AINsight: When Home Isn’t Where the Hangar Is

Airline pilots have commuted for decades, but the practice hasn’t been as common in Part 91 flight departments. Many high-net-worth and corporate operators require their crewmembers to live within one to two hours of the hangar. Being ready to go the moment the principal calls creates efficiencies and supports a cohesive team with a shared workload.

But rising living costs and recent base consolidations have prompted some hiring managers to rethink their long-standing policies. Several business aviation leaders now allow select crewmembers to live an airline flight away from base and/or travel commercially to meet the aircraft wherever it operates. And, as we know, many schedulers already work remotely full time.

When managed well, this model can work for both the team and the operation. Still, commuting isn’t right for every department.

To understand the tradeoffs, I spoke with several Part 91 leaders. One adopted a hybrid approach after a base closure. Others embrace it to keep trusted people through life changes. Another’s fleet moves so often that a fixed base offers little value.

What I heard was consistent: distance can test an operation, yet it can also strengthen it. Retaining talent, they told me, often matters more than geographic convenience.

One West Coast-based leader shared his bicoastal hybrid structure following a base consolidation: “We had an incredible team on the East Coast that we didn’t want to lose. So I put together a proposal to keep them,” he said. “It wasn’t strategic—it was survival.”

Several of his pilots, along with a maintenance technician and a senior flight attendant, now commute by airline to meet the aircraft wherever it’s operating.

“You can’t run pop-up flights with commuters,” he added. “But if you plan properly, you can make [commuting] work beautifully.”

The Rise of the Nomadic Fleet

In business aviation, we’ve long defined “home base” as the center of gravity. But what happens when your principal has several? One leader described managing a fleet that rarely stays put.

“We don’t base anywhere,” he said. “This week the airplanes are on the West Coast. Next week they’ll be on the East Coast. We’re never in one spot for long.”

His team supports an ultra-mobile operation whose life rotates among major U.S. cities. The department employs more pilots per plane than average, but it’s the only way to maintain 24/7 coverage across time zones.

Pilots are spread across multiple regions with maintenance personnel split between coasts. When the aircraft needs to move, crews fly the airlines to meet it.

“We’re a little like a fractional operator,” the leader said. “We keep pilots out nine to eleven days, then send them home on day twelve. It’s a rhythm that works for us.”

But it’s not for everyone. This model depends on predictability, redundancy, and a principal who understands that flexibility and convenience come at a cost. “If your owner expects to be airborne three hours from now,” he said, “this won’t work.”

The Four-hour Rule

Across every conversation, one reality stood out: commuting can work—but distance matters.

Across departments large and small, the practical limit seems to be about four hours by air. Beyond that, reliability drops, fatigue rises, and flexibility fades. Within that distance, leaders said, the model still works if they plan their flying well in advance.

“If there’s one piece of advice I’d give an owner,” one leader told me, “it’s that your commuters need to live one flight away from base. That’s it—one flight.”

That one flight typically allows the crewmember to be close enough to reach the airplane without an overnight, yet far enough to keep his or her family rooted where they want to live. Once the commute stretches beyond that range or requires multiple airline legs, the risk of delay, fatigue, and missed trips grows exponentially.

“Atlanta works. Dallas works. Smaller markets do not,” another leader said. “You might make it most days, but the day you don’t—that’s the one your principal remembers.”

Managing Fairness and Fatigue

For departments with both local and commuter pilots, fairness can become a flashpoint—especially when short-notice trips fall on the same few people.

One leader said he’s seen this dynamic before: “You’ll hear, ‘Why does that guy get to live in Florida and never take a pop-up trip?’ That can erode trust if you’re not careful.”

Based on my interviews, departments that succeed are able to balance transparency and scheduling discipline. Commuters are assigned rotations that match their travel realities, and home-based pilots aren’t asked to pick up the slack. The key, they all said, is communication—and a shared understanding that everyone contributes in different ways.

Fatigue management is another factor. Long airline commutes also require rethinking crew rest time. “Even with a direct flight,” one director said, “I bring people out two days ahead of departure. It’s not just about fatigue—it’s about a lack of trust in the airline system.”

Unpredictable weather, staffing shortages, and system delays mean the same commercial travel that enables pilot commuting can also be its biggest vulnerability.

Counting the Cost

Surprisingly, no one I spoke with saw cost as a deal-breaker. In fact, several even said employing commuters can be more cost-effective than relocation.

“If you’re paying Bay Area salaries, you can offset a lot of airline tickets by hiring someone who lives in the Midwest,” one flight department head said. “Don’t let cost be the excuse.”

Others noted that relocation expenses, retention bonuses, and family disruption often outweigh the recurring cost of travel stipends.

One chief pilot receives a fixed stipend that’s reviewed periodically based on actual airline rates. Another department covers mileage and tolls for pilots who drive from neighboring states. One flight attendant who moved away negotiated a higher salary in exchange for covering her own commute.

In the end, they all agreed: flexibility is key.

Culture Beyond Geography

How do commuter-heavy teams maintain their workplace culture without shared hangar time? It turns out, culture doesn’t always rely on proximity—it relies on intention.

Of course, some organizations still find value in having their leadership team together. The ability to collaborate in person, make real-time decisions, and align on priorities can be invaluable, especially for teams navigating growth or change.

One leader holds team video calls three times a week. Another hosts dinner gatherings whenever multiple crewmembers happen to be in the same city. “If I know a pilot and a flight attendant are on standby at the same hotel,” he said, “I invite them to dinner with the schedulers. It’s about keeping people connected in small ways.”

When I asked a Bay Area leader if his pilots ever hung out after work, he laughed. “No one hangs out after work,” he said. “Everyone’s just trying to beat the traffic.”

What keeps his team close, he added, are the shared experiences on the road—long flights, overnights, and the deep trust that comes from traveling together.

The Human Equation

Commuting is not just a logistical issue, it’s an emotional one. For pilots and technicians with families, roots, or personal obligations, being allowed to live where life happens can make all the difference.

One chief pilot put it simply: “Finding the right people is hard enough, but keeping the ones you already have is far more important.”

That sentiment echoes across the industry. For organizations able to accommodate commuters—especially those without pop-up schedules—the model can be a win-win. But for smaller teams or operations with unscheduled flying, it’s often unworkable.

As I heard about various approaches, what struck me most was the pragmatism. None romanticized remote work. They simply found ways to make it work—for the mission, their people, and their principals. In an industry built on precision, they’re proving that flexibility can be just as powerful a skill.

It’s Not about Miles, It’s about Mindset

The idea of a commuting pilot may once have seemed impossible. Today, it reflects how adaptable business aviation has become.

Commuting more than four hours by air isn’t ideal—it demands trust, structure, and foresight. But when managed well, it can sustain a team through leadership changes, base relocations, and life transitions that might otherwise cost an organization its best talent.

The message I took away from my research is that it’s not about where your people live—it’s about how you lead them.

“Remote flying can absolutely work,” one told me. “It doesn’t have to cost more, and you don’t have to sacrifice culture. If you trust your people and plan smartly, it’s a win for everyone.”

In the end, commuting is less about distance and more about mindset. It’s a reminder that, in business aviation, leadership—not location—is what truly keeps teams aloft.

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily endorsed by AIN Media Group.