Jetblue Pilots - You have to clean the cabin?

[G4G5]

Get use to it, it is the way of the world. In corporate I don't have to clean up the cabin or windex the windows but someone has to put the pins in, get the covers on yada yada. If I get done early, I am not going in the FBO and watch TV until the aircraft is clean. We pitch in and help.

This is the way it is. I don't have it written in my job description nor will anyone say a thing if I can't help but you are part of a team and it's all part of playing nice in the sand box.

My question is: If you don't do it and it is part of your job description could you be terminated if you don't do it(consistantly)? While I am all for doing it, having it in black and white is a completly different thing. Is this something that the CP could call you in for?

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Do you get to keep the half-eaten bag of chips, or the mildly sucked-on M&M? You know what they say, one man's trash is anothers treasure!

 

[Blue Dude]

Let me add my endorsement to the sentiment that it's a nice thing to do, pitch in and help your coworkers when you can. Having said that, I am reminded of every time this subject comes up, pilots ADAMANTLY proclaim that cleaning the cabin is NOT required, they just do it because they WANT to - - makes the airline more productive, makes the FA's happier, etc., etc., etc.


Yet here we have it in black and white, straight from the JetBlue website.

ALL CREWMEMBERS MUST ASSIST . . .

What say ye, blue bus drivers?

My first reaction? Disappointment that someone found it necessary to write it into the job listing. I mean, what's next? "Pilots are required to act politely"? "Pilots at JetBlue are expected to wear a watch"? "Pilots are expected to wear deodorant to avoid alarming JetBlue Customers"?

That said, it doesn't really change anything. I never got a memo saying that cleaning the cabin was a required part of my job. It's not in any manual, or the SOP, or in any official documentation. I clean when I have a chance, I don't when I don't. And nobody is going to comment either way. Certainly you're not going to see a pilot hauled in for not cleaning. Jeez, who cares?

My guess is that the line was put in the job listing to weed out the prima donnas who are averse to getting their hands dirty. If they shy away from such work, then we don't need them.

 

[jetblue320]

Let me add my endorsement to the sentiment that it's a nice thing to do, pitch in and help your coworkers when you can. Having said that, I am reminded of every time this subject comes up, pilots ADAMANTLY proclaim that cleaning the cabin is NOT required, they just do it because they WANT to - - makes the airline more productive, makes the FA's happier, etc., etc., etc.


Yet here we have it in black and white, straight from the JetBlue website.

ALL CREWMEMBERS MUST ASSIST . . .

What say ye, blue bus drivers?

Well, at the risk of starting a firesstorm, I will still proclaim that it is not required. Like BlueDude said in response to your query, it is not listed in any manual or directive. Yes, I followed the thread in the originating post and there it was, as you said, in black and white. As far as I can see, that is a listing of the job description for a FO new hire at Jetblue on our website. If you want to be literal about it, which if memory serves me correctly, you are a stickler for literal translations, then I guess since I was already hired as a Captain and it is not listed on my job description in my official work agreement, I guess I am off the hook, right?

Well, it may pain you and the others here that think we are lowering the bar, but I still do it when time permits (which is most of the time) and it works wonders for building the morale of my crew. And when the passengers see me and inquire, I often tell them that I just fly the plane to keep my fingers limber for my cleaning job. It usually gets a laugh and/or a wink.

And as an added bonus, I have found 2 issues of Golf Digest in the past week!!

C yaaa

 

[viking737]

Does this mean that there are no cleaners other than the crew on board?
What does the cabin look like after a 5 hr transcon?
What about the lavatories?
Just curious...

 

[Daveman]

And as an added bonus, I have found 2 issues of Golf Digest in the past week!!

C yaaa

Bonus??? How about the opportunity to mingle with the cute (female) FA's???
Now that, my friend, is a bonus!

 

[Texasskicker]

Problem is

Bonus??? How about the opportunity to mingle with the cute (female) FA's???
Now that, my friend, is a bonus!

Yea, but i've seen an alarming number of the opposite sex FA's wishing they were the opposite sex.

Don't know who cleans the Airbi. They always seem filthy to me. They ain't ever gettin real clean.

Bad for neatnicks to fly JBLU.

 

[holdon]

Bonus??? How about the opportunity to mingle with the cute (female) FA's???
Now that, my friend, is a bonus!

Like I said before, Man a vacuum and see what kind of reaction you get from the F/A's (female of course )

 

[V2+10]

This attitude of "pay me or I won't do it" is what has put alot of carriers into the unenviable position they now find themselves in. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it.

Does your company give you extra pay to do your Jepp revisions? How about extra pay for a smile and a quick "Thanks for flying with us" to your customers? Maybe you should be compensated for having to wear a hat! I dread the day people feel the need to be compensated for taking a shower!

The bottom line is that sometimes you just pitch in and do the right thing. Is it so hard to give a helping hand when you have the chance? Don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty. It hurts no one and helps everyone.

V2

 

[jetblue320]

Does this mean that there are no cleaners other than the crew on board?
What does the cabin look like after a 5 hr transcon?
What about the lavatories?
Just curious...

No, we have regular cleaners that do the lavs and galley areas. But, there are usually only two of them as opposed to an entire crew. The CSA's help out as well and they man the vacuum cleaners and replace pillows and blankets and what not.

We as pilots (and FA's for that matter) really don't "clean" by definition. I would put it more like picking up and straightening seat belts.

Some guys may find this hard to believe too but the pilots actually remove their trash bag from the cockpit and toss it in the big can at the end of a flight. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.

And yes, the cabin can be quite in disarray after a transcon. Or, so I have heard. I personally limit my flying to about 2 hours per leg!

