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Qs. for a jetBlue dude?

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Stugatz78

Stugatz78

Well-known member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Posts
77
I have a class date on Oct. 10 and I live on the west coast. I am wondering if anyone commutes from LA and what the best method is? This is my first 121 job and am new to the whole commute thing. How many days off between trips etc??? I appreciate any help. Does anyone out there actually do this?
 
Where in LA are you? To commute to jfk from long beach is actually fairly easy. I am from northern ca and when I go home to see family, I always go through LGB and have never had an issue. There are a few times a year it can get tight but for the most part its very easy. You also have BUR, ONT on us or go to LAX and then you have united and american, they are both very good to us. I guess it just depends on where in the LA area you live. As for anyone actually doing it, yes...there are quite a few.
 
I commute from SFO-JFK but LAX-JFK actually has more flights. LGB/ONT/BUR all have flights to JFK, LGB has the most. As a RSV guy you'll probably do 6 on 4 off to minimize your commute. We're testing long call/short call but there has to be enough RSV coverage. Hopefully you'll be on the bus so you can transfer to LGB within 18-24 months. Big rumor is 190 west coast.
 
Right on! thanks for the info. I live near LAX, but LGB and BUR are both pretty easy drives! I guess the best bet would be LGB to JFK. Do you guys go to a crash pad out there or can you commute to be there in time for work??? that'd be a long day!!!
 
I have been with JB for 20 months now. I commuted out of LGB for 6 months before I got based at LGB.
Commuting was easy from LGB. I kept a crashpad until I had enough seniority to hold commutable trips.

I drive down from Valencia, JB pays for parking at LGB

Welcome to JB
 
Great! Thank you for sharing your insight. I think that I'll be doing the same then out of LGB! Sounds like the best plan!
 
Chronic Jetlag said:
I commute from SFO-JFK but LAX-JFK actually has more flights. LGB/ONT/BUR all have flights to JFK, LGB has the most. As a RSV guy you'll probably do 6 on 4 off to minimize your commute. We're testing long call/short call but there has to be enough RSV coverage. Hopefully you'll be on the bus so you can transfer to LGB within 18-24 months. Big rumor is 190 west coast.
Click to expand...

Be careful about using BUR. The flights are always weight restricted to some degree due to short runways/terrain. Most of the time standbys get on but it's just another issue that could effect your commute.
 
Wowjack said:
Anybody know where these 190's might be based on the west coast?
Click to expand...

If it happens (big if) it would most likely be the bay area. The plane will go out there, but I wouldn't count on a base for a while, but when and if it ever happens, the bay area in general and SFO in particular would be my guess. The FA's would instantly kill any deal to have a co-base (SFO-OAK-SJC) so that will probably reduce the chance of it happening even further. Still possible though I guess.
 
IronCityBlue said:
If it happens (big if) it would most likely be the bay area. The plane will go out there, but I wouldn't count on a base for a while, but when and if it ever happens, the bay area in general and SFO in particular would be my guess. The FA's would instantly kill any deal to have a co-base (SFO-OAK-SJC) so that will probably reduce the chance of it happening even further. Still possible though I guess.
Click to expand...

Why not a co-base?, we have one in FL for pilots only.
 
Wowjack said:
That's too bad. I was hoping for a another west coast base.
Click to expand...

That may not be as far off as I was implying, but I think a west coast base for the 190 is a ways off. I could see a 320 base out there within a year or so, with a slow growing presence of 190's to eventually make it a base there for it as well.

We only have around 30 E190's, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to split what little flying it has that many ways just yet, but it will some day.

As for why couldn't we have a pilot only co-base just because the FA's wouldn't go for it? Yes we do have a tiny PBI co-presence with the FLL pilot base and perhaps it does occasionally help cover a flight here and there. But having a full fledged co-base was integral in the model for FLL/PBI in the first place. Then the FA's revolted and basically refused to do it anymore, so the company caved.

Then the company was in a position to really have to screw a lot of employees by closing a base, only to probably re-open it eventually anyway as the flying grew. I think the same thing is going on in the bay area. If pilots and FA's would go for a co-base with 2 or 3 of the bay area airports it would make a base happen sooner. The company learned their lesson though, and they have to take that into consideration.

The bay area will almost definately be a base for us eventually, but whenever it opens it will be later than it otherwise would have because of the co-base issue. It will also eventually IMO be a 190 base, but not in the immediate future.

The company is very careful about opening a base. They have to be absolutely sure it will be a base for the duration (early 2008, after which time we start paying for airplanes and quickly vanish) :laugh:
 
What's the problem with mco being a base? Training center is there, bunch of pilots live there. Easy airport as far as employee parking, etc.
 
Do you really think so? I am going to the next FA class here in Orlando. I live here. I really want a crew base here BAD!!! Thanks for the info
 
Yes, it should happen next year. It has been widely talked about by both pilots and management.
 
Last edited:
duplicate post.
 
What kinda trips does one do on the 190 out of JFK? How long are the average legs? Once awarded a line is it hard to commute to on that aircraft? Gracias!
 
Stugatz,

The 190 does mostly high cycle, short haul flying. I'd say averaging 3, maybe 4 legs a day. There are a few 2 leg, 8 hour power turns but not many. Schedules are sort of AM or PM. Not very many productive trips that are commutable on both ends. Not sure what you mean about "is it hard to commute to on that aircraft" but the plane itself has 2 jumpseats, 1 front 1 back. Any city it flies to other than CLT is about as easy to commute to as any other city on that particular airplane. If you mean commutable schedules as a 190 pilot, again, 1 end of each trip is not too difficult to achieve. Both days takes a good bit of seniority.
 
