NJ to JB...

[oldxfr8dog]

I commuted. Occasionally I had to come in the night before but not that often. Worst case scenario 15 days of work. I was never at Mesa.
As for your "screwed up coming here comment" go back to where you came from. No one is leading anyone on on this board or anywhere else. As an OC member I will tell anyone this job is not that bad. We have a good working environment where no one is out to get you. Come to work, do your job, go home. This very statement is exactly why organizing JFK pilots is tough. But we do have a lot of work to do with respect to benefits and retirement. Those are facts without all the emotion people seem to throw in.

Sorry for the delayed response, I seldom come on here anymore.

OK, the "screwed up" coming here comment was a bit harsh. If you really need a job, this isn't a bad place. But, you have to admit this isn't a "destination" airline like FedX or SWA, Delta etc... I've been here 8.5 years and it has been a steady decline in QOL, benefits, and productivity ever since, never mind the promises that were made. Right, the pay went up, but at the complete disintegration of any type of sched, PTO, or productivity. I had a 16 HOUR FOUR-DAY last week, for crissaske, due to a 24 hour sit. 5 hours per DUTY PERIOD sucks. Even the inflight have 5 hour min per DAY.
What comment did I make that makes organizing hard? My card was in the first day and I can't wait for the vote.
If the 3A doesn't make people realize what the company thinks of the PEA, nothing will.

 

[crjdude]

I'm very concerned about the long term stability of NJA...
Mgt really seems to be making some short sighted decisions. Very much the "commuter" airline style of mgt. Which I've done twice...


Anyone gone NJA-jetblue? How do you like it? Regrets?
How are the sched's for commuters?
Any idea how long upgrade on the 190 will be? Airbus?
Health insurance issues? Typical schedule?
How much are guys "actually" making year 1? Year 2 & 3?


Trying to make an educated decision.... Thanks....

 

[milehigh6080]

A few of us answered your initial question back on the first page. If you're a captain at NJA, leaving there to come to JBU would be one hell of a gamble. There's a little bit of growth and no attrition, who knows when you'd upgrade, but you can count on it taking a while.

I went NJA to JBU and love it, but I was furloughed at the time. Wouldn't have left if I was still employed, and being that I was furloughed, I was obviously an FO at NJA, no way I would have left as a captain. I don't think leaving NJA as a captain is crazy in general, but leaving for a smaller carrier with no union who is ripe to be bought by a larger carrier at any time leaves a whole lot of question marks that I'd never invite into my life if I didn't have to. If FedEx, UPS, Delta or SWA were calling, I'd leave there in a heartbeat.

I don't commute, so I don't know about the sched's for commuters.

Upgrade will definitely be faster on the 190, but the timeframe for that is impossible to predict. We're growing slowly, but not losing many to attrition or retirement. Without attrition, the company basically needs to double in size for you to upgrade. How long will that take at 6-8% growth per year (in a good year)?

Insurance is crap compared to NJA. It's crap compared to a lot of insurance, but it's particularly crappy compared to NJA. It's way more expensive (obviously, compared to free) and is not nearly as comprehensive or generous with coverages.

I'm in year 1, I'll make mid 50s this year, guess I'll do around the 70s next year? Not sure, I'm not there yet.

Don't mistake my realism for pessimism. I like JBU and am very happy to be here. There are lots of issues here that need to be addressed, but I've yet to work somewhere that didn't have issues to be addressed. I realize that JBU is far from perfect, but I don't let it interfere with me enjoying the job and I hope that we can get together soon and start addressing some of these issues to make it more perfect.

I'm just trying to give you my honest opinion that I think it would be crazy to leave the left seat at NJA to come here. For someone in the right seat or furloughed from NJA, I think this would be a great move, but from the left? No way. The daily work and control over your schedule is much better here at JBU than at NJA, but everything else is on par between the two and there are a few things at NJA that are much better than JBU (living in base, free insurance, crew food, etc) and I think they come together to make it a total wash between the two companies, so I'd stay wherever I was making that captain paycheck.

Good luck.

 

[johnsonrod]

A few of us answered your initial question back on the first page. If you're a captain at NJA, leaving there to come to JBU would be one hell of a gamble. There's a little bit of growth and no attrition, who knows when you'd upgrade, but you can count on it taking a while.

