I'm a supercommuter and it takes me 14 hours to get to and from work. I do it because I'm passionate about the job, but it's stressful when things go awry.

Mon, 11/20/2023 - 06:04

Left: a man on a plane taking a selfie. Right: A view out of a airplane window with a wing in view. — Malick Mercier, left, commutes across the country for work.
Courtesy of Malick Mercier

Flight attendant Malick Mercier lives in Los Angeles but works out of New York City.
He said he gets assigned to more interesting trips from New York City and the planes are nicer.
One of the hardest parts of supercommuting is making sure he gets to work on time, Mercier said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Malick Mercier, 24, about his commute to and from work as a flight attendant for a major airline based in the northeast. He chronicles the commute on TikTok. The following has been edited for length and clarity.