This Mom Flies to Work Every Day Because It’s Cheaper Than Renting

Racheal Kaur, a mother of two from Malaysia, is what some refer to as a “super-commuter.”

She works in Kuala Lumpur but lives nearly four hours’ drive away in Penang. So, every workday, Kaur wakes up around 4 a.m. to catch a commuter flight to work.

The working mom told Newsflash that flying each day allows her to keep a better work-life balance.

“I have two kids, both are growing up. My oldest is 12 years old and my daughter is 11 years old. With them growing up, I feel that they need their mother to be around more often,” she shared. “With this arrangement, I’m able to go home every day, I’m able to see my kids at night and help out with any last-minute homework.”

After her early wake-up time, Kaur catches her daily plane, which boards at 5:55 a.m. The flight to Kuala Lumpur takes 30-40 minutes. After then commuting from the airport, she’s in the office by 7:45 a.m.

Kaur actually works for AirAsia but told Newsflash she still has to pay for her daily plane tickets. However, she said the cost is less than it would be to rent an apartment in Kuala Lumpur. She can live in the cheaper city of Penang, without higher rents or an unmanageable road commute.

A ‘Super Commuter’ Will travel long distances to work daily, or split up their week between work and home

While it certainly takes a special combination of opportunity and personality type to be a super-commuter, Kaur is far from alone in making a lengthy journey to work.

Many major cities in the U.S. have super-commuters as part of their workforce. A 2012 study by NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management indicated nearly 60,000 such workers in Manhattan alone.

The COVID-19 pandemic also changed work-life balance for many. In August 2024, Fast Company spotlighted Julia Gourley Donohue, a woman who became a super-commuter post-pandemic, driving five hours from her home in Michigan to work in Columbus, Ohio.

Donohue planned her career change thoughtfully and does keep an apartment in Columbus to make her commute work.

“Typically I drive in on a Wednesday. I leave Michigan by 5:30 in the morning and I get to work around 10:30,” she wrote in the profile. “I work Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then I drive home to Michigan after work on Friday. Sometimes it’s Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Usually, I’m in Ohio two or three nights a week, and then I work from home in Michigan two days a week.”

While the drive can be grueling, Donohue noted that the super commuter lifestyle has helped her find a peaceful balance.

“I go to Columbus, and I put on my work hat, and I am the work person for the days I’m there… I really block up my days pretty full with networking,” she noted. “When I come to Michigan, I’m still working from home—but when I go to the grocery store, I’m just a gal, just another person.”