$50K or $100K?

[Secret Agent]

Need some thoughts....

Would you go to JetBlue (let's say I have been offered a class, done the airline thing in the past) and commute for published pay and snuggle in with some seniority (I am in my mid 40s and have a young family) or would you stay in corporate, pull down about $100K a year, but work your a$$ off with no real known schedule with a company that may or may not be here down the road?

Looking forward to hearing from you for some outside perspective. Thanks.

 

[Lake Alice]

Having done corporate I would go back to the airlines and I am not a bluejet homer.

 

[MikeSF340]

JetBlue, as long as you can afford to feed your family.

 

[J32driver]

Depends on a lot of different things to each individual. How much do you value time off? The commute... is it online or offline? 1 or more legs? Any chance of moving so you can drive to a jetBlue base? As a reserve dude, during the summer months you are only going to spend 6-7 nights a month in your own bed as a commuter. Things get better during the slow months, but still... as an airline commuter you are going to spend 6-7 months a year away from your family.

JetBlue is a good gig. A bad commute can ruin a perfectly good job though. I wouldn't sweat the money difference. In the end, it matters the least.

 

[Dan Roman]

My first thought is that time with family and stability far outweigh money. I would guess you would spend more in the long run trying to improve quality of life that has been compromised by your corp schedule than you will lose taking a temporary pay cut.

 

[gearjockey]

Why did you begin the application and interview process to begin with? It seems like you had a game plan, spent the time, money and effort to get hired with JB. Now, after having been offered the job, you are having second thoughts. Did anything change in your life? Or are you relying on others here, who have a completely different set of circumstances, to influence your decision.

 

[BoilerUP]

Why not look for a better corporate job?

 

[Secret Agent]

One leg commute.

Game changer is the story for how long I would be on reserve NOW vice when I interviewed. Plus, this job opportunity.

Not relying on anyone to make my decisions. Just looking for perspective on things I haven't considered when I THINK I have considered it all. I have never commuted, for one.

 

[johnsonrod]

I read about a guy on APC who gave up a G450/G550 job to go to JB. It happens. Difficult to live in the NY area on the starting wage but it ramps up after a few years.

 

[Flying Illini]

Take into acct what cities you are commuting from and to. Think about how many flights a day there are. Are you served by mainline a/c or regional a/c.

Commuting is not easy on you or your family and it will cost you some money in either crash pads or hotel rooms. More importantly, it will cost you a lot of family time/free time and add lots of stress. Will you get on that flight tomorrow morning? Is it full? What's the wx like? Will tonight's flight cancel causing the flight tomorrow morning to fill up?

I used to commute from DTW-PHL. The fastest I ever got home after an assignment was 4.5 hours from duty out to walking in my door, an hour drive from DTW. My average was just under 7 hrs. Over the course of 5 years that's a lot of free time given up.

On rsv and commuting you will likely only spend 10 nights a month at home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JA-601]

I left corporate about 6 years ago to come to JB, becuase it was suposed to be "different" I bought into the BLUEJUICE. But guess what ! all that Bluejuice is gone ! I am actually looking at a few corporate job, but would hate to go back to the 'on call'
JB would be a good job if you live in base, but with all the BS going on with our pay and benefits who knows.........the best thing that could happen for us is we get bought by a real airline or get a CBA..........

I miss the corporate style flying, good hotels, good meals, and rent cars.........Here we only have gay FA throwing a half-bottle of water at you, and meal in the airport......

Realize if you get hired now you will not be a Capt. probably ever.......

 

[n757st]

Realize if you get hired now you will not be a Capt. probably ever.......

Oh Debbie Downer, you don't know that. I do think though there is a 50/50 chance that when you do upgrade its going to be on a former JetBlue aircraft operated by DAL, Swa, AMR, etc.

To the op-
I don't commute and i am on second/ third year pay.... I'm looking at 100-110k, so there's the money part of your problem. Now, if you have reservations (Har Har Har) about being on reserve, don't come. No one is going to exempt you from the legal hazing ritual called reserve. It sounds like we are suspending hiring from March through October, so if you have a class before march expect 9 months to 1 year of reserve. If you have a class in October expect 4 months to 8 months reserve. Reserve when we are fat on staff is pretty sweet here, when we are short on staff it can suck a wet tampon, thoughnot nearly as wet and smelly as most other airline reserve stints can be. Considering we are suspending hiring to build up the bid denominators, expect to have a progressively worse reserve experience.

I think the other guys here are on to something.... Balance the pain of commuting with the relative job stability blue offers and decide for your self... Flightinfo won't make that decision for you.

 

[Smarta$$]

Sent you a PM.

 

[Flyby1206]

when we are short on staff it can suck a wet tampon, thoughnot nearly as wet and smelly as most other airline reserve stints can be.

