Just out of curiousity,is there any airline in India that offers commuting as an option? By that I mean commuting within the country. Here in the US you can jumpseat your way to work and back ,if you choose to. This practice has been ongoing for years and only now has drawn some unnecessary attention after the Buffalo crash.
For instance, one could live in a smaller city (other than the Big Four) where the quality of life is better in terms of crowding,access to western food, posh locations and traffic.One could jump seat to Mumbai or wherever,fly the sectors and jumpseat home again.Of course,if the sectors are closely grouped (i.e. several days together) then the airline might have to provide you with hotel accomodation etc.just like they would on a layover. Is that an option you can try and work into your contracts or is it just not done?
Smaller metros with better QOL would be Bangalore, Hyderabad,Pune,Lucknow,Cochin,Vizag ,Chandigarh,etc..
The flip side is , this is India we are talking about. Can't really get away from the crowds and squalor. However, these cities certainly offfer exclusive communities as close to the western lifestyle and conditions as possible.And, instead of being driven to the airport in a car, you get flown there!!
Alt3.