 

[Getter]

Like I said before, Man a vacuum and see what kind of reaction you get from the F/A's (female of course )

Oh Brother... A smile from a girl (maybe a guy?) and you're ready to pick up used Kleenex & God knows what else that lives in those seat pockets. Most of us got over that in High School. Have fun dippin' in your company ink.

 

[skirt]

For what its worth, I've been on many flights with folks like David, Dave, and others in leadership. They all don the blue latex gloves and get down on their hands and knees to clean too. Heck, I figure if the CEO and President don't mind pitching in to clean planes, then we all should. How embarrasing it would be to just stand there and watch everyone else clean. That said, there are no ramifications (other than glares from co-workers) if a person chooses not to clean.

By the way, most regular jumpseaters help out too. Its kinda funny to watch AA, UA, NW, DL guys scooping trash from seat pockets on JetBlue planes, when they would never do it on their own planes.

Skirt

 

[AlbieF15]

If you don't want to clean airplanes, and you have a beef with guys and gals that do...don't apply to Jetblue.

We don't clean the planes at FedEx. I love Fedex...it is a great gig.
However, there are lots of folks who work at JB, SWA, or other companies and are just as happy as I am.

However, if I wanted to live in/near a JB city, wanted to be an A320 captain in 2-3 years, and wanted to be part of their team I'd look at their requirements and go "hmmm....does that fit me?"

If you absolutely detest the idea of cleaning a plane, or hate dealing with FAs or pax, then do something with UPS or FedEx. If you can't stomach cleaning a jet, then AirTran, SWA, and Frontier are also hiring (albeit at a slower pace). Seems to me, every place has pros/cons...

FedEx...you'll be a panel chimp for 1-2 years. You'll wrap water bottles and pour coffee for the crew (don't see that in company manuals, either, but I think its pretty much expected). You will also spend quite a bit of time flying between 2200 and 0600, at least if you upgrade and stay junior chasing the bucks. Cost of doing business...

Go to SWA, and you get to (likely) pay for a737 type. Great people, great company, but plan on spending some coin, waiting in a "pool" for a while, then commuting or moving to OAK or BWI for a while. Can't do that? Apply somewhere else. Its all cost of doing business....

JetBlue pays for your hotel and rental car in training (not done by FDX), provides a computer for you and does some other nice things. They also charge more for health plans, don't have as high of top end pay, and yes...expect a bit more out of you than just cockpit duties. So what! I have done enough non-aviation related horse$hit duties in the AF to fill volumes, but if I wanted to fly F15s and get paid as a Maj/LTC on the bonus that meant either do them or separate. Why didn't I leave sooner? You know....its cost of doing business....

No place is perfect. If you want to be part of a team--then sign up and go for it. If it ain't your cup of tea...then chill out where you are. I raised tobacco as a kid, flipped burgers, mowed lawns, and I've also been in combat with the Army on the ground. Flying jets for a living beats the he11 out of every one of those experiences. So...sometimes I fly jets on the back side of the clock at FDX. Had that not worked out, I'd gladly have pushed the blue vaccuum on quick turns or raided the savings account for the 737 type, and I'd be thrilled to be at either place. I've got it good at FedEX right now, but I don't flip grief to those guys who are doing something different.

 

[Nalo Boy]

Once again, Uncle Albie comes over and puts the crying kids in "Time Out"

 

[TonyC]

Albie,


I appreciate your good intentions, and your points are valid. However, you may have missed a point along the way.

I have my preferences, you have preferences, everyone has their preferences. That's not the issue. When I'm diggin' through the cooler for a bottle of water, I always grab 2, wrap one in a paper towel, and offer it to the Captain. I've never had a Captain that if he reached the cooler first didn't offer one to me. We're all in the same boat when it comes to extending common courtesy. I understand that offering to help straighten seat belts and pick up magazines is an extension of courtesy, it is appreciated by those whose responsibility it is to do those things, and pitching in helps build team morale. I have no problem with that. I carry the trash bag out of the cockpit to the back after a flight if the Captain doesn't get it first, and I don't think twice about it.

The subject, however, of Jetblue pilots cleaning the cabin has come up time and time again on this forum. The accusation has been made that the pilots are required to do it; the answer has always been, no, we're not required, we just do it because we're nice and . . . all that stuff above, that I happen to agree with. I believe I even mentioned somewhere along the way that if JetBlue expects to do those quick turns, they might invest in some cleaning crews rather than DEPEND on the goodwill of the pilots. Naturally, that didn't go over very well.

NOW, though, it appears that cleaning the cabins is a REQUIREMENT, codified, written, enforceable. If it's required, it's no longer a choice, and if it's not a choice, it's not a favor offered to other team members as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation.

I have no problem with pitching in and helping fellow employees. We have a history at FedEx of pitching in and helping during peak, and at other times as well. I never walk by a package that has fallen on the ramp without pciking it up and placing it back on the belt loader or in the baggage cart or whatever. I've pushed cans, I've secured nets, gone above and beyond to get a push on time. I'm not averse to it, even if it means messing up the white shirt. I AM averse to the Company EXPECTING, REQUIRING me to do that. I don't think I'm too good to pick up trash or run a vacuum, but I feel it belittles the profession to require it. I'm not too proud to help a handler, but I feel it would cheapen the profession to make it part of the job description.

A Squared - - if you're readin' this, don't get all excited, I'm not criticizing you - - I realize that's a completely different ball of wax, it's part of THAT job.


SOooooo... current employees still have the option, but future JetBlues are required to pick up trash. Could we call this the "T" (for trash) scale?!?!?