Josh Nichols commutes from Michigan to Chicago weekly for his job as an analyst at United Airlines. Nichols takes advantage of United's flight benefits, allowing him backup travel for his commutes. Super-commuting enhances Nichols' work-life balance, enabling him to live in Michigan.
This “As Told” article is based on a conversation with Josh Nichols, a 25-year-old from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who regularly commutes to Chicago for his job as a senior analyst at United Airlines. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
I live in Michigan and my office is in Chicago. I work on customer strategy and innovation as a senior analyst for United Airlines, and our department is mixed. Most often, we are in our offices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Thursdays, each week. It's really nice to have that much flexibility.
When I first started I lived in Chicago for two years. But I hate Chicago with a passion. There was a lot of traffic, it was expensive, and it was noisy.
I've heard that many colleagues have been doing super trips. Just thinking about the kind of life I had back home in Michigan versus the kind of life I had in Chicago, the decision was pretty clear.
After speaking with my management and coming to a mutual understanding that they would give me the green light to leave town but I would still need to come into the office, it was a no brainer.
I'm very grateful that our team is flexible in this regard. My leadership team is very understanding and very helpful. But I also think it might be different if I wasn't as diligent or if they had to follow what I'm doing so closely.
Flights from Detroit to Chicago
I usually take a flight at 6am from Detroit and it also lands at Chicago O'Hare around 6am because of the time difference. After boarding, I usually go to sleep and wake up in Chicago.
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I have a United Club card, so when I arrive, I'll go there and have breakfast, then take the subway downtown to our office in Willis Tower.
I'll work in the office all day Tuesday, spend the night in Chicago, and work all day in the office on Wednesday. Then I usually take a 7pm flight from Chicago to Michigan. Sometimes I stay another day and catch the same Thursday evening flight.
As for where I stay, it's a good balance between friends and just getting hotel rooms. I have some very generous friends and I'm so grateful that they let me be their local potato. I often buy them dinner or we hang out together. If I stay in a hotel, I usually get one from the airport because it's cheaper and then hop back and forth on the train.
I use my flight privileges as a United employee
Since I choose to live outside of Chicago, I cannot use our company's flights for transportation, and the company does not pay for my hotel stay or transportation to and from the airport.
Instead, I fly standby with our flight privileges, where employees can fly for free if there's a seat available and you're old enough to get it. On a Monday night, I have a general idea of ​​how the flights will look the next morning.
If it doesn't look great, I might decide to take the train or drive four hours, probably leaving on Monday evening. Fortunately, my record for getting a Tuesday morning flight is pretty good.
When I arrive in the morning, I have to wait to see if I will be allowed a seat or not. If I don't make the 6am flight, there is a 7:30am flight as well.
I can also purchase a ticket as a regular passenger. I try to avoid buying tickets as much as possible, but I definitely bought a ticket to get to the office, especially on holidays. This is exactly what I need to do to be accountable and hold up my side of the bargain.
I don't think I would be willing to do this commute if I had to finance my own flights, drives, or train rides every week.
Better work-life balance
I've been doing this for about two years. Sometimes it is a challenge because it is not guaranteed that I will be able to catch my flight or that I will be able to catch the return flight. But I'd rather deal with those little challenges than live in Chicago.
Living in Michigan, where I'm originally from, is worth it.
I get to see my parents and grandparents on a regular basis. I am able to see a lot of my friends. It has really helped me maintain a healthy social life.
Superworking allows me to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I still maintain very strong relationships at work. I maintain the quality of the work I do and don't miss my days in the office.
For others interested in ultra-mobility, I think it's really important to evaluate what you want out of your life and see if you're willing to make certain sacrifices for the kind of life that makes you happiest.
I think the most important thing is that you can't be complacent. You can't use virtual work as an opportunity to be mediocre. And if you know yourself, if you're someone who doesn't like to work hard when you're not being managed, it's probably best not to do it.
