JetBlue Phase 2

[KC-10 Driver]

Just got the email today from Dean, that I passed the JetBlue Phase 1 (Interview), and will be heading on to Phase 2 (background checks, and Pilot Hiring Committee decision).

My question is: Does anyone have any idea how many people are typically screened out in this second phase? I don't have any skeletons in my closet (that I know about). Can I assume that if I passed the interview and my background check is clean, then I will be offerred a job?

I have heard that JetBlue tends to be very selective in this 2nd phase. Does anyone know?

 

[AlbieF15]

Relax,

If you have been truthful with your app, and you are military (ie...very easily verifiable work history) you have nothing to worry about.

I know you can't "count your chickens" until Dean emails the good news, but you are about 99% in there. I know of no mil guys NOT hired once past these wickets.

Big thing for JB guys to understand, however, is refs get REAL questions about you. You don't want to list a casual acquaintence as a ref--these people need to be folks who have seen you at work and at play. If they try to "bluff" you may have a problem.

Good luck and have fun...JB seems like a blast.

Albie

 

[dgs]

Albie -- Is that some regret for going with FEDEX? jetBlue is a blast. It sure is nice to look forward to going to work every day with such a great group of guys flying such a nice jet! I recently flew with a guy who gave up 10 years and Captain at UPS to come to jetBlue two years ago. It's all about what is important in your life.

KC-10 Driver -- To answer your specific questions:

> Does anyone have any idea how many people are typically screened out in this second phase? I don't have any skeletons in my closet (that I know about). Can I assume that if I passed the interview and my background check is clean, then I will be offerred a job?

Don't assume anything, but if your record is clean you'll probably be offered a job.

> I have heard that JetBlue tends to be very selective in this 2nd phase. Does anyone know?

Because jetBlue is now pre-screening for the interview, I estimate the selection rates at the interview and after the background check are probabably 80% and 95%. (Caveat: I'm not on the hiring committee, but that's the feedback I've heard from those who are.) In the old days jetBlue interviewed everybody who was qualified. These days they have to be more selective. There is no quota on the second phase, they are just trying to throw out any bad apples that got by the interview. Don't count on getting hired, but don't lose any sleep over it either. The odds are with you. Good luck.

 

[AlbieF15]

DGS,

Eagleflip and some other buddies have asked me the same thing.

FDX has been great to me. I can 1-hop to work in about 1:45, and I have been able to trip trade enough to have a very good schedule. Although not senior enough to hold a week on/week off line that some guys like, I have been able fly about 90% plus flights during the 1400-2300 timeframe which agrees with both my natural body clock as well as my Air National Guard duties.

The company is rock solid stable, and the benefits are awesome. Comparing my new hire package at JetBlue with my current benefits at FDX, I get much more in the way of insurance, etc. for about 1/3 of what it would have cost me at JB. Now...200 bucks a month doesn't make or break such a major decision--I only throw it out there as one of the many "little" things I've come to enjoy about FDX.

I know JetBlue doesn't "min turn" crews on layovers like some pax carriers, but generally my turns are 15-25 hours. I have had some fabulous layovers in Reno (one went from 24 to 72 hours) and a nice 36 hour layover in Seattle. Its nice to actually have enough time to get some rest and check a place out before the next leg back.

The ability to DH to/from trips is also a Godsend for a commuter. One of my trips ends in Spokane this month, with a DH home. My squadron just happens to being doing a DACT deployment the next day in Montana....so instead of DHing home I am deviating for 2 weeks of fun fighting Vipers in Big Sky Country. Since the trip to GTF is cheaper than the trip home, the rest of my ticket money went into a "deviation bank" to use for company associated travel. So...rather than sweat bumming a jumpseat to get to work I simply purchased a ticket on NWA to go to Memphis to start the trip. The "stress free" commuting is a huge benefit for guys who don't want to live in a major airline domicile. We have a 3 day period of not flying during the deployment...so I picked up a Memphis/Great Falls trip during the period (out of open time) and reserved a jumpseat to Mem to start the trip and to GTF to finish the trip. So when people ask what I like about FDX, the answer is usually the FLEXIBILTY and the STABILITY.

