$50K or $100K?

[doylehargraves]

Obviously, this all boils down to how much time can you be at home and still live comfortably. Nothing else matters, unless you have big plane itus.

 

[fam62c]

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.

Think twice before you make the decision to take any job that will require a commute, especially if you have never tried it before. Commuting (especially to reserve) sucks, there's just no other way to put it. 121 with a good company is a great gig if you live in base. Commuting can work if you have enough seniority and the commute is "easy" (I'm not sure there is such a thing) but commuting and being junior on reserve is difficult at best. Living in base (assuming it's a place where you want to live) makes being a 121 pilots a whole different, and much better, job.

I have a lot of friends at JB and for the most part they really like the company but they hate the commute. I've commuted and lived in base with various airlines and the difference in job satisfaction is like night and day. In any case, good luck whatever you do but really look before you leap. There's nothing worse than making a change and then wishing you hadn't done it.

 

[Flyingdude]

Just to clear some things up that is not really understood by those that have never been on any one of the corporate sides. For someone to talk about flying corporate is like someone talking about flying for the airlines. I think that we can all agree that their is a drastic difference in regional, low cost, Major/Legacy pilot jobs. Well, corporate is no different. Their is Part 91, 91k, 135, with major differences and I am not talking about regs. Their are very few Part 135 jobs that are good career jobs, however, a Part 91/Fortune 100 or 500 are "generally" very good. In the corporate world if you are talking about a Fortune 500 or better company, that is very similar to talking about a major airline. After flying in Parts 121, 135, 91K and 91, as well as 3 furloughs, I fly for a Fortune 100 flight department that has been around for 40 years and never laid anyone off. I never plan on leaving as long the company is around. Their are some really great corporate jobs out there, however, they can be hard to find as no one really leaves them often. Ultimately, corporate is not just corporate and airline is not just airline. As far as a job goes, they are not all alike.

 

[Raskal]

Just to clear some things up that is not really understood by those that have never been on any one of the corporate sides. For someone to talk about flying corporate is like someone talking about flying for the airlines. I think that we can all agree that their is a drastic difference in regional, low cost, Major/Legacy pilot jobs. Well, corporate is no different. Their is Part 91, 91k, 135, with major differences and I am not talking about regs. Their are very few Part 135 jobs that are good career jobs, however, a Part 91/Fortune 100 or 500 are "generally" very good. In the corporate world if you are talking about a Fortune 500 or better company, that is very similar to talking about a major airline. After flying in Parts 121, 135, 91K and 91, as well as 3 furloughs, I fly for a Fortune 100 flight department that has been around for 40 years and never laid anyone off. I never plan on leaving as long the company is around. Their are some really great corporate jobs out there, however, they can be hard to find as no one really leaves them often. Ultimately, corporate is not just corporate and airline is not just airline. As far as a job goes, they are not all alike.

Very well said.

 

[clickclickboom]

I have been at blue for 7.5 years hold capt in both seats but am semi senior fo.. qol is great all trips commutable average 15-17 days off not counting half days because i bid late afternoon starts and duty off by noon to early afternoon so there are many trips where i wake up drop the kids at school go to the gym bang the wife and then go to the airport.

The best part is being able to ask the wife what days i need off next month she gives me the dates and i build my schedule accordingly.

benefits are substandard but welcome to te new america. ( its the extra $15 or $20 per visit with 4 kids that add up to an extra $1000-$1500 every year.

I love knowing where i am going and at what times. If you are the corporate fly the boss and sit kind of guy you will be able to bid the island 2 day trips to sxm, aua, uva etc as these go junior and have 24 hr layovers.

I offline commute 1 leg to lga or two leg to jfk

If i wake up and the weather is bad on go to work day i pull the rip cord and drop the trip using pto and spend the time with the family. IT happens about once per year.

if you or anyone in your family is sick call off sick. Something important call the chief and get it off.

It is a great job with the typical " management " problems that we all face.

Going back to fractional is the last thing i could ever consider.

made 138k this year gross plus 10% 401k no rsa's or pickup of trips on days off.

now fortune 100 multi jet intl operation down the street? i would make the move. but those jobs are 1 in 10000

 

[rjpilot7667]

I have been at blue for 7.5 years hold capt in both seats but am semi senior fo.. qol is great all trips commutable average 15-17 days off not counting half days because i bid late afternoon starts and duty off by noon to early afternoon so there are many trips where i wake up drop the kids at school go to the gym bang the wife and then go to the airport.