IronCityBlue said:
Stugatz,

The 190 does mostly high cycle, short haul flying. I'd say averaging 3, maybe 4 legs a day. There are a few 2 leg, 8 hour power turns but not many. Schedules are sort of AM or PM. Not very many productive trips that are commutable on both ends. Not sure what you mean about "is it hard to commute to on that aircraft" but the plane itself has 2 jumpseats, 1 front 1 back. Any city it flies to other than CLT is about as easy to commute to as any other city on that particular airplane. If you mean commutable schedules as a 190 pilot, again, 1 end of each trip is not too difficult to achieve. Both days takes a good bit of seniority.
Click to expand...

I hear the 190 is a great airplane (nice flight deck, HUD, etc.) and fun to fly. That said, the 190 operation at JB is often referred to as "Jet Blue Express" - it is as close to a regional operation as you can get according to some JB guys I know. The 190 doesn't fly any transcon flights and it is well suited for shorter, thinner routes or high frequency routes (JFK-CLT, JFK-RIC, JFK-BOS, etc.). True you do get some longer flights to Austin and Houston Hobby out of JFK I believe but most flights will be shorter.

So, Stugatz, if you do get assigned the 190 at least you will get the "regional" type of experience you were missing...
 
I just flew a 2-day with our former VP of Ops.

Here's what he had to say...


-MCO base

-Expansion to the Carribean

-Base somewhere in the midwest as a midpoint for the 190 going to the west coast. So longer legs and better schedules are on the way for the 190.

-all A320 options will be exercised. I believe it's 223 airplanes

-Marketing people have discussed International flying(Europe)

- any attempt to acquire JetBlue would be hostile and therefore very expensive and unlikely. DAL would never get a merger with us past Justice Department due to route overlay

-NO announcement in Oct.
 
StarChecker said:
I just flew a 2-day with our former VP of Ops.

-NO announcement in Oct.
Click to expand...


That figures. I've been at the U for the last 6 weeks and all kinds of folks are passing through here talking about that.

I suppose me passing my checkride (hopefully) and sitting reserve in October just isn't big news.

S.
 
On Your Six said:
I hear the 190 is a great airplane (nice flight deck, HUD, etc.) and fun to fly. That said, the 190 operation at JB is often referred to as "Jet Blue Express" - it is as close to a regional operation as you can get according to some JB guys I know. The 190 doesn't fly any transcon flights and it is well suited for shorter, thinner routes or high frequency routes (JFK-CLT, JFK-RIC, JFK-BOS, etc.). True you do get some longer flights to Austin and Houston Hobby out of JFK I believe but most flights will be shorter.

So, Stugatz, if you do get assigned the 190 at least you will get the "regional" type of experience you were missing...
Click to expand...

I'd concur with all that as well. The only thing I'd add is the 190 is "on the property" versus being outsourced at what would end up being 30-50% off, dragging the 320 and everything else at the company down with it. The pay has come up significantly in a short period of time and there is pressure to bring it up some more. We kind of need 1 or 2 other airlines to either bring it to the mainline and/or simply raise the pay. Not the mythical 18 year Captain pay either, but the pay rates where most pilots actually fly at, years 1 through 4 or 5. I have a sneaky feeling the 190 will be outsourced at a legacy near you by the end of the decade. Once one does it, they will all do it.

But that's just MHO and i really hope I'm wrong. As for everything else he said, again, right on. The 190 does "regional" type flying I guess you could say, but then again so do some of the most deseriable airline gigs, like SWA in general and the DAL Shuttle in particular. A friend of mine at UAL is on the 737 and his schedules are very similar to our 190.

The plane has some long legs actually. NY to SLC is I think its realistic limit even though it doesn't currently do that route. Stage lengths will increase and trip variety coupled with additional bases will help the QOL a good bit.

The flight deck is great as previously mentioned. The HUD combiner takes up a lot of head room, and overall its not nearly as generous as the bus for room, but the avionics are great. The plane had a lot of reliability issues, now it has a few reliability issues. Its making progress in that area rapidly as well.
 
THAT ALL SOUNDS GREAT!! HAPPY TO THE NEWS IS COMING!! I THINK THE CARIBBEAN MARKET IS A SMART MOVE ON JB'S PART!! NOW THAT AIRTRAN IS OUT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FLYING. SO WHEN DOES ONE HEAR BACK OFFICIALLY ON YOUR EXPECTED TRAINING DATE OF OCT 10TH. THE BACKGROUNDS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE SEPT 7TH. DOES ANYONE KNOW? DO THEY EMAIL YOU OR CALL YOU, OR MAIL YOU A PACKET FOR TRAINING WITH YOUR HOTEL?? PLZ GIVE ME INFO IF ANYONE HAS IT. THANKS SO MUCH
MCO
 
If you've been hired already then you will get all the info from the company that you need either by phone or email. Oh and if its not too much of a hassle, dropping the caps would be a nice touch, as well as the lavender text.:nuts:
 
no problem!! so it really takes that long for the background and job verifications? since my fingerprints and drug test were done on Sept 4
 
Thanks IronCityBlue. What I meant about the commuting was, I'm going to commute from the west coast and was wondering if I could commute in time to be at work on the first day and then possibly get back out on my last??
 

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