Any PWM commuters?

[linecheck]

Just wondering if anyone out there can comment on commuting from/to PWM: the good vs the bad. Any parking suggestions? Thx...

 

[Skimatic]

When I lived full time in Maine, the PWM commute was a pain with parking, flights, etc. I gave up.

I drove to PSM and got on the C & J bus to BOS. Free parking at the bus station. C & J does offer a commuter pass, check their website for details.

Many, many pilots and FA's did this commute. The C & J bus runs many trips per day.

My trips were of 6-8 days duration, so the bus arrangement worked out OK. Would be a pain for a daily commute depending how far you live from PSM. My ride was 1 + 15 each way to the north.

 

[linecheck]

Thanks for the info... pardon my ignorance, but what's PSM and the C & J? Is C & J Concord trailways? So parking was a pain? I gather there's no employee parking that a commuter could take advantage of is there? Where did you commute to? I'll be commuting to PHL eventually on Airways- soon to be AA.

Cheers-

 

[Flyby1206]

Thanks for the info... pardon my ignorance, but what's PSM and the C & J? Is C & J Concord trailways? So parking was a pain? I gather there's no employee parking that a commuter could take advantage of is there? Where did you commute to? I'll be commuting to PHL eventually on Airways- soon to be AA.

Cheers-

PSM=(Pease AFB) Portsmouth NH

http://www.ridecj.com/

I used to take this bus for many years, very reliable and highly recommend it.

19 daily flights BOS-PHL, much easier than half dozen RJs to PWM

 

[mainiac]

I commuted to Comair to both CVG and JFK out of PWM. For the last 7 years, been commuting to my Frac job, mostly out of PWM. (BOS gateway officially, but we horse-trade to get PWM)

They will give you Employee parking, right next to the terminal ($30/mo)

Flights are limited, depending on your base, you might only have 2-3/day, so at times I had to go thru JFK to get to CVG, back when I non-rev'd.

Since I live 2 hrs to the NW of PWM, I do everything possible to avoid the BOS drive, but C+J out of PSM, or Concord Trailways out of Portland work well when necessary.

 

[Skimatic]

Linecheck:

That $30.00/month PWM parking is very good. You should check on that.

I used to commute to PHL and I found many more flights out of BOS than PWM. Dont know about the schedule now. More importantly to me was getting home after my tour. PHL to BOS had many flights. So I endured that with the bus ride because there were more PHL-BOS flts to get home. In the winter PWM flights can be severely delayed or cancelled.

 

[linecheck]

Thanks everyone for the intel. Much appreciated!!

 

[linecheck]

BTW: how commutable are the schedules for Airways, say on the A320 or E190, in PHL? Do they start late enough to commute in the morning, and finish late enough to catch a flight home? Thanks for any intel....

LC-

 

[LearLove]

I don't do that commute but back when I was on the 190 after they closed the BOS base there were many PWM commuters. Few with plenty of them as they bid CA on the 190 in PHL. I'd second what the guys above say about going to PSM and taking the bus to BOS to get to PHL rather than flying out of PWM. Seemed (again like they said above) the bus option with BOS was better for getting home because of the way more flights between PHL-BOS. I'll also add that it was about 50% ratio for the ME/NH commuters that drove to BOS vs. doing the bus from PWM. Parking in BOS got harder after 2011 with the change in the crew paring lot - I remember many guys complaining about that.

Maybe also consider bidding DCA and driving to MHT to commute. I know several guys who do that. DCA is junior for FO's and the crashpads are walking distance from the airport. Crystal City is not bad if your stuck on reserve in a crashpad, I did it for 2.5 years.

 

[linecheck]

Thanks Lear! Great intel...