Jet Blue in Three Years

[Falconjet]

Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm on a race to the bottom!

Oh, I know that is not how it is supposed to go, but I wouldn't be on this board bragging that my company can outrace everyone else's to the bottom of the wage chain.

That doesn't sound as good, does it?

FJ

 

[Dizel8]

Considering that, at present, jetblue is not at the bottom, you rhetoric holds little value. Sadly, several air carriers pay their pilots less.

We can go round and round on this issue, without ever getting anywhere. I doubt anyone do not feel they deserve more for the job they do and that goes for all jobs, not just airline employees. Perhaps one day the cycle will turn, but at this point, I am doubtful it ever will.

Now, depending on which airline we work for, we can point fingers at someone else, but it helps little and is somewhat pointless. The wages at X are too low, well, Y is competing with X and selling tickets below cost, Z is in bankruptcy and shedding debt, Q got a cheap loan from the NTSB etc.

Like I said, perhaps things will turn around, but it does look bleak for the near future in the Pax airline biz.

 

[crashpad]

He's just nervous because Jet Blue can deliver the same box FedEx can for a lot less, and without 'absolutely, positively destroying it overnight'.

 

[Air Biscuit]

Jet Blue is getting desperate. Trying to go into a fortress hub like EWR and compete with CAL on Florida routes is a dumb move. They don't stand a chance. I give Jet Blue 5 more years max and they'll be done. Peoples Express were the industry darlings in the 80's, where are they now? Although they didn't have to don blue gloves and clean the airplane in between turns, so who knows maybe that will save them.

 

[Dizel8]

Yes, they are doomed, doomed I tell ya

How many ASMs are going into EWR percentage wise, maybe you should figure that one out before you decide it is all over? Of course, the LGB flying was all over when AA decided to fly to JFK from there, the Florida flying was all over when Song went there. Or maybe it will be over when jetblue pays for the airplanes or perhaps the MX, or was it fuel. I get so confused, but anyway, it is all over

 

[Falconjet]

Pad: I only call them the way I see them, and the way I read those two posts by Dogwood and Smoking Man, who I presume are jetBlue pilots, it sure sounds like they are agreeing that they are ready to win the race to the bottom of the wage scale so they can outlast everyone else as the price of oil goes through the roof.

Maybe they don't work for jetBlue, maybe that wasn't their intent, but that is how it sounded to me, and I'm just saying that I wouldn't be boasting about winning such a race on this board.

I wish nothing but the best to my buds at jetBlue, as I have said several times before.

By the way, that was absolutely, positively pretty funny.

FJ

 

[Longhorn]

Biscut,

First, People Express and Jetblue are two different animals. Two different route structures and two completely different fleets doing routes. Our management and peoples thinking is not even in the same ball park or sport all together. Believe it or not, Dave and David actually know what they are doing. We might not agree with everything but 99% back our management and have faith in what they are doing. Yes, there are some issues like the 190 pay etc... but for the most part we have faith. We are not a bunch of pilots who don’t know the industry. We have furloughed pilots from just about every legacy out there and they have seen companies like people express come and go. If we were really headed down the same road as People Express dont you think that our pilots that have seen this before would be up in arms? They have seen the legacy carriers put themselves in the position that they are in today. We do bring things up to our management when there is a concern and they listen to us. They don’t always make a change overnight but they do address the problems in time. As for EWR. We are in there because of customers begged us to go there. We were getting en excess of 1000 letters per day from folk on the other side of the river asking us to fly in there so they did not have to come to NY. So we did. Yes, its a competitive place due to it being Continentals hub but we did not go in trying to take flying from them as the priority, we went there because our customers asked us to. Now, if some CO customers make the switch then that’s nothing more than choice on their part.

 

[IB6 UB9]

Jet Blue is getting desperate. Trying to go into a fortress hub like EWR and compete with CAL on Florida routes is a dumb move. They don't stand a chance. I give Jet Blue 5 more years max and they'll be done. Peoples Express were the industry darlings in the 80's, where are they now? Although they didn't have to don blue gloves and clean the airplane in between turns, so who knows maybe that will save them.

It's over. Mind if I PM you a resume?...I have some E-120 time and just like the last time I was furloughed, I want to get a jump on the others here for when the inevitable happens. Can't wait to jerk the gear for you.

 

[wndshr]

Jet Blue is getting desperate. Trying to go into a fortress hub like EWR and compete with CAL on Florida routes is a dumb move. They don't stand a chance. I give Jet Blue 5 more years max and they'll be done. Peoples Express were the industry darlings in the 80's, where are they now? Although they didn't have to don blue gloves and clean the airplane in between turns, so who knows maybe that will save them.

coming from an 8K hour commuter pilot....i'd be pissed about not moving on too!

anyway, i would like to do a survey of pilots who got into this profession to make money? you say "no" i love to fly....whatever!

this job will not make you rich...if you do not use the 15 days off a month to really "make" money...you are wasting the most valuable asset of being a pilot. read folks....15 days off is a PART TIME JOB...do something else if you want more money...the time is over for the 300K a year captain job...we will never see it again! sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you must not be dinosaurs and move on or adapt!@

 

[zkmayo]

Oh come on, there's nothing to worry about.

We dont pay for fuel. We dont pay for our airplanes. Havent you heard??? Geez...

I understand JBLU has bought some type of emergency insurance fuel hedging that holds us at $53-55 fuel if "an event" occurs that would drive oil to an astronomical level. This was from the CFO on the 2nd quarter earnings webcast.

Airbiscuit--Along with all those letters from NJ customers, I cant tell you how many cars Ive seen with NJ plates Ive seen dropping people off in front of Terminal 6 at JFK. That's right they are driving past EWR and your ERJ today, before JBLU even starts service there, and coming to JFK. Did you know there even willing to pay a $5 toll for the bridge on the way back and burn $3 fuel in their car?

The problem with the industry is not pilot pay. Yes, we'd all like to make more. The fundamental problem is that revenues are not exceeding costs. Hopefully the latest rounds of ticket price increases will stick and continue.

 

[sayagain?]

It's actually $9.00 to go back over the V Bridge. Done it too many times.


sayagain?

 

[Smoking Man]

Pad: I only call them the way I see them, and the way I read those two posts by Dogwood and Smoking Man, who I presume are jetBlue pilots, it sure sounds like they are agreeing that they are ready to win the race to the bottom of the wage scale so they can outlast everyone else as the price of oil goes through the roof.

Maybe they don't work for jetBlue, maybe that wasn't their intent, but that is how it sounded to me, and I'm just saying that I wouldn't be boasting about winning such a race on this board.

I wish nothing but the best to my buds at jetBlue, as I have said several times before.

By the way, that was absolutely, positively pretty funny.

FJ

Hmmmm.... Your post would indicate that I was talking about cutting our wages and racing to the bottem. Their has not been a wage cut at jetBlue, and the CHQ pay scale for the 190 is lower than ours. The origional question in the thread was
"Just wondering if Jet Blue has a business plan that will carry them through if
a. Oil stays above 60$/Barrell
and
b. Lease payments increase as they are rumored to in three years."

I was attempting to address the fact that in this captial intensive environment where other airlines losses are in the billions and bankruptcies have and will continue to happen our current cost structure allows us an advantage in a situation that others wish they had. Never did I talk about us cutting our cost and race to the bottem.