42.7% of JetBlue Pilots Have Apps Out

[kommutrdog]

Oh, and I agree it's a win-win situation. The people who are bitter leave, and those of us who are happy move up.

People who leave can do basic arithmetic. Leaving MILLIONS on the table at retirement isn't smart.

People who drink the blue koolaid are satisfied with substandard retirement, satisfied that they NEVER get to take summer vacations with their kids unless they are in the top 10% and are satisfied with THE WORST HEALTHCARE IN THE INDUSTRY.

It's not a bad job here at bluejet, but I didn't become an airline pilot to have healthcare benefits more akin to Walmart.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

People who leave can do basic arithmetic. Leaving MILLIONS on the table at retirement isn't smart.

People who drink the blue koolaid are satisfied with substandard retirement, satisfied that they NEVER get to take summer vacations with their kids unless they are in the top 10% and are satisfied with THE WORST HEALTHCARE IN THE INDUSTRY.

It's not a bad job here at bluejet, but I didn't become an airline pilot to have healthcare benefits more akin to Walmart.

1. Leaving to Delta is going to be competitive. Not all of us will get the chance to go there. Personally, I'm not interested in FedEx, UPS, United or US Airways/AA, so JetBlue is my ride unless/until I get on with Delta. I'm not holding my breath. With all of the flows they have, it will be hard to get in off the "street" for quite a while. If you're not in on the start of the wave, it may not be worth going to just be perma-junior for the next 30 years.

2. Money isn't everything. For me it's about the quality of life, and the culture of the pilot group. I want to enjoy being at work. I also want to live past 67, so FedEx is out. Those guys die early. Night flying and international work wears on you.

3. You can bid for, and get, time off during the summers using the PBS software and Flica. Is it "vacation?" No, but it is 15 days off in a row, over the change in months. I get that it isn't "guaranteed," and that you can't plan long-term. We need to overhaul the vacation system, no question. But it isn't really true to say that you can't get time off during the summer.

4. I agree the healthcare should be better (in a perfect world), but I'm not sure what we will be able to do about that given the national climate with respect to healthcare. I think Delta/United/AA will get dragged down to match as soon as their next negotiation comes around. It's a crap sandwich for the whole nation. Want that to be fixed? Vote for someone who will get a single-payer system in place, and/or reform the insurance industry as a whole. That whole industry is screwed up.

 

[Pilotbob3]

1. Leaving to Delta is going to be competitive. Not all of us will get the chance to go there. Personally, I'm not interested in FedEx, UPS, United or US Airways/AA, so JetBlue is my ride unless/until I get on with Delta. I'm not holding my breath. With all of the flows they have, it will be hard to get in off the "street" for quite a while. If you're not in on the start of the wave, it may not be worth going to just be perma-junior for the next 30 years.

2. Money isn't everything. For me it's about the quality of life, and the culture of the pilot group. I want to enjoy being at work. I also want to live past 67, so FedEx is out. Those guys die early. Night flying and international work wears on you.

3. You can bid for, and get, time off during the summers using the PBS software and Flica. Is it "vacation?" No, but it is 15 days off in a row, over the change in months. I get that it isn't "guaranteed," and that you can't plan long-term. We need to overhaul the vacation system, no question. But it isn't really true to say that you can't get time off during the summer.

4. I agree the healthcare should be better (in a perfect world), but I'm not sure what we will be able to do about that given the national climate with respect to healthcare. I think Delta/United/AA will get dragged down to match as soon as their next negotiation comes around. It's a crap sandwich for the whole nation. Want that to be fixed? Vote for someone who will get a single-payer system in place, and/or reform the insurance industry as a whole. That whole industry is screwed up.

Well for now, I hope you sent your card in and will vote YES!

 

[GogglesPisano]

I think Delta/United/AA will get dragged down to match as soon as their next negotiation comes around.

Nope. Not going to happen.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

Nope. Not going to happen.

Why, because you fixed healthcare in this country? They may get good healthcare, but it will come at the expense of something else.

You guys really buy in to the idea that a CBA fixes everything, don't you? If we vote a union in, $20 says our first contract is worse than our current PEA.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Why, because you fixed healthcare in this country? They may get good healthcare, but it will come at the expense of something else.

You guys really buy in to the idea that a CBA fixes everything, don't you?

Why? Because substantial increases in our (DL) healthcare costs will be voted down. It's a non-starter.

A CBA doesn't fix anything, but it would establish a baseline, a bare minimum, from which nothing could be detracted with the stroke of a pen, save for Ch 11. It would codify, in legally binding terms, what is and what isn't legit. I really have a hard time believing that someone who's been in this profession for more than a year or two, and for whom the awe of "just happy to be here" has worn off would be happy without one.

But I have no dog in this fight. It's your dilemma. You simply piqued my curiosity when you predicted that Delta pilot's healthcare costs would increase.

Good luck to all. And please choose wisely.

Out.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

Why? Because substantial increases in our (DL) healthcare costs will be voted down. It's a non-starter.

A CBA doesn't fix anything, but it would establish a baseline, a bare minimum, from which nothing could be detracted with the stroke of a pen, save for Ch 11. It would codify, in legally binding terms, what is and what isn't legit. I really have a hard time believing that someone who's been in this profession for more than a year or two, and for whom the awe of "just happy to be here" has worn off would be happy without one.

