Whats the fuss over?

[hopeful]

Why do some people get so excited about JetBlue? They act as if it is something special or unique?

Their stock is down by more than 50% in the past 6 months. Profits are down. They are going to start flying RJ's next year.

Whats the big fuss all about?

Not trying to flame blait, but really, whats the big deal?

 

[Stifler's Mom]

This will go over as well as a fart in church.

 

[SWA/FO]

Dude their stock was as high as 70 a share..then they split and its been down a little since then. Being in NYC they get a lot of good media, they are the new kid on the block and everybody likes an underdog.

Not to mention (from what I have heard) they have a good product and employees that believe in what they are doing. Happy employees make for happy customers. What a concept.

They seem to have gotten the attention of Delta and AA. Which I think is somewhat bad considering they don't have the war machine that AA and DAL have.

Who knows about those new jets??

 

[hopeful]

a $70 dollar stock that splits 3/2 goes to around $50 a share give or take. It has been trading in the $23-$26 dollar range lately. (28 on Friday, but not the norm) That is nearly 50% loss after the split.

I was just curious what the "big" fuss was over. Air Tran and ATA are "good" places to work and you don't hear the "big" fuss over them. What gives?

I just feel like the JB guys are so busy blowing their own horns, they forgot to pay attention to the fact that they are not exactly burning up the skys with their performance.

When you start seeing a backward slide, like everyone has seen at JBin the past 6 months, and then you tack on loads of new debt, it just doesn't look good for the future.

JB will be around for a long time and will probably be successful, but it is hard to believe that it will be a great company like SWA in 30 years.

Just thinking out loud.

 

[blahshmah]

You obviously chose the red pill.

 

[B6Busdriver]

Let's just leave this one alone guys.

 

[V2+10]

Hopeful...

There is no "big" deal and no fuss...jb is just a solid group of folks with inspiration and vision...it's quite simple when you really think about it.

V2

 

[MooseTrax]

Seeing that not too many carriers have posted a profit and JB posted a double digit million dollar profit might be worth getting excited over in the current status of the industry. Guys get just as excited about SWA and they should. It is exciting to work for companies that are doing well and are fun to work at. You can sit here and talk about all the lease stuff at JB and the mx and all that, but the bottom line is that if you got into jet blue 2 or 3 years ago and were smart about your money/stock buying, then you are sitting pretty good. You can talk about down the road who will be here and who won't. Maybe JB will and maybe they won't, but when your riding the wave, you better ride it long and hard because you never know when this wave will die, when the next one will be and if you'll be lucky enough to work for a carrier that is on it. So get excited!

 

[AA717driver]

Probably the fact that they're a fun place to work and they've made a good profit during the down cycle.

ATA is eaking by and AirTran is slowly growing. JB is growing AND making money.TC

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

There is an inordinate number of JBLU pilots on this site because all 800+ of us have laptops! Check out a sample of market capitals as of Friday's close:

In Billions:

DAL .843
NWAC .907
AAI 1.037
AMR 2.055
JBLU 2.913
SWA 11.836

Interesting, huh?

 

[skirt]

One of the reasons JB does seem to get quite a bit of attention is that the company has a very interesting leadership philosophy. It is called "servant leadership" where the leaders focus on serving the employees (Crewmembers) rather than the other way around. This is a growing concept in many successful companies, but is a foreign concept in the airline industry, with the obvious exception of Southwest and to some extent Alaska. (There may be others, but I have not familiar with any).

It is a company based on principles and values rather than policies. There is a very big difference. Innovation is unleashed in such an environment, while it is stifled in the more traditional employment relationship.

I'm not saying that this style of company is the cat's meow for everyone. In fact, just the opposite. One of the reasons JB seems to get such passionate debate is because many pilots are not comfortable living in a corporate environment that thrives on "out of the box" thinking. Lets face it, most of us like stable jobs, stable paychecks, stable schedules and control over it all. A work relationship based on "trust" doesn't work for most.

Those at JB, including myself, don't mind innovative changes, as long as we have faith in the leadership, which we do. All this comes down to "servant leadership." This is a very foreign concept to many, thus the heated debates.

Many outside the airline industry are beginning look at the business model, philosophy and leadership style at Jetblue as the wave of the future in corporate america. Again, this causes much debate. Anytime a company steps outside the normal accepted way of doing things, it inspires heated discussion.

I enjoy watching it from the inside.

