we have to be based within 1:30 of the base, with 30 mins to get ready ie total from phone call to report max 2:00. No idea about other airlines.
At my airline it's 90 mins from phone call to crew room, no excuses.
For what it's worth, I also didn't have a massive choice - faced with temping and the hope of a summer flying contract, I managed to get my claws on a permanent Airbus job in central Europe, miles from home. It meant leaving the family and the girlfriend behind and yes, it gets a bit lonely sometimes but it was an absolute no-brainer and the experience so far has been absolutely great. Of course I'd like to be back oop north in England one day, preferably in the medium term, but in the current market if someone offers you reasonable money to fly I'd say grab it with both hands and don't let go. Regardless of location. You can deal with that later.