Hahah, you know I wasnt in the mood for breakfast today anyways.

 

[rjpilot7667]

PLEASE CLARIFY--- CORPORATE OR CHARTER! FORTUNE 100? THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
I only ask because I did the same thing

 

[BoilerUP]

Working for a Fortune 500 or even F100 company isn't a guarantee of a job with quality equipment, sufficient staffing, appropriate pay, high QOL and "stability".

 

[rjpilot7667]

Working for a Fortune 500 or even F100 company isn't a guarantee of a job with quality equipment, sufficient staffing, appropriate pay, high QOL and "stability".

It absolutely does.

 

[n757st]

It absolutely does.

Lol.... Uh huh. Tell that to the pilots at xerox, Kodak, gm......

 

[say again]

Working for a Fortune 500 or even F100 company isn't a guarantee of a job with quality equipment, sufficient staffing, appropriate pay, high QOL and "stability".

Neither is working for an airline.

 

[SBD]

Just my view as a newbie. Been here for about 5 months. Reserve for me has been great. I live in a Blue city and commute to JFK. I'm not on the blue juice and looking forward to a representation/a CBA. We are fat on FOs right now so my life is pretty good. Jan I had 20 days off. 15 really with Long call and not being used. Good company but needs improvement in various areas. Who knows where JB will be at the end of this year let alone 3 years from now. Pull out your Weegie board and find out what decision is the best. Most guys I've flown with are pretty cool.

 

[rjpilot7667]

Lol.... Uh huh. Tell that to the pilots at xerox, Kodak, gm......

How about the pilots at United, US Air, CAL, and AA, they've been Furloughed for years. The only difference is when a corporate pilot is looking for a new Corporate job, If you are a Captain you may be able to get a job as a Captain again. That doesn't happen in the airlines. You start at the bottom because your skills at one airline are not transferable to the other.

There is no such thing as job security anymore in any industry. Each move you make is a role of the dice.

Here is the Deal:

First and foremost the term "corporate" is miss used, it doesn't mean "Joe's charter company" it means working for a part 91 operator for a corporation or a wealthy individual. If you work for Joe, LEAVE, Jetblue is better.

I spent 7 years at a "palace flight department" before coming to jetblue and I miss it a lot. Not that JB isn't a good company;I took this job to move out of NY and start a business on the side. I simply prefer flying Modern (yes, the airbus is not modern) airplanes, Staying in great hotels (literally the best in the world), rental cars, Not eating at fast food restaurants, overnights longer than 10 hrs, Atlantic crossings, Seeing the world, 5 figure Christmas bonuses, raises, real health care, having a valuable skill set that my company appreciates and not having to chase credit every month.

If you are at a true flight department, If I were in your shoes I would sit tight, especially since you have a family. But if you come I think you will like it enough not to leave and that's all.

 

[BoilerUP]

How about the pilots at United, US Air, CAL, and AA, they've been Furloughed for years. The only difference is when a corporate pilot is looking for a new Corporate job, If you are a Captain you may be able to get a job as a Captain again. That doesn't happen in the airlines. You start at the bottom because your skills at one airline are not transferable to the other.

You start at the bottom because airlines use a seniority system, not because skills don't transfer.

 

[rjpilot7667]

You start at the bottom because airlines use a seniority system, not because skills don't transfer.

Exactly

 

[n757st]

How about the pilots at United, US Air, CAL, and AA, they've been Furloughed for years. The only difference is when a corporate pilot is looking for a new Corporate job, If you are a Captain you may be able to get a job as a Captain again. That doesn't happen in the airlines. You start at the bottom because your skills at one airline are not transferable to the other.

There is no such thing as job security anymore in any industry. Each move you make is a role of the dice.

Here is the Deal:

First and foremost the term "corporate" is miss used, it doesn't mean "Joe's charter company" it means working for a part 91 operator for a corporation or a wealthy individual. If you work for Joe, LEAVE, Jetblue is better.

I spent 7 years at a "palace flight department" before coming to jetblue and I miss it a lot. Not that JB isn't a good company;I took this job to move out of NY and start a business on the side. I simply prefer flying Modern (yes, the airbus is not modern) airplanes, Staying in great hotels (literally the best in the world), rental cars, Not eating at fast food restaurants, overnights longer than 10 hrs, Atlantic crossings, Seeing the world, 5 figure Christmas bonuses, raises, real health care, having a valuable skill set that my company appreciates and not having to chase credit every month.

If you are at a true flight department, If I were in your shoes I would sit tight, especially since you have a family. But if you come I think you will like it enough not to leave and that's all.

No doubt, I was just saying that there is little security anywhere, even the top corp depts.