Does all this mean that JB is better than the rest? Or a better place to work? No, it just means that we are different. People on the outside do not like difference. That is human nature.

Skirt

 

[Skygod]

Wow! That's great stuff Skirt. Now I know all that I'm really glad I'm here.

Didn't know any of it before joining. I had heard that there were crewmeals (I came from American Eagle), then the deal was sealed when I learnt that the hiring process involved no simulator check or tricky technical questions about airplanes you are flying. Whoo Ho!! Maybe I stand me a chance!!

The fuss should really be about how mind-bendingly bad most other airlines are. AMRon, for one, has a poisonious deeply sick corporate culture. At JetBlue caring adults structure the airline so we can fly folks around the country safely and comfortably with respect and trust and fun. Ain't so bad.

 

[G4G5]

have a nice day.

 

[race#53]

on "trust" doesn't work for most. I know I didn't trust my previous airline leaders one bit.

Skirt ,
While i think you have the biggest balls on this forum you should have a little more respect for UAL:

Which airline has the most women pilots?
United Airlines has the most women pilots with 68 Captains, 401 First Officers and 44 Second Officers for a total of 513. The total seniority list is about 8800 pilots.

Some day you will tell us why you left a 150k job at UAL to go to JB for 50K.

 

[skirt]

Race,

I haven't a clue what the stats on women pilots has to do with this thread, nor am I interested.

As for trust and respect. Come on now. Does seamless agreement, mean anything to you? How about the number 570 (hostages in negotiations that were lied to)? How about 2172 (furloughees under a non-furlough clause)? Does a failed ESOP mean anything? How about the bankruptcy and your lost stock? Is "grieve it" a proper response to a contract violation? How many violations are there anyway in any given year.

No I did not trust leadership at my former employer. Doesn't mean they were bad people (in fact most weren't), I just didn't trust 'em, and I certainly wasn't inspired by the bureaucracy. The constant Arab-Israeli style animousity between two sides seems to never end, no matter who is in charge. We tried the soft-fuzzy style during the ESOP, and lasted about a year. Before that, you have to go back to Pat Patterson (CEO in the 60's) to find a guy who deserved to be trusted. I doubt it will ever change at good ol' UAL, though I wish it would for my many friends still there. Simple as that. As for me, my philosophy is that there is more to life than a W2.

To be honest, I think Skygod said it better, and much less esoteric than me:

The fuss should really be about how mind-bendingly bad most other airlines are. AMRon, for one, has a poisonious deeply sick corporate culture. At JetBlue caring adults structure the airline so we can fly folks around the country safely and comfortably with respect and trust and fun. Ain't so bad.

I think I've said enough.

Skirt

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

I've flown with skirt and can say she's an outstanding aviator and also an incredible person with great conviction for the airline industry. In her short time here at JBLU, she's already having an impact on the pilot group with her active contributions to several committees and special projects. In all, if there is a buzz in this airline, call it blue koolaid, it's because of the superb caliber of people like skirt that ply the blue skies.

 

[CatfishVT9]

Their stock is down by more than 50% in the past 6 months. Profits are down. They are going to start flying RJ's next year.

Stock price is a silly comparison these days. The price went way up since the company was a media darling. If you compare P/E ratios, it still trades at a premium compared to other airline stocks. Doesn't mean much about the company. What's your company stock price?

A better evaluation would be industry awards. I think Jet Blue got a few of those haven't they?

Also, doesn't the EMB-190 only hold a few less than a 717? Does that mean AirTran is an RJ operator?

But you weren't trying to flame bait............

Catfish

 

[AeroDMB]

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/

 

[banger]

Aero
Thanks for that link. That was a very good interview with David I hadn't seen before.

 

[FDJ2]

JBLU has been doing relatively well and managed to post a 1st quarter net income of $15.2M, which in and of itself is good considering the state of the industry. In reviewing their 8-k filing although their operating margin fell 4.6% year over year they still managed to post an 11.3% operating margin, which is great. What really jumped out at me that would have caused their margin to drop by over a third is a 275% increase in maintenance materials and repair. The increase in maintenance costs alone account for an additional $9m in expenses for the quarter, which is a significant increase when you are posting $15M in profits.

My question for anyone who would know is, what caused JBLU's maintenance costs to jump up 275% year over year and is this just a one time deal or are maintenance costs going to continue to increase at triple digit rates?

 

[AeroDMB]

Aero
Thanks for that link. That was a very good interview with David I hadn't seen before.