But I have no dog in this fight. It's your dilemma. You simply piqued my curiosity when you predicted that Delta pilot's healthcare costs would increase.

Good luck to all. And please choose wisely.

Out.

Good luck to you as well. Unless there's a pretty big change in healthcare, your premiums will go up, or it will come at a cost to some other place (pay rates). Do you think the two aren't related?

As far as a line that goes no lower...have you never heard of a concessionary contract?

 

[B6Busdriver]

Your arguments and opinions are perfectly fine here. But I won't be told by some captain here that has benefited greatly from fast growth and high attrition (that's how he got HIS captain seat), which were both greatly accelerated by lower relative pilot wages that I dont need to worry about MY upgrade time. higher pilot compensation and benefits will slow both attrition and growth. But that isn't HIS problem.

There was no attrition. Everyone from my class is still here. Pay rates were in the toilet industry wide when I got here. Spare me your drama. You're right about one thing, I could care less about when you upgrade. While you rant tirelessly on a message board others and myself have furthered the union cause to provide better pay and benefits for ALL. You better get control of your emotions or you'll never make it to 60 let alone 65.

 

[$$$4nothin]

Why, because you fixed healthcare in this country? They may get good healthcare, but it will come at the expense of something else.

You guys really buy in to the idea that a CBA fixes everything, don't you? If we vote a union in, $20 says our first contract is worse than our current PEA.

See how not having ALPA legal works out for you when you mess up someday, and it WILL happen. Or ask yourself how a merger/acquisition would go with Dave negotiating your deal. The guy negotiationing for you has a legal and fiduciary duty to a group of people. You are not in that group. So no matter the other details, our first CBA would be better than a PEA. Think more than 5 years down the road. So yes. I'll gladly take that $20 bet.

 

[Splert]

Why, because you fixed healthcare in this country? They may get good healthcare, but it will come at the expense of something else.

You guys really buy in to the idea that a CBA fixes everything, don't you? If we vote a union in, $20 says our first contract is worse than our current PEA.

The new 'pilot' at jetblue sure has a lot vested in trying to keep ALPA off the property.

Jetblue is about to be left where Spirit was 5 years ago.

 

[StarChecker]

Its funny how you sight our peers contracts all the time, but won't argue for the vacation bidding system that all our peers have with rounds of bidding!

I agree 100%. I didn't post well.

Our vacation problem is mostly not enough allotment and some of it is due to the bidding.

Our pilots are largely convinced that fixing the bidding will fix everything and I am just making sure we all understand the main problem.

My main point: the company saves an enormous amount of money by not allotting enough vacation. The way we bid must also change, but doing this alone will fix almost nothing.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

The new 'pilot' at jetblue sure has a lot vested in trying to keep ALPA off the property.

Jetblue is about to be left where Spirit was 5 years ago.

Funny, I didn't even notice that you had posted a couple of times (because I have you blocked) since the Tap-a-Talk app doesn't even put your post up on my phone when you're blocked. When I logged in on a computer I saw there were a couple of hidden posts, so I thought I might humor myself and see what BS you were spouting. You're still an idiot. Surprise surprise.

I'll take a second to answer this post though. I don't have any interest in keeping ALPA off-property. I do find it funny that, for you, someone has to be a "management plant" if they disagree with you. You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am.

 

[Splert]

Vacation is broken.

To fix it we need PTV, PTV Bank, Allocation, Distribution and Bidding changes.

Fixing one does not fix Vacation.

Arranging days off into a series of days off is NOT vacation. It is just days off.

Also the talking point that if we fix Vacation then Bid divisors would plumment is a scare tactic. Manning can easliy be managed by awarding vacation periods in trough months.

Bottom line is Jetblue has the worst vacation system of the majors and the DR will not fix it.

 

[pilotyip]

And why is some old crusty freight dog that works for some scumbag operator with 50 pilots posting on every single jb thread?

We aint usa jet.

This job is great until you bend some metal, look at someone the wrong way, get your name on a list, or god help you or your family suffer from a medical event.

Insolvency will shortly follow

My doesn't that make the world a better place

 

[Splert]

Funny, I didn't even notice that you had posted a couple of times (because I have you blocked) since the Tap-a-Talk app doesn't even put your post up on my phone when you're blocked. When I logged in on a computer I saw there were a couple of hidden posts, so I thought I might humor myself and see what BS you were spouting. You're still an idiot. Surprise surprise.

I'll take a second to answer this post though. I don't have any interest in keeping ALPA off-property. I do find it funny that, for you, someone has to be a "management plant" if they disagree with you. You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am.

I could care less if you disagree with anyone. However, you have apparently been here less than a year and you are on point with nearly all the management talking points that have been recycled over the past 5 years.

I think you just told everyone reading this BBS that Jetblue pilots get 12 days per month potential "vacation like days off" each and every month per their contract and any pilot could string those into 15 days off in a row.

I think most understand your view of days off is sort of Vacation as being idoitic.

3. You can bid for, and get, time off during the summers using the PBS software and Flica. Is it "vacation?" No, but it is 15 days off in a row, over the change in months. I get that it isn't "guaranteed," and that you can't plan long-term. We need to overhaul the vacation system, no question. But it isn't really true to say that you can't get time off during the summer

Those parcing of words is straight from The Robs COO conference call.