JetBlue Q

[canyonblue]

Bottom line, I would never ask a pilot for job advice. Most of us are where we are by luck, and none of us can say we will be better off in 10 years, unless you're a liar. Go with your gut feeling, that's what 99.9% of the people on this board did, not by sitting around doing "Pros' vs Con's", it won't be the same in 10 years, better of worse. Then again, maybe you shouldn't even listen to me.

 

[Plug]

As someone mentioned, this thread is waaaaay too timely. I too just got the call from JB for an interview. Two days ago I got the call from CAL for an interview. Prior to that I couldn't even get my brother to call me, he called today too ;-) When it rains it poors I guess!

Time to go to my favorite watering hole for a "Black & Blue."

Cheers ya'll

 

[JAM-BRO]

I can tell you that JB really believes in itself and that it is pretty cool being here (of course thats only been a week) and from top to bottom it is like nothing I have seen before in this industry. I left NWA after 8 years for a place that is great to work. It sounds like you have a good gig at Net Jets. Good luck on the decision.

It's good that u left and I hope u are senior to me(May '98). I bet you took one of those voluntary furlough options... Goes to show u how confident u are in the " from top to bottom it is like nothing I have seen before in this industry" company you now love so much... Things suck over here and thats a fact... It can only get better... Good luck with YOUR decision... I would never have done it... There are a lot better options to me that JB...

Later

 

[banger]

It's good that u left and I hope u are senior to me(May '98). I bet you took one of those voluntary furlough options... Goes to show u how confident u are in the " from top to bottom it is like nothing I have seen before in this industry" company you now love so much... Things suck over here and thats a fact... It can only get better... Good luck with YOUR decision... I would never have done it... There are a lot better options to me that JB...

Later

Perfect example of what CanyonBlue said earlier.."never take career advice from a pilot"

 

[Iceman]

Just a little advice!

It's obvious you got alot of info to make your decision, based on all the feedback.
The answer now rests with you.
Things to consider:
-You will be commuting for a long time unless you want to live at JFK, FLL, BOS, or LGB.
-Some of those commute days will be your off days.
-The company is still growing like crazy.
-Yes it may be 5-6 years before you see the left seat in the 320 but that's still better than most.
-Think about the money consumed for commuting (i.e. crashpad, bus, AIRTRAIN, taxi's to and from LGA).
We have quite a few trips with red-eye's.

Obviously, there is something making you question your current status at NJ's. Just don't lose sight of the big picture...it's the airline industry, and it will always be cyclic. Good Luck in your decision.
One more thing, the answer truely lies with you and your family...if you've been in the industry for awhile then you know this goes without saying...there aren't to many jobs out there that pay high enough for you to sacrifice your "Quality of Life" or your families.

 

[Hooky2]

To make it just a bit more interesting:

