JetBlue Quality of life compared to regional?

[bigbird]

Im a captain at a large regional and thinking about trying to get on with JetBlue. How is the QOL over there? Does management treat you like a human being or a robot? Hotels? Duty days? Days off? Are trips commutable? Just trying to get some insight if things are better over there. Thanks

 

[Longhorn]

Bigbird,

You will hear many different replies to this depending on the seniority and equipment but I will throw in my 2 cents.

Hotels:
The hotels we stay in for the most part are nicer than the ones I stayed at when I was at a regional. Hyatt, Wyndham, Park Plaza, and Four Points for the most part. There are the standard Holiday Inn and I believe we still stay at a Hampton in Boston for the short stay. We also stay at a few Double Trees which I personally like. We had a sleep inn in Buffalo but we are not there anymore and stay downtown.

QOL:
Overall I would say it is very good AFTER you are off reserve. I have friends that were going crazy on reserve until they held a line and then were very happy. It is very easy to get 15-16 days off when you are off reserve although it will more than likely mean you are working weekends. On reserve you have 12 days off and you can drop one of the reserve days using your PTO (personal time off). As for other reserve questions, maybe another guy can help you with that as I have not been on reserve in a long time now.

We do use a program called Flica which makes moving your schedule around a piece of cake but you have to be proactive about it. Once your monthly bid closes there are numerous windows that close until you get to the free for all window. There is a 48 hour drop/swap window as well as a pickup window. Once those are done, you have no limits other than the reserve coverage and legality to hold you back from doing whatever you want to your schedule.

As for the company treating you like a human being, I would say yes. While its not like it was 4 years ago, you are still treated much better than you would be at most regionals. 99% of the crews are great and a lot of fun to fly with. You have enough long overnights where you can enjoy where you are and make the job enjoyable. As for the mgnt, the chief pilots throughout the company are great and will go to bat for you, or at least that has been my experience. I only know the guys in JFK and BOS and I have never had a problem with any of them. If you bring an issue to them and you are in the right, the will stand by you. There has been a few issues with scheduling though in terms of them not wanting to use reserves at times and modify line pilots schedules but I think that is being looked at as we speak. My theory is go to work, have fun, stay under the radar and go home to enjoy your life away from work.

Are trips commutable? Well, yes and no. On reserve you are open to whatever you get. We do have a 14 hour long call and 2 hour short call system. Once again, someone else will have to comment on that as I have never uses it. Once you hold a line, getting commutable trips is not that hard. If you are on the 320, then yes you can get them but the price is a trip that is littered with red eyes. Once you are senior enough to get a commutable non red eye trip, then life gets easier. On the 190 though, the commutable trips can be tough to get. I seem to get almost all commutable trips on one end or the other mixed with commutable trips on both ends but I bid about the 50% mark on the 190 as a CA. I have friends that bid around the 70% mark that get stuck with 7am show times but 4pm release times. It also depends on the month. With the 190 going west, I am sure you will see a greater variety of trips with different show times. We do have a couple red eye trips on the 190 now that come in from Santo Domingo DR and I think those trips finish around 4am or so.

The only few issues that seem to be the biggies here are the pay and merger protection. As for the pay, the 320 guys NEED a cola raise. They have never had it. As for the 190's, the rates have to come up to a wage level that is much more acceptable for this industry. I would like to see 80-85% of the 320 ca rates for the 190 ca rates and the 190 fo's matched to the 320 fo's. Stronger merger language is also a must or the people on the fence about an in-house union will for sure fall to the side of the union. Our pilot comp group is about done with its research and we should hear back from the company on adjusted rates here in the next 30-60 days so we will see.

Overall, I am very happy here and think its much better than a regional. Is it as good as UPS/FedEx...no, but it could be. While nobody is ever happy with everything, for the most part its a good place to work...it just needs a little tweaking.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions, please PM me and I will try to answer or find an answer for you.

Take care,
Longhorn

 

[dingo222]

great honest answer. We need more of this on FI

 

[Joblu]

Nice reply Longhorn! I second that! But don't forget our Insurance needs some tweaking as well. I am sure to some extent it affects QOL.

 

[Longhorn]

Yes, add insurance to that as well....sorry, I forgot that was an issue. Just a brain fart.

 

[bigbird]

Hey thanks for the reply!

 

[Whiskerbizkit]

Coming from what was considered the " best regional " I can tell you it is 100 times better here. There are our issues but you will have that everywhere. As for QOL, it dependes on what AC and base you are at. Reserve at JFK compared to reserve at LGB or FLL is night and day. I spent 12 month on reserve and flew an average of 5 days a month, but I live in base. Now I have a 15 off 90hr day trip lines.

 

[aerobato]

I left an LCA job at a large regional a year ago and I don't regret it one bit. JetBlue is a great place to work.