I went NJA to JBU and love it, but I was furloughed at the time. Wouldn't have left if I was still employed, and being that I was furloughed, I was obviously an FO at NJA, no way I would have left as a captain. I don't think leaving NJA as a captain is crazy in general, but leaving for a smaller carrier with no union who is ripe to be bought by a larger carrier at any time leaves a whole lot of question marks that I'd never invite into my life if I didn't have to. If FedEx, UPS, Delta or SWA were calling, I'd leave there in a heartbeat.

I don't commute, so I don't know about the sched's for commuters.

Upgrade will definitely be faster on the 190, but the timeframe for that is impossible to predict. We're growing slowly, but not losing many to attrition or retirement. Without attrition, the company basically needs to double in size for you to upgrade. How long will that take at 6-8% growth per year (in a good year)?

Insurance is crap compared to NJA. It's crap compared to a lot of insurance, but it's particularly crappy compared to NJA. It's way more expensive (obviously, compared to free) and is not nearly as comprehensive or generous with coverages.

I'm in year 1, I'll make mid 50s this year, guess I'll do around the 70s next year? Not sure, I'm not there yet.

Don't mistake my realism for pessimism. I like JBU and am very happy to be here. There are lots of issues here that need to be addressed, but I've yet to work somewhere that didn't have issues to be addressed. I realize that JBU is far from perfect, but I don't let it interfere with me enjoying the job and I hope that we can get together soon and start addressing some of these issues to make it more perfect.

I'm just trying to give you my honest opinion that I think it would be crazy to leave the left seat at NJA to come here. For someone in the right seat or furloughed from NJA, I think this would be a great move, but from the left? No way. The daily work and control over your schedule is much better here at JBU than at NJA, but everything else is on par between the two and there are a few things at NJA that are much better than JBU (living in base, free insurance, crew food, etc) and I think they come together to make it a total wash between the two companies, so I'd stay wherever I was making that captain paycheck.

Good luck.

Fantastic response. Good, objective look at the situation from someone who would know what he's talking about from personal experience... Very refreshing!!!!

 

[Lake Alice]

I would still leave regardless of the seat I was in at NJA. The ability to manipulate your schedule is immeasurable. With a small child at home I have the ability to help my wife anytime. I struggle to think how difficult this would be working a 7 on/7 off schedule. If you are willing to live in base, in my opinion, the airline lifestyle is much better. With a sibling who is on reserve he is home a tremendous amount. Don't get me wrong he isn't making captain pay but you can't put a price on spending time with family.

 

[Heavy Set]

I would still leave regardless of the seat I was in at NJA. The ability to manipulate your schedule is immeasurable. With a small child at home I have the ability to help my wife anytime. I struggle to think how difficult this would be working a 7 on/7 off schedule. If you are willing to live in base, in my opinion, the airline lifestyle is much better. With a sibling who is on reserve he is home a tremendous amount. Don't get me wrong he isn't making captain pay but you can't put a price on spending time with family.

With all due respect to the JB guys out there, I'd probably consider leaving Netjets if opportunities at Delta, Fedex and UPS (once furloughees return) open up. Don't get me wrong, JB is a great airline, but from what I gather, health insurance is sub-standard and upgrade time could be longish. You also don't see industry-leading pay like Fedex, Delta and SWA and you probably never will at JB. I wouldn't say you see many people leaving Delta, Fedex and UPS for JB - it's always the other way around. True that upgrades at the others will also be quite long, but at least you get great pay, good benefits/insurance, equipment variety (not important to everyone), route variety (shorthaul and longhaul depending upon your interest) and, in the case of Delta, a mix of good domiciles around the country if you don't want to commute much.

Evidently Delta will be hiring big time in the coming years (and a new contract with a pay bump likely in the next few years) - I'd go bug your Delta buddies for recommendations IF you are interested in leaving Netjets. Personally, if you enjoy your Netjets job and you like the adhoc nature of flying that you do, then I would probably stay and look forward to a seat in a Global down the road (I fly the CL300 and I enjoy it). Just my opinion and others may differ...

Good luck

 

[crjdude]

Thanks to everyone for the well thought out replies.
Helped a lot.

Blue Skies
crjdude