If you live at your base, you will not have gateway privileges ever!! That is the way the contract is written. We will see what happens next year with the new language. I have changed bases 5 times in less than 3 years, so don't expect things to stay stable.
That is not quite correct. There are conditions that you can, such as:
A Crewmember who currently lives within one hundred and thirty (130) miles of
his base will not be eligible for Gateway Travel if he bids to another base unless:
i. His bid is to upgrade in position and he cannot hold the same upgrade
position at his current base on any aircraft type; or
ii. He is involuntarily displaced from his current base and he elects, seniority
permitting, to bid the same aircraft type at his new base. If the aircraft
type has been eliminated this restriction will not apply
In the end, living at your base is best for time off. All gateway travel is like you commuting except on the compay's dime with a ticket and hotel. Your still spending your time off doing traveling to the initial operating flight. The idea is to bid trips that don't start at your base (not many do) and required travel per the pattern from your base to the initial operating leg. That way you can usually travel on the same day as your awarded pattern instead of on your own day off to start the trip. Works out many times and then sometimes not as far as traveling on your days off.