Hello and good evening to all!

I have a quick question for those of you that are more knowledgeable about flights in and out of MEM than myself at this point.

I have offers as a flight attendant from Skywest, Mesa, and Republic......which one would give the best opportunity to get in and out of MEM to my domicile? I understand I may have to make more than one flight to get to my domicile, as it's not awarded until after training. Just trying to figure out which of the 3 has the most service in MEM, regardless of destination.

I have to decide within a week so any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Republic's NYC and ORD domiciles would be relatively easy to get to, with all three majors flying to NYC (if you include EWR), and UA and AA going to ORD, plus WN to MDW.

In the case of Chicago, Skywest would be decent as well, DTW and MSP would probably be doable. Skywest's Western bases would maybe pose a bit more of a challenge.

Mesa would likely be the most challenging, simply due to fewer overall options.

If it were me, it'd be between Republic and Skywest. Leaning toward Republic but in the interest of full disclosure, I am biased because I previously worked for Republic. Anyway, I'm not sure how much help this will be, but good luck!

Thank you so much! Looking over timetables and such the last couple of days, I have pretty much narrowed it down to those two. Now to figure out which of the two are more stable......I'm leaning Skywest just bc of their structure, background, and forecast. But we all know how quickly a company can turn, especially in the airline industry. I really am intrigued by Republic as well.....just hope I make the right decision by next week, as this is my future!

Stick to the east coast, and understand that the routes that are flown constantly change hands. Any of the former Northwest/Delta hubs (ATL, DTW, MSP, JFK/LGA) may be tough commute because there may be a number of crew members doing it. As flight attendant, you can't sit in the cockpit jumpseat so that reduces your chances of getting to work.

After 8+ years of commuting, if it were me, I'd move to a base I can afford to live in, and get back to MEM on my days off when possible. Commuting to work is not fun.

pilotpip wrote:

Stick to the east coast, and understand that the routes that are flown constantly change hands. Any of the former Northwest/Delta hubs (ATL, DTW, MSP, JFK/LGA) may be tough commute because there may be a number of crew members doing it. As flight attendant, you can't sit in the cockpit jumpseat so that reduces your chances of getting to work.

After 8+ years of commuting, if it were me, I'd move to a base I can afford to live in, and get back to MEM on my days off when possible. Commuting to work is not fun.

Not to mention there is a large number of Endeavor crew in MEM, being it used to be the HQ, that will have priority on DL out of MEM.

I appreciate the replies and opinions.....I understand commuting is hard, I also understand it's hard to just up and move to a new city, usually a larger city with higher cost of living, ESPECIALLY on a flight attendants pay starting out. But I've always been one to folllow my dreams and goals, and this is my career goal. Republic seems to be the best bet, but I love Skywest's structure, background, and the amount of planes and routes they have ..... one of those hard life decisions!

Opinion follows:

My advice is not to get too focused on a particular location. If you really want to get into aviation, being willing and able to move is a big plus. Get your foot in the door, then once you're established after 5-10 years you can always make a move to the place you really want to live. Better to get a job you really want at a location that might not be your favourite, than stay where you want to live and have a job that isn't as rewarding.

Yes, moving can be annoying. I've lived in multiple places on three continents. But, and this is very cliché but true, it does broaden your horizons.

You wouldn't even be moving to another country, something that quite a few people do in order to make their aviation careers work.

You might want to head over to one of the more pilot focused forums and do a bit of reading. Lots of good info on places like APC and PPRUNE.

Memphistiger75 wrote:

Hello and good evening to all!

I have a quick question for those of you that are more knowledgeable about flights in and out of MEM than myself at this point.

I have offers as a flight attendant from Skywest, Mesa, and Republic......which one would give the best opportunity to get in and out of MEM to my domicile? I understand I may have to make more than one flight to get to my domicile, as it's not awarded until after training. Just trying to figure out which of the 3 has the most service in MEM, regardless of destination.

I have to decide within a week so any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

HEy just a heads up, Memphis is one of the most difficult commutes out there, no exaggeration. Every time I work a flight to memphis, we are full with every jumpseat filled.

Memphistiger75 wrote:

Thank you so much! Looking over timetables and such the last couple of days, I have pretty much narrowed it down to those two. Now to figure out which of the two are more stable......I'm leaning Skywest just bc of their structure, background, and forecast. But we all know how quickly a company can turn, especially in the airline industry. I really am intrigued by Republic as well.....just hope I make the right decision by next week, as this is my future!

Just my personal opinion, but the flying that Republic does is pretty interesting. Its not out of the question to get Key West, or Nassau out of the LGA and EWR bases, even DCA. All the east coast bases do Key West overnights, add in the MIA flying and Republic keeps it interesting.

I'd avoid Mesa, their flight attendants just voted to strike, and there are significant issues with the pilot group currently.

SkyWest isn't a bad choice either, and you'll definitely have the chance to see the country.

Memphistiger75 wrote:

I appreciate the replies and opinions.....I understand commuting is hard, I also understand it's hard to just up and move to a new city, usually a larger city with higher cost of living, ESPECIALLY on a flight attendants pay starting out. But I've always been one to folllow my dreams and goals, and this is my career goal. Republic seems to be the best bet, but I love Skywest's structure, background, and the amount of planes and routes they have ..... one of those hard life decisions!

By the time you have a crashpad/hotel room, eating out on the road more, transportation to/from the airport from said crashpad, etc commuting will often cost far more than most think. My commute to LGA cost me at least $500/month extra. Add to that the 2-3 days per month that you'll lose to commuting, especially when you're junior and on reserve, and you end up losing a lot to commute.

If you're single, and don't have any reason that you have to stay in MEM, believe me when I say you'll be happier if you move to where ever you are based, and commute from there.