 

[a320drivr]

There is also the flip side where guys regret leaving their previous jobs.

 

[zkmayo]

There is also the flip side where guys regret leaving their previous jobs.

Ive met alot of people at 3+ years at jB, but yet to meet anyone who said that. Things aint perfect at B6, but he!!, it isnt anywhere. 2 facts: JB is an airline, an some people will never be able to find happiness.

 

[Checknsix]

I will second or third what Longhorn said.

- Six

 

[Headfake14]

I don't get fatigued here like I did at ASA. We do have some issues like the master Longhorn said...and we, like everyone else, will have to wait for a jetway driver, last minute bags, jerky pushbacks...yada yada...BUT...I'll take those same issues here than anywhere else and definately over my last seat at ASA. 5 legs at ASA was rough compared to here. The CRJ200 and ATR wouldn't cool off worth a damn, but you could hang meat in the 190.

The ONLY thing I have an issue with is our pay. Yes, I knew the deal coming here, but as the dust has settled over the last 12 months...it's been wicked hard...about a $25,000 pay cut from my 9yr capt pay at ASA. As Longhorn mentioned, all our seats NEED a pay bump...and I hope to god we get it.

If you do make the jump brother, definately trim off some financial fat. I did a bunch and am still so razor thin and sliding backwards slightly.

G'luck man.

 

[WateryGrave]

No comparison to my regional job. Even on reserve my QOL was much better here, and I spent more time on reserve than most. Same comments as everybody else that the health benefits could be better yadda yadda yadda. No regrets whatsoever. Good luck with the decision.

 

[J32driver]

I'll second everything that Longhorn said. I also was a LCA at one of the better regionals and I found that reserve on the bus in JFK was a better QOL than what I had at my regional. I do an offline commute too.

The one thing that I wasn't expecting and no one told me about JetBlue was the amount of night flying we do. As a junior dude on the bus, you might think the UPS/Fedex guys are getting more sleep than you are. Once you get off reserve, you can bid around the stuff with a fair amount of ease. On the other hand... it is VERY productive. I'm about 50% up FO list in JFK, I come to work 3 times a month, 15-16 days off, and about 90 hours of credit per month.

 

[clickclickboom]

I bid about 37% in jfk and i get 85-90 hrs with 17-19 days off. When i construct my bid i bid good 4 day trips to avoid the crash pad.

red eyes suck but after a few months you will be able to adjust your body to rest. I usually wake early and find an activity that lasts a few hrs ( golf, climb a mountain, work out ) gets 4-5 hrs sleep and fly the leg. Honestly if you can do it the wear and tear is not that bad. I usually limit my month to 2 red eyes.

Overall a great job, great people, pay needs to improve.

 

[StarChecker]

Great posts so far...definite improvement over Regional QOL...EXCEPT...


HEALTH CARE!

My healthcare costs have tripled since coming to JetBlue. And my prescription costs....through the roof. What used to cost me $10-$15 a month now costs $350 every three months. That's a TENFOLD increase in my prescription costs.....

I just find it incredibly sad that a thread even exists comparing a major airline's QOL to a regional's.

Shouldn't it be a given that your QOL should improve when changing from Regional to Major? It speaks volumes that it's even brought up....

 

[Raskal]

Wow, an entire thread and I'll be damned if I can find any sense of sarcasm, off-topic or idiotic bashing.

Oops.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Great posts so far...definite improvement over Regional QOL...EXCEPT...


HEALTH CARE!

My healthcare costs have tripled since coming to JetBlue. And my prescription costs....through the roof. What used to cost me $10-$15 a month now costs $350 every three months. That's a TENFOLD increase in my prescription costs.....

I just find it incredibly sad that a thread even exists comparing a major airline's QOL to a regional's.

Shouldn't it be a given that your QOL should improve when changing from Regional to Major? It speaks volumes that it's even brought up....

In my first two full years at JB, I spent enough on health care (with dental) for a family of four to actually claim a tax deduction based on the 7.5% AGI test. THAT's how bad our health care is.

$314 a month for family coverage (incl dental) and that's just for premiums. $800 deductible, $1800 out of pocket cap (I think -- correct me if I am wrong), plus the copays for prescriptions.

Not very pretty.

 

[Dave's kid]

My health care at JB is saving me over $1000 per year compared to my previous employer (a regional).

 

[GuppyPuppy]

My health care at JB is saving me over $1000 per year compared to my previous employer (a regional).

Dave's Kid, huh?

Is that D1 or D2?

GP

 

[be40isme]

My health care at JB is saving me over $1000 per year compared to my previous employer (a regional).

Well I save over $1500 per year by dumping JetBlue's insurance and going on my wife's insurance. Lets give Jetblue a round of applause for getting pretty close to what the regionals give thier pilots.

