Junior Captain at JetBlue?

[captain caveman]

I was hired at Jet Blue just over 5 years ago. Then, a year later I went to Delta. It wasn't that I didn't like JetBlue, I did and usually had more fun at work, once I got there. But I found the commute from Atlanta tiring, and had gone through a divorce where I would get my kids 50% of the time. So I could rarely enjoy premium pay at JetBlue.

Now after 4 years at Delta, I'm a junior Md88 copilot and can enjoy a great schedule with weekends off on reserve, living in base. Or, I could probably fly an 80 hour line over weekends.

I'm just curious if by now I would have made captain on the 190 if I had stayed. I'm sure I would be holding a much better schedule as a 320 copilot at JetBlue than I can at Delta on the maddog.

 

[fifty30retard]

I was hired at Jet Blue just over 5 years ago. Then, a year later I went to Delta. It wasn't that I didn't like JetBlue, I did and usually had more fun at work, once I got there. But I found the commute from Atlanta tiring, and had gone through a divorce where I would get my kids 50% of the time. So I could rarely enjoy premium pay at JetBlue.

Now after 4 years at Delta, I'm a junior Md88 copilot and can enjoy a great schedule with weekends off on reserve, living in base. Or, I could probably fly an 80 hour line over weekends.

I'm just curious if by now I would have made captain on the 190 if I had stayed. I'm sure I would be holding a much better schedule as a 320 copilot at JetBlue than I can at Delta on the maddog.

You would need to be at jetBlue 7 1/2 years to be a line holding A320 CA, but you'd probably be a 190 line holder now with a better than average schedule, which isn't saying much, as those trips suck. You'd also have back pain and a need to pick up flica trips as much as possible, though there aren't many these days to pick up.

Your medical for your family would cost you $740/mo., you'd have no work rules except the FARs, and your retirement would amount to a 5% contribution with your paying in 5%, and a 5% profit sharing paid four months timelate the next year. I'm sure you can point to your Delta retirement, work rules, and medical, along with seniority retirement movement as very good reasons to justify your being on the Delta property.

We fly shiny airplanes, but our management sucks and so does our compensation and benefits. We fatigue quicker than any other pilot group too.

Note:
For any newhire, multiply the number of jetBlue pilots by 3 (right now that's 2300 x 3 = 6900) and when jetBlue has that number of pilots, you will be a line holding A320 Captain, working holidays, weekends, and redeyes. When will B6 have 6900 pilots?............NEVER.

 

[Dr King]

You would need to be at jetBlue 7 1/2 years to be a line holding A320 CA, but you'd probably be a 190 line holder now with a better than average schedule, which isn't saying much, as those trips suck. You'd also have back pain and a need to pick up flica trips as much as possible, though there aren't many these days to pick up.

Your medical for your family would cost you $740/mo., you'd have no work rules except the FARs, and your retirement would amount to a 5% contribution with your paying in 5%, and a 5% profit sharing paid four months timelate the next year. I'm sure you can point to your Delta retirement, work rules, and medical, along with seniority retirement movement as very good reasons to justify your being on the Delta property.

We fly shiny airplanes, but our management sucks and so does our compensation and benefits. We fatigue quicker than any other pilot group too.

Note:
For any newhire, multiply the number of jetBlue pilots by 3 (right now that's 2300 x 3 = 6900) and when jetBlue has that number of pilots, you will be a line holding A320 Captain, working holidays, weekends, and redeyes. When will B6 have 6900 pilots?............NEVER.

I wish you would take you're bitter ass to Delta.

 

[say again]

I wish you would take you're bitter ass to Delta.

What is he saying that is not true?? I can't see how any pilot can be happy with what you guys have...it blows!!

As for his last paragraph, well, that's his personal opinion. Time will tell on that, if they are around still

 

[B6Busdriver]

I wish you would take you're bitter ass to Delta.

Reality sucks, especially when it's in black and white.

 

[BeachBummer]

Reality sucks, especially when it's in black and white.

Truth... The stuff that JetBlue doesnt tell you.

 

[Fins Up]

Most junior A320 CA was hired in Apr 2006. Most junior E180(hehe) CA hired probably six months later.

It sounds like you started JB shortly after I did. I'm currently a BOS A320 FO and bid around 15ish %. I get the trips I want, weekends off, and 15-17 days off a month. I could have more days off but I bid 4-days, which are less productive than day turns, so I don't have to keep a crashpad.

Relative seniority is nice but there's nothing like living in base. Hope the maddog is treating you well.

 

[fifty30retard]

I wish you would take you're bitter ass to Delta.

No chance dipsh!t, I'm going to be the guy on your next 5 day trip laughing at your lack of any knowledge of anything around you, like your CEOs intimate relationship with Frank Lorenzo and New York Air, or the fact your Chairman of the Board teaches negotiating at Stanford University's Graduate School of Management and you and 14,000 other idiots can't negotiate a thing..........by design.

 

[fifty30retard]

What is he saying that is not true?? I can't see how any pilot can be happy with what you guys have...it blows!!

