I'm basing this response on how it is done at American where I work. I would guess that the rules and procedures are pretty much the same for DL or any other major airline.
1. You would need to think about how you are going to handle your probationary period--which would be 6 months to a year depending on the job. Generally, travel benefits are not available until you complete probation. Buying a round-trip ticket every day can get expensive. For that matter, if you got a crash pad in Atlanta and just flew home on weekends, it could still get expensive. Most airports with only regional jet service (rj) don't have to reduce their fares that much because the demand for service more than likely outweighs the availability of seats.
2. Which brings up the issue of employee non-revenue flying is, as we say in the airline business, NRSA--Non-Revenue Space Available with the emphasis on Space Available. Any revenue passenger goes ahead of you in getting a seat on the airplane whether their ticket was purchased 6 weeks or 6 minutes ago. For that matter certain categories of non-rev travel would go ahead of you--don't ask. It's complicated.
Most major airlines take the position that if your job assignment is in Boise, Idaho, it is your decision to live elsewhere. Therefore it is your responsibility, not theirs, to get yourself to work each and every day you are scheduled to work. "The flight got oversold at the last minute" gets no sympathy from your supervisor or whoever is responsible for keeping track of attendance.
I live in Dallas and I commuted to St. Louis for 6 years (My other options were commuting to New York City or Washington, D.C. No thank you.). Though I never had a missed day due to commuting, there were many times when it was only at the last minute that I got a seat on the plane. It was nerve-wracking, and I jumped at the first opportunity to transfer back to DFW.
Do you really want to put yourself through that kind of experience?