No problem, buy the May issue if you want the article, it's their 2nd write up in that magazine...

 

[Mr Hat]

Another reason maybe this. I know JetBlue has a very Southwesty management style. According to the book "Nuts" which is an outline of Southwests management style, Other airlines are preoccupied with its market value....profitablility is secondary. At Southwest, profitablility is key and the stock price is secondary.....I would assume that its the same way at JetBlue.

At my mainline partner, I have watched them, over the last few years take away EVERY perk that made them great in the late 90's....why because they are worried about their stinkin stock price instead of being the best. Profitablilty isnt as important as having a plan to sell to wall street......Which sounds cute but it really isnt! Why are they so worried about market value? Because they all own 300 million in shares! They make money when the value of the airline goes up, not when the company makes money! Hell, they make the same amount whether the airline makes money or not. Its the good ol boys club gone wrong, these guys arent interested in running an airline, they are interested in gettting their part then getting out. They don't want to leave a legacy behind, they don't want to change things for the better and they don't want to be innovative. They aren't running an airline, they are mining for gold.

Worry about making money and the market value will follow.

 

[Propblast]

I just feel like the JB guys are so busy blowing their own horns, they forgot to pay attention to the fact that they are not exactly burning up the skys with their performance.

I'm sure you mean performance on the stock market. But take a look at performance in terms of DOT numbers (which, by the way they aren't required to participate in). That performance is quite admirable - especially when you consider that they are based in JFK. They are consistently in the top 5 for all the stats. History has proven that if you have that kind of performance your Wall St. performance will follow (ala SWA).

 

[J32driver]

At my mainline partner, I have watched them, over the last few years take away EVERY perk that made them great in the late 90's....why because they are worried about their stinkin stock price instead of being the best. Profitablilty isnt as important as having a plan to sell to wall street......Which sounds cute but it really isnt! Why are they so worried about market value? Because they all own 300 million in shares! They make money when the value of the airline goes up, not when the company makes money! Hell, they make the same amount whether the airline makes money or not. Its the good ol boys club gone wrong, these guys arent interested in running an airline, they are interested in gettting their part then getting out. They don't want to leave a legacy behind, they don't want to change things for the better and they don't want to be innovative. They aren't running an airline, they are mining for gold.

Worry about making money and the market value will follow.

One of the most knowledgable posts I've ever read!

 

[Skank]

If I put everything I thought into words, I would get slapped daily.

Just thinking out loud. [/B]

 

[usav8r]

Oh, and BTW, that EMB 190 regional jet is only 10 feet shorter than the A320.....FWIW......

 

[FlyingFarmer]

....to Mr. Hat

Awright.......

So I'm no Mr. Sunshine, anyone on here can tell you that,
but that being said, Mr. Hat- Your post is dead on-
Well Said. You get the FF,

"Right on Bruddah!"

-FF

 

[Dizel8]

What I do not get, is the glee some people display, whenever jetBlue, as a stock, takes a hit. I must admit, I have had a few "adult frosted beverages", but sometimes it strikes me, as some people are just hoping jetBlue will fail. For the life of me, I cannot figure why. Here we have a company, who truly tries to do the right thing, whether it be to their customers or to the employees.

Yes, the golden age of aviation is over. Lord how I wish, we could all work for the original PAA or Eastern, but such is not the case and never will be again, but some people seem to believe, were it not for the "evil Koolaid drinkers" at jetBlue that those days would return. Like it or not, this is a different game in a different economy.

Do not get me wrong, I wish we could all get the pay of DAL and the contract of AA, but economically, it is not sustainable. Sure, let us raise the prices, but that would lead to fewer people flying, less profits and more layoffs.

Having said that, while I wish to be paid a million a year and only work on wednesday, I feel I am compensated reasonably, that I partake in the profit of the company and that they give a darn about what I think.

When I go to work, I am happy. I try my hardest to give the customer good service and it seems to work. Yes, I drink the Koolaid, because I have no reason not to. The promises that were made have been kept.

No, jetBlue is not perfect, no company ever will be, but the powers that be try and that is something I cannot put a price tag on.

 

[SilentBob]

Everytime I read one of your most eloquent posts, all I can think is, "Wow! Check out that cleavage!"

. . . what were talking about?

Sorry, been having something a little stronger than "frosted adult beverage."

 

[capt. megadeth]

I have no problem with JetBlue other than all of the new hires who walk with their nose up in the air at the training facility like they are better than everyone else. Hopefully they get put in their place on line.