 

[rjpilot7667]

agreed home slice

 

[Secret Agent]

I thank you all for your feedback. I certainly will take responsibility for making my own choice, but you all have perspective that I don't and it helps shed some light on things I didn't think about or don't understand or expect.

The company is privately owned, but is a billion dollar company that has been around for a long time. There is a ton of private flying in addition to the company flying, which is mostly why it is so sporadic. I have been working for them off and on for many years so I know it will annoy me at times, but I am trying to weigh if a commute and long reserve would annoy me more. Plus, who knows if they will be here 15 years from now. I know, I know, you can say the same thing about JB.

All of this is why I go back and forth. Once again, though, thanks for your thoughts and keep them coming if you have more.

 

[BoilerUP]

IMO, commuting sucks but can be the lesser of evils when family is involved and domiciles are far away/expensive/not attractive. QOL is more or less nonexistant when you commute, although its possible (depending on your current job) your away time could be equal or maybe even less.

I did a two-legger the first 3 months I was online...and had a great crashpad (retired USAF F-15 driving uncle's house) and wheels...and it STILL sucked.

Even when my commute went to one leg, with 9 daily flights between two airlines, it sucked. One month I was home 6 nights and slept 9 nights on a crew room couch. Of course after I suck it up and move to domicile my airline finally was allowed to ride FedEx, which would have given me 2 more flights at times that would have made a *lot* more parings commutable.

IIRC, Jetblue uses AOS for PrefBid and FLiCA for schedule manipulation...I've heard that allows pretty decent control of one's schedule. That obviously is a huge benefit if it still exists like that.

Best of luck making the decision!

 

[doylehargraves]

I would go to the airlines. I'm in fractional and I do not see much growth or future in that sector. Go with the place that allows you more time at home, even if it means a little less money.

 

[Smarta$$]

How about the pilots at United, US Air, CAL, and AA, they've been Furloughed for years. The only difference is when a corporate pilot is looking for a new Corporate job, If you are a Captain you may be able to get a job as a Captain again. That doesn't happen in the airlines. You start at the bottom because your skills at one airline are not transferable to the other.

There is no such thing as job security anymore in any industry. Each move you make is a role of the dice.

Here is the Deal:

First and foremost the term "corporate" is miss used, it doesn't mean "Joe's charter company" it means working for a part 91 operator for a corporation or a wealthy individual. If you work for Joe, LEAVE, Jetblue is better.

I spent 7 years at a "palace flight department" before coming to jetblue and I miss it a lot. Not that JB isn't a good company;I took this job to move out of NY and start a business on the side. I simply prefer flying Modern (yes, the airbus is not modern) airplanes, Staying in great hotels (literally the best in the world), rental cars, Not eating at fast food restaurants, overnights longer than 10 hrs, Atlantic crossings, Seeing the world, 5 figure Christmas bonuses, raises, real health care, having a valuable skill set that my company appreciates and not having to chase credit every month.

If you are at a true flight department, If I were in your shoes I would sit tight, especially since you have a family. But if you come I think you will like it enough not to leave and that's all.

You are NOT describing any kind of a typical job. You obviously had a GREAT job. I have known many corporate pilots. Many liked their jobs, many did not. None of them described a job like that one...

They do exist, but are a VERY small percentage of what is out there. If he had one like that, I bet he wouldn't be thinking of leaving.

 

[Smarta$$]

IMO, commuting sucks but can be the lesser of evils when family is involved and domiciles are far away/expensive/not attractive. QOL is more or less nonexistant when you commute, although its possible (depending on your current job) your away time could be equal or maybe even less.

I did a two-legger the first 3 months I was online...and had a great crashpad (retired USAF F-15 driving uncle's house) and wheels...and it STILL sucked.

Even when my commute went to one leg, with 9 daily flights between two airlines, it sucked. One month I was home 6 nights and slept 9 nights on a crew room couch. Of course after I suck it up and move to domicile my airline finally was allowed to ride FedEx, which would have given me 2 more flights at times that would have made a *lot* more parings commutable.

IIRC, Jetblue uses AOS for PrefBid and FLiCA for schedule manipulation...I've heard that allows pretty decent control of one's schedule. That obviously is a huge benefit if it still exists like that.

Best of luck making the decision!

There are so many variables. I spent 5+ years living in base at my last company. Now I do a half-continent commute (been an easy city pair, make a difference), and my quality of life at JB is much better, even with the commute.

For Jan, I spent 25 nights in my own bed, as a half continent commuter...

Obviously, I will NEVER get to do that again, and I know reserve is seasonally worse, depending on staffing. However, if you have an easy commute, JB can still be a great QOL.

Lots of variables. Lots of people not being honest. Can really suck if you have a bad city pair to commute from...

But proves that you can't make blanket statements, because there are exceptions to almost any rule.