Cost of commuting

[Foo Fighter]

Hey guys,

For the commuters at WJ and Encore, do you folks pay for the flights or is travel free? I though I heard that as long as you were in uniform, there was no cost for the commuter flights.

Is this still the case?

Thanks

FF

[indieadventurer]

That's correct. Travel both ways between your domicile and base is free. I think the way it's worded is that we are traveling for work as opposed to traveling to work and the AIF and fees are waived. You have to be fit for duty, in uniform and ready to work if crew sched needs you too.

[JBI]

I imagine that this covers a very small percentage of people, but it should be noted that the free commuting is only from WestJet destinations in Canada. I'm not suggesting that it should be different, but just something to keep in mind.

[180]

The costs of commuting extend beyond the airfare, and even further beyond the "financial". You'll need a crash pad, or plan on paying for hotel rooms. Most commuters have lounge cards, but not all airports have lounges. Rental cars are sometimes involved depending on your situation. But the real hidden cost is the extra time spent away from family. When you have a 6am head start out of YYZ, you're probably flying out of your Western domicile at noon-thirty the day before on your day off. Or if you land in YYZ after 10pm, you aren't back home in your Western domicile until halfway through the following day. Of course everybody's situations and commutes are different, but that extra time away from the family has to be taken into consideration as a "cost" that is hard to put a price on and easy to overlook when you haven't commuted before.

Now if you commute from YOW to YYZ, or YYJ to YVR, things are obviously much easier, but if you're doing a long one, you have to plan very carefully.