JetBlue- To go or not?

[FurloughedAgain]

Any solution to 10 forthcoming? Are they not protected by the Allegheny/Mohawk labor protective provisions at the very least?

 

[BeachBummer]

While there is (kinda) successor ship language in the PEA. AM only applies when there is a single carrier status. So, hence forth and ever more, we the pilots of jet blue would have to hope for the fact that our managment would apply for the status for us. Or rather than apply... negotiate that into the merger or aquasition...

I'm sure that would be in thier best interest, making them more money in the long run right? You decide.

Of course it's debatable wether or not the PEA will/would/can/could hold up in court as it hasn't been proven yet. I mean the company itself wants to argue against it. Why wouldn't another pilot group fighting for thier seniority rights?

To that affect, atleast 1100 guys think that should JB be involved in any kind of transaction, managment will take care of us and we will come out on top. And\or AM must apply and we will be integrated. Union or not ask the AT guys what SWA wants to do with them? There must be contractual successorship language attached to each pilot at the end of the day to make any of this worth it.

Soooo, short answer to is #10 being addressed... not really

Sorry, i forgot about the 5 documents... they should address this. What are the odds your hand stays clean when you wipe your butt with swiss cheese?

 

[Hair-on-Fire]

. Expect aircraft sales to outpace deliveries for the next five years or so.

So you think we're going to shrink for the next 5 years?

 

[StarChecker]

That's more than twice what I pay in premiums now. Guess I should stop complaining.

1193 of us think it's just fine. Not gonna change any time soon thanks to them.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

The medical is very expensive but pretty good coverage. For the most coverage for a family it costs around $283/per paycheck.

Crash: the October Pairings are loaded in PBS and has us changing hotels in BUF to the Indigo.

Further clarification-- that health plan is the Cadillac Escalade plan that only 10% of the pilots utilize. Jetblue has four health plans to choose from and most pilots fall in CrewCare1 which is currently only $141/paycheck for my family of four.

 

[flyn96]

Further clarification-- that health plan is the Cadillac Escalade plan that only 10% of the pilots utilize. Jetblue has four health plans to choose from and most pilots fall in CrewCare1 which is currently only $141/paycheck for my family of four.

What networks do you guys have, United Healthcare, CIGNA, Blue????

Thanks

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

Here is my composite answer to this thread:

1) If you are at a turboprop regional, JB is better.
2) If you are a FO at a jet regional, JB is better.
3) If you are a CA at a jet regional, it depends on your situation, i.e, seniority, longevitiy, base, size of your family, etc.
4) If you are aiming for a major, going to Kallitta, World, North American, etc will be better on your resume than right seat time in one of our small narrowbodies.
5) If your goal is to live/work on the east coast, JB may be for you. We have four bases on the east coast: JFK, BOS, MCO and FLL. Getting BOS or JFK in either plane is a no-brainer; MCO/FLL might take a little longer but is eventually doable for everyone. As far as flying, most of the 320 and all of the 190 flying are east coast.
6) If your goal is to live/work on the west coast, find another company. We have a tiny base in LGB and do very little west coast flying. That won't change for the foreseeable future.
7) If you have a large family, and JB would be your only health insurance, you might want to look elsewhere. Premiums are the highest in the industry, with some of the lowest benefits. Premiums increase every year, and will continue to do so. If you have alternative insurance (wife, military, etc) then JB might work for you.
8) If you come to JB, expect a decade or so in the right seat. More, if you want to have a decent schedule when you upgrade. Aircraft orders/options have decreased every year since 2006, including our latest "order", which actually reduced firm orders and options, and pushed deliveries even further into the future. Coupled with our very young pilot group, and things are pretty stable here. Expect aircraft sales to outpace deliveries for the next five years or so.
9) You can do pretty well in the right seat here, especially if you live in base and are extremely flexible. I am flying with a 5 year FO that is using his seniority to double-dip every chance he gets, and will make over $120k this year. He is in the top 2%, and is playing the game well, but the opportunity is there.
10) The one intangible is job security. At JB, you won't have any. We have no scope, no merger/successor protections, etc. If you are fairly young, that's probably a good gamble. Even if the worst happens, and we are bought and then on the street, you'll have options. If you're older, you might want to think twice. Unemployed at 55 is not a pretty picture.
11) The 320 has a pretty gentlemanly schedule, except for the day sleeps/redeyes. The 190 is regional flying. Expect 4+ legs/day, with multiple aircraft swaps/bag drags.

Pretty much sums it up, nearly all speculative... 1, 2, 3 agreed. 4-- You do the hiring? Just because it looks good on your resume, doesn't mean you'll get hired at a legacy... 5-- No way, not going to get to MCO ever as Capt... 6-- How do you know it won't change outside of LGB, we could ramp up SFO, LAS, or SEA... 7-- talk to your neighbors and see what they pay for health insurance. We have 4 health plans to choose from and they vary in price (yes the premium plan that only has 10% pilot participation is expensive, but the others are affordable)-- in fact, according to the upcoming health care reform, all four plans are considered "cadillac plans" which means Jetblue will be taxed $8 million in 2015 and something like $25 million in 2018 if all the coverage remains the same-- welcome to Obamacare. 8-- a decade or so in the right seat? Come on!!! FOs are upgrading now at the 5-6 year point in their career here, granted they'll be sitting reserve, but 10+ years for upgrade seems a little long... Aircraft sales will outpace deliveries? Really, where is that information coming from? We have aircraft on order and they are coming! 40 A320 NEO, 30/52 A320 converted to A321 and something like 30 or so more E190s and winglets coming to all... That's over 120 aircraft on order... 9-- yes, if you're a lineholder, you can do very well financially if you're willing to work... 10 Job security? At least JB hasn't laid off any pilots in its 10+ years history. This is the airline industry you're talking about, unless you're at SWA, there is no such animal as job security, with or without a union contract... 11-- OK...

 

[RiddleEagle18]

What networks do you guys have, United Healthcare, CIGNA, Blue????

Thanks

You can chose United or Blue Cross we have both. The plans are identical.

 

[BeachBummer]

10 Job security? At least JB hasn't laid off any pilots in its 10+ years history.

Which airline in it's first 10-11 yrs did lay off? I understand your not worried about it being a Senior bus guy and all, but it holds alittle more weight with the junior folk. The pvc needs to adress this #10 question in a serious manner.

 

[Turbosnake03]

Which airline in it's first 10-11 yrs did lay off?

Hey beach i love all of your input.. i think you have alot of great ideas ... but i do think there has been a few that not only have laid off but went under.......

Independence Air,
MaxJet,
EOS,
Silverjet,
Skybus,
Vanguard,

im sure there are more im not thinking of.......