It may sound strange that some flight attendants and, indeed, pilots may commute long distances to work. You would think it is inconvenient, time-consuming, and who wants to spend their hard-earned time off on an aircraft once again? However, many crew do, particularly in the US, but why do some flight attendants commute and sometimes even cross oceans to get to work?

Some airlines do not allow commuting, as it poses a significant risk to their schedules if employees miss flights or seats are unavailable. Many airlines outside the US say that crew members must live within 90 minutes of the airport, which often means moving to a new and expensive area. Airline policies on commuting differ, so let’s look at the possibilities for commuting crew and how it all works.

Family Situations & Cost Of Living

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Most flight attendants are assigned a base, which may not necessarily be where they actually live. Commuting enables them to choose where they live instead of being forced to move to a major hub. Many large bases, like San Francisco, New York, and London, have extremely high housing costs, so living in another smaller town can reduce costs as well as allow for a good quality of life where they have already settled.

Some flight attendants may have family or relationships and do not want to uproot the whole household. Partners may work locally, or they may have children in local schools. Therefore, moving to a new base is not really an option, and a stable family life is very important. For those who are single, moving cities can be a new adventure, and they may choose to house share with other crew at their base.

Junior flight attendants are often assigned bases far away from where they may be from. As such, they often decide to commute rather than move to a new area. This can be challenging, especially as many juniors start on reserve or standby for the first few years until they can gain seniority and eventually choose a new base. Some may temporarily move to their airport base until seniority allows them to move somewhere closer to family ties.

The Advantages Of Commuting & Examples

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As flight attendants often have busy schedules at work and limited time off to recover, they put quality of life at the top of the list, preferring to live well away from the hustle and bustle of the airport. It can be tiring to commute after a long-haul flight, but often flight attendants will do so to have a better work-life balance. The work of a flight attendant has its challenges, but having a home base is very grounding.

One long-haul flight attendant reported to the Los Angeles Times that he was based in Medellín, Colombia, but commuted to his base in Miami. He found that he could stretch his meager salary and ‘live like a king’ in Colombia, due to the exchange rate. He commuted for two years, taking a three-hour flight before and after long-haul trips and using a crash pad, before having three days off. One of his colleagues even commuted from Miami to Bangkok in Thailand.

International commuting at the US major carriers is not unusual for pilots and flight attendants. Some live in Europe, Asia, and Australia but have a US base. Of course, this is much easier with seniority and more control over your schedule.

Routes like London to New York are also popular, as they are relatively short flights and there are numerous flights leaving daily. Singapore and Sydney are possible with a West Coast base. Commuting from cities like London, Nice, or Frankfurt to New York or Miami is widely considered by crew to be easier than domestic US commutes, according to Medium.

The Longest Commute?

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A junior Delta Air Lines flight attendant called Princilla, commutes 5,100 miles from Accra, Ghana to New York, according to her social media. She typically flies to New York two days before she is scheduled to work. She was previously based in Seattle, but moved back to Ghana and relocated to New York to be closer to her family while still keeping her job. As a junior, she has to be on reserve or standby duty at her base.

The Delta Air Lines commuting policy requires that employees leave two flights flexible for staff travel, hence needing to travel two days in advance. The cost of living in Ghana is likely to be much less than in the US, which is a benefit, but is it worth it for such a long commute? She originally planned to commute home four times a month but is now only commuting twice per month.

Princilla estimates that she spends between $1,100 and $1,200 per month on flights, including taxes and government fees. She uses a crash pad around six days per month, which costs $375 a month, and spends $250 on transport to and from the airport. As a low-seniority flight attendant, this would be a large proportion of her salary if she makes $40,000 to $50,000 annually.

The Disadvantages Of Commuting

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Although commuting saves money to some extent and avoids the high cost of living around airports, it also adds up over time. Crew often have to stay in crash pads or in hotels for the nights before their flights and pay for transportation to the airport. Taxes and fees are applicable to flight tickets, although they may be considered free or discounted. One Mile at a Time suggests that annual commuting costs can be in the region of $15,000 a year.

Commuting is done by way of staff travel offered by the airline and its partners at a reduced rate. The crew member can only travel if there is a spare seat on the aircraft, and seats are assigned by seniority. It is on your own time too on days off; it is not duty travel. It can be stressful and risky to commute, as there may not be seats available, and being late for a flight can result in disciplinary action or termination. The last resort is to pay for a full fare ticket, ensuring a seat is available.

Most crews allow two days to account for extra flights and ensure they are at work on time. If a crew member can list for a flight and see how many seats are available, it would make sense not to list for a busy flight. Often it is best to try the very first flight of the day, which is usually a bit quieter. Commuting straight away before and after a duty can be extremely tiring for those working long-haul flights, but most crew adapt to it and find what works for them.

The Airlines’ View

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Airlines don’t encourage commuting and would rather have you living close to the base, mostly for standby or reserve duties. They do not want to risk crew members being late for work and having to reschedule them, but delays also cost money. Most airlines have their own commuting policy, which sets out the rules. For example, if the commuting flight is delayed or canceled, even if it is a technical issue or weather, that is still classed as a ‘no-show’ and can cost you your job.

If you are late, you are likely to receive a warning and be placed on standby duty. Another reason that airlines don’t encourage commuting is due to issues with fatigue. They do not want crew arriving at work already fatigued for a long-haul flight, especially as the job is safety-sensitive. One US airline sacked 50 flight attendants for commuting because they were late for duty, according to Future Flight Attendant.

Some airlines have commuter policies, such as American Airlines. Flight attendants are designated as commuters by the airline’s intranet, and the crew member can list themselves from an airport served by the airline or its wholly-owned carriers. United Airlines allows flight attendants who commute to list for two flights before their duty, but they have to remain in contact with crew scheduling should any delay occur.

A Summary Of The Options

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In the US, many flight attendants start their careers ‘on reserve’ or on standby, so it is very difficult to commute as they must remain at the base for a set number of days (depending on the airline). Although not completely impossible, it is less stressful to temporarily set up a home close to the base until seniority is gained, and you can move to a more suitable base. Most flight attendants commute for a better work-life balance and to spend time on their off days with family at home.

Long-haul international crew are the most likely to commute. Regional or short-haul crew are less likely to commute due to restricted schedules; therefore, they are more likely to house share temporarily at the base. Some flight attendants will pick longer trips away so that they get more days off and can spend more time at home.

Commuting by air for work as a flight attendant is not easy, and it has to be carefully planned, or you could end up losing your job if you are late for your duty. As seniority grows, it gets easier, and standby travel is more accessible, as well as having more control over your schedule. The main advantage for pilots and flight attendants is choosing where you want to live and commuting for free or at a discounted cost.