Dtw to Ord commute for ual or aa

[i fly boxes]

Not sure where to post this but Being lucky enough to Have never commuted in my life, i am trying to figure out where I want to work in the future and if I will move or not. I know there are a lot of flights from dtw to Ord and I could also maybe use fnt or make the 5 hour drive if I was desperate, but does anyone do this commute and is it easy or hard.

 

[Captain Fulough]

Look at Midway. Less delays, easier in and out. Commuted this route for years. Pretty easy commute.

 

[SWA/FO]

easy...... fly SWA, Delta, AA, UAL, or Spirit

 

[Whine Lover]

Commutting sucks. Period.

I did MDW-DTW-MDW, twice a week, for about a year back in 1991.

I generally used MDW due to less traffic, smaller airport etc.

In theory it was "the easiest commute in the world"...

Between NWA, SWA, and Midway Airlines, there were flights leaving every 15-20 minutes ALL DAY LONG.

No need to look at schedules, just walk into the airport and go to the nearest podium with a DTW flight. Oversold, JS already taken? No problem. Walk a 50 feet to the next airlines gate and get on their airplane.

If all was really messed up, I would go to the other concourse ( this was the old MDW so that was about a one minute walk ) and get on an SWA fllight. Just that simple.

In execution however, it was still a pain in the arse, and I finally just started driving back and forth as it took about equal time door-to-door, I didn't have to dress in uniform, deal with security, and co-ordinate rides/transportation on both ends from/to the airport, crashpad and home.
It cost me gas money ( wrote it all off ) but was ten times less stressful than dealing with it all. ( and there was no TSA B.S. back then either )

Just jump in the car wearing shorts and a T-Shirt with a few sandwiches and my tunes and, "bingo"....at home or the crashpad about 4 hours later. Amost exactly as long as jumpseating took, many times... less.

Now, all that said...Commuting Sucks.

I never did it again, and never will.

If moving is an option ( young, single, no real ties to where you are. )

MOVE.

Nothing beats living in base and popping in and out of work at your convenience. Not to mention not losing days off due to commuting, crashpad expenses etc., etc., etc.

JMHO.

Good Luck


YKW

 

[i fly boxes]

Thanks for the info. I've got a lot of family where I am it's going to be hard to move. If only they built a road over that lake it would be much quicker I also have thought about moving to west Michigan to be half way from both, and it's a n

 

[Saluki Dawg]

Why not just apply to Delta when they start hiring again and skip the commute altogether.

 

[Whine Lover]

Good answer Saluki.

Stay near your family. Cost of living in MI is much lower than "Chitcago", AND Delta is a FAR superior airline to those shells of their former selves....

 

[i fly boxes]

Oh Trust me guys, Delta is my number one choice. But you have to think of the alternatives. And also, how long to you hold out for delta? Do you do it to try to stay in base, or do you take the first legacy that calls you and don't look back?

 

[nonstop]

Oh Trust me guys, Delta is my number one choice. But you have to think of the alternatives. And also, how long to you hold out for delta? Do you do it to try to stay in base, or do you take the first legacy that calls you and don't look back?

I would absolutely apply to all majors and take the first offer you get. First, second and third year pay at Delta now is $66, $94 and $113 on the lowest paying airplane, assuming they were hiring in 2013 and you got hired. So I wouldn't hold off for them but if you get hired somewhere else then subsequently got hired at Delta, starting over at first year pay there wouldn't be horrible.

Also movement will be quick when things start moving and anyone hired in the next decade should be a captain in short order. So even if you're not lucky enough to get hired right away, if DTW is your goal I'd keep on trying.