captain caveman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2004
- Posts
- 272
Thanks for all the input. Key to my move to Delta was the ability to be based in domicile. I personally hated commuting and the bed bugs at my south ozone park crashpad.
Being based in domicile allowed me to pick up premium flying at Delta in my first year, since they were short staffed at the time, resulting in a substancial instant pay raise. At the time, co-pilot pay on the 190 was deplorable and with the 1 year upgrade gone, the thought of another 2 years at that pay rate made me want to quit flying. When I had the class date at Delta, I even went to the chief pilot office in JFK and asked about pay raises. Of course, had I stayed, I would have benefited eventually from a pay raise and I would certainly be making more now as a 190 Captain compared to an 88 co-pilot. Still, I doubt I would have made up the lost pay.
Also, I was very lucky to not get furloughed after the merger with the spike in fuel costs. Instead, I survived the merger with decent relative seniority and am stuck about 8% from the bottom which is not a bad place to be living in base. I hear that movement is on the horizon. Heck, if I wanted to commute, I could fly the 767 international out of JFK. I don't think the guys that left JetBlue for United had the same luck.
The thing I miss most about JetBlue was the junior crews, the fun factor and the upgrade. I think in 4 years at delta, I've been out with the crew on a layover maybe twice. Usually it's just me and the captain who gets something to eat. Also the quality of the trips on the airbus far exceeds the md88 trips which probably more resemble 190 trips.
With negotiations coming up at Delta, we have a lot of things to work on. There is also a movement towards an independant union that is picking up momentum. I think the biggest disperity between Delta and JetBlue is the benefits. Delta has given me over $50,000 in retirement money in my 4 years and my medical premiums are a little less than they were.
I wish all my friends at JetBlue best of luck with your careers and hopefully we can all raise the bar a little.
Being based in domicile allowed me to pick up premium flying at Delta in my first year, since they were short staffed at the time, resulting in a substancial instant pay raise. At the time, co-pilot pay on the 190 was deplorable and with the 1 year upgrade gone, the thought of another 2 years at that pay rate made me want to quit flying. When I had the class date at Delta, I even went to the chief pilot office in JFK and asked about pay raises. Of course, had I stayed, I would have benefited eventually from a pay raise and I would certainly be making more now as a 190 Captain compared to an 88 co-pilot. Still, I doubt I would have made up the lost pay.
Also, I was very lucky to not get furloughed after the merger with the spike in fuel costs. Instead, I survived the merger with decent relative seniority and am stuck about 8% from the bottom which is not a bad place to be living in base. I hear that movement is on the horizon. Heck, if I wanted to commute, I could fly the 767 international out of JFK. I don't think the guys that left JetBlue for United had the same luck.
The thing I miss most about JetBlue was the junior crews, the fun factor and the upgrade. I think in 4 years at delta, I've been out with the crew on a layover maybe twice. Usually it's just me and the captain who gets something to eat. Also the quality of the trips on the airbus far exceeds the md88 trips which probably more resemble 190 trips.
With negotiations coming up at Delta, we have a lot of things to work on. There is also a movement towards an independant union that is picking up momentum. I think the biggest disperity between Delta and JetBlue is the benefits. Delta has given me over $50,000 in retirement money in my 4 years and my medical premiums are a little less than they were.
I wish all my friends at JetBlue best of luck with your careers and hopefully we can all raise the bar a little.