Logan to be a home base for JetBlue

Move could create jobs and improve reliability of service

By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | March 24, 2006

JetBlue Airways Corp., the fastest-growing airline at Logan International Airport, is expected to outline plans today to turn Boston into its fourth base for pilots and flight attendants, a move that could create dozens of new jobs at Logan and improve service reliability for passengers here.
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Beginning in June, JetBlue will use Logan as a home base for about 130 flight crew members, including as many as 80 pilots who fly its 156-seat Airbus A320 jets.
By fall, JetBlue also expects to have about 60 pilots for its 100-seat Embraer E190 planes based in Boston, company officials said.
JetBlue's chief executive, David Neeleman, is set to offer details today in a speech at the Boston Globe Travel Show at the World Trade Center, JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said.
Besides the promise of more Boston-based jobs, JetBlue's plans could help the airline offer somewhat more reliable service in Boston, especially when weather and traffic disrupt flight schedules. Instead of having to wait for a crew to come from one of the airline's three existing operating bases -- New York, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Long Beach, Calif. -- to operate a flight from Logan, JetBlue by summer will have a cadre of pilots and flight crews based in the city who could be called in to get flights back on schedule.
Some JetBlue workers who now live near Boston but commute to work from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will be able to work out of Logan instead.
''It's good for the regional economy, because it puts the jobs here and bases them in the city, and it's a good thing for Logan customers, too," said Thomas J. Kinton Jr. aviation director for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan. ''It's a pool of employees that are readily available to draw from, which helps" when flights are being rescheduled, he said.
JetBlue will be the fourth airline to have pilots based in Boston, Kinton said. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and US Airways, the three biggest carriers by passenger volume at Logan, have pilots and flight attendants based in Boston. United Airlines has flight attendants, but not pilots, based in the city.
JetBlue's decision also reflects its rapid growth in Boston and its commitment to grow here. The airline currently flies nonstop from Boston to 15 US cities and plans to add direct service to Richmond, Va., April 6; Phoenix May 3; and Buffalo and Pittsburgh June 30.
JetBlue offers 45 daily nonstop flights from Logan, including as many as 10 to JFK, six to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., and five to Orlando.
''We are certainly planning on growing jobs in Boston," Dervin said.
Despite running a net loss of $42 million in the fourth quarter of last year because of soaring jet fuel prices -- the airline's first loss since its 2000 founding -- Dervin said JetBlue remains on track to hire new crew members at the rate of eight to 10 every day this year.
JetBlue, which moved into the Logan Terminal C space vacated by Delta last year, when Delta moved to its $500 million Terminal A, has signed a deal with Massport to take over 11 gates in Terminal C by November 2008. It uses seven already.
''Making Boston a JetBlue crew base really speaks to our commitment to serve Boston," Dervin said.
Unlike most other US airports, especially hubs, where one or two airlines dominate, no single airline at Logan consistently controls more than about 20 to 22 percent of the market, Massport data show.
''Boston is a fair playing field for airlines," Dervin said. ''No airline can claim Boston as a hometown, so everyone has to fight for the right to serve customers."
Peter J. Howe can be reached at [email protected].

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

 

[32LT10]

Besides the promise of more Boston-based jobs, JetBlue's plans could help the airline offer somewhat more reliable service in Boston, especially when weather and traffic disrupt flight schedules. Instead of having to wait for a crew to come from one of the airline's three existing operating bases -- New York, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Long Beach, Calif. -- to operate a flight from Logan, JetBlue by summer will have a cadre of pilots and flight crews based in the city who could be called in to get flights back on schedule.

I don't think the issues surrounding JBLU punctuality is really crew issues at JBLU. More unrealistic schedules, ATC and various other issues that surround this carrier. Having a reserve at the airport does not magically make an airplane arrive for them to fly.

Either way on-time is starting to unveil the dirty little secret of the jblu experience.

 

[Dogwood]

I don't think the issues surrounding JBLU punctuality is really crew issues at JBLU. More unrealistic schedules, ATC and various other issues that surround this carrier. Having a reserve at the airport does not magically make an airplane arrive for them to fly.

Either way on-time is starting to unveil the dirty little secret of the jblu experience.

LT,

Who do you fly for now? What is the dirty little secret? Share it with us if you know, or is that just a sound bite that makes you feel good.

DW

 

[Zipperhead]

LT flies for United.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

I don't think the issues surrounding JBLU punctuality is really crew issues at JBLU. More unrealistic schedules, ATC and various other issues that surround this carrier. Having a reserve at the airport does not magically make an airplane arrive for them to fly.

Either way on-time is starting to unveil the dirty little secret of the jblu experience.

You are right, in that jb needs to improve its on-time performance. Some of that has been addressed, and procedures are in the works to better coordinate its crewmembers during a turn. As for the main airports jb serves and the continued delays with wx or atc -- those be the breaks for choosing those cities as bases.

You know, you would do better to take the acrimony out of your posts. I js on United and have so many stories of poor service whether at the gate or from the inflight on the plane -- and I am not talking about how they treat me, they always treat me fine -- yet I refuse to believe that those experiences define a company. Obviously United is doing something right to have survived a difficult time.

... don't throw stones, you'll break your glass house.