 

[Beechnut]

Well I save over $1500 per year by dumping JetBlue's insurance and going on my wife's insurance. Lets give Jetblue a round of applause for getting pretty close to what the regionals give thier pilots.

Oh no! The insurance I had at Air Wisconsin was WAY better than what JetBlue offers. I had to switch to my wife's insurance when I started at JB.

However, commuting to reserve in JFK was WAY better than the commute to a line I had in PHL for AWAC. I'm glad I made the move.

S.

 

[Dave's kid]

People, I'm just saying I pay less per year now than I used to pay. I'm not making any judgements on the quality of our insurance. I'm just saying I pay less.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Wait -- are we talking JetBlue mainline or JetBlue express?

I think they have different benefit packages.

 

[On Your Six]

OK, now for the other side of the coin. What are the top 3-5 reasons why people are currently leaving Jet Blue? Sounds like healthcare/insurance, base pay, upgrade time and some other reasons are top-of-mind.

I have heard that people have left for Netjets and Delta and a few others (BTW, I don't think leaving for Fedex is a good idea unless you want to be based out of Hong Kong for the first 3-5 years).

What are their primary motivations for departing JB beyond the pay issue?

 

[Pitot]

Like to wear hats, Don't look good in blue, and grass is greener syndrome.....

 

[Caveman]

All of you complaining about health care at JetBlue need to look around at the rest of the country. Health care costs have skyrocketed everywhere. JetBlue isn't the exception, they are the norm. While there are companies that have better plans, there are others that have worse. I'm on my third version of health care at B6. It hasn't changed that much. There have been incremental increases each year, but there haven't been any drastic increases.

I know, I know. SWA is awesome! $35 @ paycheck for a family. NetJets is free. I get it. Some companies have great plans. All I'm saying is that JetBlue isn't out of the mainstream. Health care is expensive and many, many companies are struggling to keep the costs down. That doesn't mean JetBlue can't trim the fat and improve things somewhat, but they aren't way out of line. If you think our health care sucks, then bail out and go buy your own. You'll be shocked at how much it costs.

 

[zkmayo]

All of you complaining about health care at JetBlue need to look around at the rest of the country. Health care costs have skyrocketed everywhere. JetBlue isn't the exception, they are the norm. While there are companies that have better plans, there are others that have worse. I'm on my third version of health care at B6. It hasn't changed that much. There have been incremental increases each year, but there haven't been any drastic increases.

I know, I know. SWA is awesome! $35 @ paycheck for a family. NetJets is free. I get it. Some companies have great plans. All I'm saying is that JetBlue isn't out of the mainstream. Health care is expensive and many, many companies are struggling to keep the costs down. That doesn't mean JetBlue can't trim the fat and improve things somewhat, but they aren't way out of line. If you think our health care sucks, then bail out and go buy your own. You'll be shocked at how much it costs.

Amen! Thank you, finally someone else who understands that its not just the airline world where health insurance aint what it used to be. Not giving JB a free pass on this, but the costs/plan benefits are what's systemic with what's wrong with our entire healthcare system.

My wife tried to offer her co's employees healthcare coverage. Even if she were to pay 90% of it, it would still be cost prohibitive for any of her employees to participate. They would be spending half of their monthly salaries to get insurance. She has only 10 employees. Her portion of the match would have been more than their salaries! It would be impossible to pay the whole thing and stay in business.

 

[a320drivr]

All of you complaining about health care at JetBlue need to look around at the rest of the country. Health care costs have skyrocketed everywhere. JetBlue isn't the exception, they are the norm. While there are companies that have better plans, there are others that have worse. I'm on my third version of health care at B6. It hasn't changed that much. There have been incremental increases each year, but there haven't been any drastic increases.

I know, I know. SWA is awesome! $35 @ paycheck for a family. NetJets is free. I get it. Some companies have great plans. All I'm saying is that JetBlue isn't out of the mainstream. Health care is expensive and many, many companies are struggling to keep the costs down. That doesn't mean JetBlue can't trim the fat and improve things somewhat, but they aren't way out of line. If you think our health care sucks, then bail out and go buy your own. You'll be shocked at how much it costs.

Where in gods name have you been? I have been at JB 7 yrs and our healthcare has gone from great to piss poor. We dont have health ins. We have catastraughic ins.

 

[Caveman]

Where in gods name have you been? I have been at JB 7 yrs and our healthcare has gone from great to piss poor. We dont have health ins. We have catastraughic ins.

Where in God's name have you been? Health care has tripled over the last 7 years.

Once again, I'm neither defending or approving of our health care plans. I'm simply telling those of you that are complaining that you are either myopic about the state of health care in this country or are totally unrealistic about what you think you should get from your employer.