jump seating is a pain in the ass and very restrictive and most companies wish it would go away. If you are starting out in this profession and expect to be at home (if not a home base) I suggest you thing about changing professions. I also think the hiring frenzy is slowing and depending on cut backs, route changes and feeder fleet reductions we could possibly be on the down side of the crest. As we are seeing WS went completely "silly bugger" with fleet expansion, it will be interesting to see how the industry reacts to the latest developments.

that worries me, if I go with Jazz or Porter how easy is it to get Halifax as my base?

Jazz you have to give yourself a 2 flight buffer to get to work.

That being said, if there's a known weather event moving in, or a high travel period, it's up to the commuter to figure out when to arrive at their base. The two flight rule often gets misunderstood under these conditions. In my 12 years here at Jazz, i've known many commuters who've had to come the day before (maybe even on the first flight in the morning), just to be made available for their pairing. It's a crap shoot, but many pilots commute. Have your options available (AC, Jazz, WJ, Porter), either direct or through YUL or YOW. Good luck.

If you go the day before, where do you sleep/rest/wait?

[goleafsgo]

that worries me, if I go with Jazz or Porter how easy is it to get Halifax as my base?

Jazz only has a flight attendant base left in YHZ. The pilot base closed a few years ago.

If you go the day before, where do you sleep/rest/wait?

You'd have to get a crash pad or pay for a hotel. YUL has some good deals for crew, YYZ not so much

[Inverted2]

I’d avoid commuting if at all possible. If you add it up over a year you will lose dozens of nights at home just getting to/from work not to mention thousands of dollars spent on flights and accommodations. (Plus the stress) It’s getting really tough to find a hotel in the YYZ area for under $100 a night unless you have access to a car and can drive away from the airport. Crash pads can be a cheaper alternative but you may find yourself sharing a bedroom with other commuters which isn’t ideal.

[genetic jack hammer]

When the YYZ RJ based closed, last year, a few pilots followed the aircraft and decided to commute from YYZ to YVR. I still keep in touch with a few of the Captains, one of them absolutely hates the commute, sometimes going two days before because the flights are hammered. If you know what the going rates at the YVR hotels are, you could be paying double, maybe triple for one night. He hates the commute, but it's a choice he made. So, yeah, i wouldn't rely too much on that two flight buffer. Avoid if you can, your wallet and your family will thank you. Even a short commute like YUL-YYZ can get very stressful if one flight prior gets cancelled, or, and this happens A LOT, business travellers show up and standby for an earlier flight. All of a sudden, the flight that looked open, a few hours earlier, all of a sudden is oversold.

[Lightchop]

Funny though, I commuted from Vancouver to Montreal when I was an FO and currently do the same (coming up on a year) and I never really have issues with loads. I have to go the day before because of the time change and typically early starts but between AC, WJ and AT I can't remember the last time I didn't get on my original planned flight or my first back up which usually left around the same time.

[genetic jack hammer]

Funny though, I commuted from Vancouver to Montreal when I was an FO and currently do the same (coming up on a year) and I never really have issues with loads. I have to go the day before because of the time change and typically early starts but between AC, WJ and AT I can't remember the last time I didn't get on my original planned flight or my first back up which usually left around the same time.

Glad it works out for you. But for some, it's the time spent commuting and the costs (airfare and hotels) that can add up.

[chipmunk]

that worries me, if I go with Jazz or Porter how easy is it to get Halifax as my base?

Over the last couple of years Porter has hired FOs directly to the YHZ base. They just finished another round of interviews in YHZ a month or so ago. However, it's cyclical with industry health/movement.

[av8ts]

Then if you're at AC, you have priority on seats in the back over Jazz.

Not always true

[HiFlyChick]

The discussion about commuting looks moot, though - if you are not presently a commercial pilot, the key point is what some other poster already said, which is most entry level positions don't have that option and there just aren't that many jobs based from Halifax (although there are sometimes openings for flight instructors).