As for his last paragraph, well, that's his personal opinion. Time will tell on that, if they are around still

No reason to come work here, can't you see what clowns you'd be junior to? Now that would really be insulting.

 

[Flyby1206]

No reason to come work here, can't you see what clowns you'd be junior to? Now that would really be insulting.

Hahaha now that made me chuckle

 

[145 Lawndart]

Most junior A320 CA was hired in Apr 2006. Most junior E180(hehe) CA hired probably six months later.

It sounds like you started JB shortly after I did. I'm currently a BOS A320 FO and bid around 15ish %. I get the trips I want, weekends off, and 15-17 days off a month. I could have more days off but I bid 4-days, which are less productive than day turns, so I don't have to keep a crashpad.

Relative seniority is nice but there's nothing like living in base. Hope the maddog is treating you well.

The most junior 320 Capt on the last bid was a jan '07 hire.

 

[Fins Up]

The most junior 320 Capt on the last bid was a jan '07 hire.

I was speaking of CA's who have finished the upgrade, but thanks for the info.

 

[PsubS]

Or, in reality, you'd be paying $310 per month for medical coverage...you know, that's the medical plan that 90% of all pilots select?

Don't let the naysayers spin their so called "facts" to give a one-sided (and always negative) aspect of what's going on at JB.

There are plenty of things to fix (and, frankly, the upper end medical coverage plan is way too expensive), but there are plenty of good things happening as well.

 

[ATR-DRIVR]

Or, in reality, you'd be paying $310 per month for medical coverage...you know, that's the medical plan that 90% of all pilots select?

Don't let the naysayers spin their so called "facts" to give a one-sided (and always negative) aspect of what's going on at JB.

There are plenty of things to fix (and, frankly, the upper end medical coverage plan is way too expensive), but there are plenty of good things happening as well.

Sooo... 'tri-care or jb health care?

 

[Lake Alice]

I was hired at Jet Blue just over 5 years ago. Then, a year later I went to Delta. It wasn't that I didn't like JetBlue, I did and usually had more fun at work, once I got there. But I found the commute from Atlanta tiring, and had gone through a divorce where I would get my kids 50% of the time. So I could rarely enjoy premium pay at JetBlue.

Now after 4 years at Delta, I'm a junior Md88 copilot and can enjoy a great schedule with weekends off on reserve, living in base. Or, I could probably fly an 80 hour line over weekends.

I'm just curious if by now I would have made captain on the 190 if I had stayed. I'm sure I would be holding a much better schedule as a 320 copilot at JetBlue than I can at Delta on the maddog.

You would have made captain on either A/C but on reserve for both or be a senior F/O on either and make your schedule. Regardles you made the right decision to go to Delta. I just read your MEC's latest pay and benefits review and it's appalling how poorly we compare. The sections on retirement, protections and health benefits and the most frightening.

 

[Lake Alice]

Tard may be negative but he is partially correct. A current new hire will never see the left seat based on actual aircraft deliveries. Keep in mind for every 2 or 3 aircraft we take delivery of we also return 1-2 lease backs. Our net aircraft is always substantially less than the order book. Ofcourse all this is verifiable with the quarterly reports. Also keep in mind upgrades at Jetblue are primarily based on expansion as our pilot group is comparatively young.
What Tard won't tell you is this is a decent place to work. You must, however, keep in mind Jetblue is a stepping stone, period! We lack retirement and benefits enjoyed by most other majors and legacy carriers. As we have no method for negotiating our leadership has made it abundantly clear there will be no changes. Again, verifiable by the latest quarterly report.

 

[FlyboyPhil]

Question from Daniel McKenzie, CFA, Managing Director and Senior Airlines Analyst for Rodman and Renshaw:

“Do we have any labor cost increases that we should be thinking about, I guess, since the pilots decided not to unionize, was there any kind of exchange in terms of compensation we should be thinking about heading into the first quarter or into next year?”

Answer from Mark Powers, Chief Financial Officer for JetBlue Airways:

“None whatsoever”

 

[Fins Up]

what else is she going to say? "Yes, we expect another union vote in the next couple of years, as well as large pay raises for all pilots."

 

[Blue Dude]

what else is she going to say? "Yes, we expect another union vote in the next couple of years, as well as large pay raises for all pilots."

Well it is a little difficult to fix the things that are "right around the corner" like retirement without any money "whatsoever". They could easily have said that they value their crewmembers, welcome their decision to commit to the Direct Relationship, and have set aside a reasonable sum of money intended to address issues raised during the last campaign. Instead, we now know they have no intention of following through and have a ready made excuse for not doing so: "it isn't in the budget." Same old same old.

Maybe this was a rookie mistake by a guy trying to appease an analyst without realizing the impact his words would have on the pilots. But it is precisely the kind of unguarded comment that exposes what they are really thinking at that level. They really don't have any intention of taking care of their own, only limiting costs.

 

[Fins Up]

I don't disagree with any of that. It would be nice to hear something like that. I guess I just don't really expect to hear it.