Now...JetBlue is making money. Having flown with them, I know they do the customer service act right. Having met a healthy handful of great guys that are pilots at JetBlue, I am confident I would have LOVED working with those folks. The compensation package is good and flying a shiny new Airbus has a lot of appeal. I get no major charge out of being an FE...instead I concentrate on just trying not to screw up with the standard new guy mistakes. I'm sure being in the right seat of an A320 with Capt 1-2 years away is tremendously exciting.

However...FDX offers some great options, just a bit further down the road. F-18FDX just got an MD-11 class date, and I missed one by 40 line numbers on the last bid. When and if I eventually do upgrade, now I will be looking at the possiblity of world wide flying from the right seat. Right now FDX pays about 112 bucks/hr for year 2 MD11 FOs, with a 4.50 override for international trips. The MD flys both domestic and international routes, so you can mix/match trips for a variety of flying I think nobody else (perhaps with the exception of UPS) could possbily match. So...right now I would like to be flying...but once a right seat opens up and fills that void I will be even happier.

So...I wish guys at JB all the best, and I have helped quite a few guys prep for their interviews along the way. It is a fantastic company with a great future, and you guys who are there now are the "core" of the airline for the next 20 years. However...in my little corner of the world, I think a 2 hop commute and associated stress would kill any of the joy of being part of "the next big thing". Instead....I fly for a huge, well established company that in all honesty doesn't notice when I there and doesn't miss me when I'm gone...but allows me to maximize my quality of life by letting me mix and match other obligations, family, and time off with a pretty good mix.

Fly safe...

 

[pilotyip]

Phase II

We have had 4 of our pilots interview at JB, all passed phase I, 2 were hired, one the guys not hired was ex-mil. We gave both of theses guys strong endorsemetns, and no idea why they did not go to the job offer. When they do the background check, they ask for people who know you who were not listed as references, so even if you brief your refernces they are going to look for other to give you references. This information is based upon expereinces from one year ago.

 

[trueblue]

Here at Pensacola in my squadron, 11 different Navy/AF dudes have interviewed at jetBlue since 9/11. Seven of the 11 have been hired and are in class or waiting class. Four of the remainder just passed Phase 1 and are in Phase 2. So, to answer your question, while 11 isn't a huge sample size, I'd say the chances are incredibly high to pass Phase 2. That stuff you "heard" about JB being "incredibly selective" I find misleading. Yeah, they are very selective, but I've heard of few to zero who were selected for an interview, passed the interview, and then somehow did not pass Phase 2. Possible? Sure, but odds in your favor I think, if you don't have any bones to hide and get along with all those around you. If on the other hand, you've been less than stellar acting around your amigos and references, then that is another story. Bottom line, however, is this. Don't sweat what you can't control. You were among very, very few to be offered an interview. Then you were among another group fortunate enough to make a good impression at the interview. Now, it is out of your hands, except for perhaps some control over who your letter writers include as further references. Be ecstatic, humble, and proud you've made it this far. You more than likely will get good news come August or September.

 

[Iceman]

Jetblue Phase II

I also, recieved e-mail from Dean on 7-1. I have to add that if you've already been in the industry for awhile, it will be hard for your reference (person you've flown with for the last year) to say alot about you if it's a Capt. unless you pal around alot. Most folks you fly with, you've only done so a couple of times and they may even be commuters. I did ,however, give my references "heads-up" and pointed them to some folks I flew with in the Coast Guard. I flew with US Airways and in the last year may have flown with the same person twice. Talking with some friends at Jetblue, if you have no "skeleton's" in the closet you should be OK. But what do I know, I'm waiting for the same thing!
I did here that only 76 out of the 80 showed up for the 26 june interview and the next interview is july 16.