$50K or $100K?

[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.