The best part is being able to ask the wife what days i need off next month she gives me the dates and i build my schedule accordingly.

benefits are substandard but welcome to te new america. ( its the extra $15 or $20 per visit with 4 kids that add up to an extra $1000-$1500 every year.

I love knowing where i am going and at what times. If you are the corporate fly the boss and sit kind of guy you will be able to bid the island 2 day trips to sxm, aua, uva etc as these go junior and have 24 hr layovers.

I offline commute 1 leg to lga or two leg to jfk

If i wake up and the weather is bad on go to work day i pull the rip cord and drop the trip using pto and spend the time with the family. IT happens about once per year.

if you or anyone in your family is sick call off sick. Something important call the chief and get it off.

It is a great job with the typical " management " problems that we all face.

Going back to fractional is the last thing i could ever consider.

made 138k this year gross plus 10% 401k no rsa's or pickup of trips on days off.

now fortune 100 multi jet intl operation down the street? i would make the move. but those jobs are 1 in 10000

Your work situation at JB is not typical.

 

[hoover84]

I have seven years at JB and my W2 was 172,000.
Mid level 190 Capt, commute and sold lots of PTO

 

[Fubijaakr]

So what would it have been if you hadn't sold the PTO?

 

[hoover84]

155,000ish

 

[aewanabe]

The 2 day SXM, BGI, AUA and UVF do NOT go junior. I have 5 years and cannot hold any of them consistently, or at all most months.

 

[n757st]

I can hold 4 days with CUN or UVF overnights. I've found they all pop into open time enough that low line holders can grab them here and there. They just aren't worth that much money to be valuable to many, and they are uncommutable.

 

[FastJP4]

May or may not be applicable, but just another viewpoint of how to accomplish goals within the existing world of flight "careers".

I've gone from airline, to charter, to corporate, to fractional. After being furloughed from the frac, I said screw it and decided to chase the money aspect instead of looking for that perfect "career". I took a job overseas that started at 150k, has a 10% annual raise, and a 13th month of pay as my annual bonus. The schedule is a 30/30 with business class transportation provided, and the family has adapted well to it.

Definately is meeting goals. House is paid off, the family lives in our perfect environment and is not being uprooted chasing jobs, the bank acct is flush, and investments in a variety of areas are thriving. Having signed first a two year, and now a five year contract - the goals and neccessities for retirement will be fully attained within this contract period, in fact due to the costs of rental units - it appears to be presently about a year and a half ahead of schedule. At the end of this five year sprint - I'll retire at 52.

The point is, there are no more perfect paths within the flying arena. I never thought I'd be flying overseas, yet here I am. I never contemplated being able to retire and getting off the rollercoaster ride while still having a some tokens left in my pocket, but I will. I was happy to leave the airline world as that type of flying was rather boring, essentially a glorified bus driver. I find the flying in corporate aircraft much more enjoyable, without the mundane routine of bouncing into the same runways over and over and over and over again.

In the end, we all have to chose - and sometimes the best choice is one you've not even previously contemplated. If it were me, based on my experience, I'd take the opportunity to stay in the more unique corporate type of environment and always be looking at options to improve your lot to meet your goals.

Best of luck to ya.

 

[Flyby1206]

The point is, there are no more perfect paths within the flying arena. I never thought I'd be flying overseas, yet here I am. I never contemplated being able to retire and getting off the rollercoaster ride while still having a some tokens left in my pocket, but I will.

Great point, change your financial goals, or change your career expectations. Adapt or die. Glad you are on the right track

 

[clickclickboom]

My post above represents trading QOL for some extra pay as shown in the 190 capt example a few posts down.. Jetblue is by no means perfect and our management team shows that their own concern is meeting a metric for the BOD to get their bonuses but its still a good job.

The bulk of 320 fo's average from 90-100k 3-5 years here.

Guys that dont use PTO have the ability to take up 6 weeks of vacation. That gives them an 35hrs of pay but on 24.5 hrs debited from your pto bank. so they essentially get up to 60 hrs of additional premium pay

Another option is to ptx the time and then pick up extra flying on top.. Me i just use the pto for real vacation time with my family and take 2 per year and then use the pto for qol enhancement as needed throughtout the year with a wife and kids