Fins Up

Good. Let's keep it that way.

You sure run your mouth a lot for someone who's too chickensh!t to even say where they work.

CTPILOT

From what I am hearing Jetblue is doing pretty well ok besides the slight losses, B6 is still getting aircraft and new destinations, and taking over the old TWA terminal at JFK. Jetblue is a great company and provide great service.

Velocipede

Are you kidding? B6 is giving back airplanes, delaying orders and losing money. Great company.

OldTimer

Jetblue just today announced 10/hr increases in pay for the E190 FO's and 4/hr (I think) for the Capt.'s effective January of 07. This is on top of the bonuses the E190 pilots recieved: not certain what they are for exactly but it was 250/mo AND 5 hours of "premium" pay (1.5 times pay rate) for each month of the last 6 months on 2006 a guy was qualified on the E190.

What airline in the past two decades has ever increased pay without a contract negotiation fight or given a "sorry we screwed up" bonus?

So if you take employment with JB you'll not only have a 2-4 year upgrade (conservatively speaking... at the moment new hires are looking at only 2 years even with the change in aircraft orders) but making 47 or 51 dollars/hr as a 1st year pilot, no probation, 9 hours of paid time off each month allocated to whatever you want it for- vacation, sick time, etc..., the ability to SELL back up to 25 percent of that "PTO bank" every Dec., profit sharing (yes none for those guys this year but lets see what happens next year), no loss of 2% of your pay towards union dues (wether you like them or not), new equipment, definite expansion and oh- btw- there have only been 4 guys fired (out of 1600) and that had nothing to do with the contract... I dunno...I can honestly say that if I didn't have serious seniority already I'd go there or SWA- they seem to be the only two in my book that are doing things right for now.

I've read a buddy's contract and, as a former contract negotiator, I didn't see anything there that would be a negative (unless you were planning ahead of time to screw a company or you thought you deserved 250k/yr for flying 15hrs/mo heh).

By the way, if any of you are truly unhappy there, (although I seriously question if the thread originator is actually a JB employee or just someone pretending) I sincerely hope you leave JB and find yourself someplace that makes you happy and give my JB friends one more seniority slot.

heh- just the thoughts from someone that actually KNOWS people there and has READ the contract.

OldTimer

Puppyz...my buddies at JB say that no one has a hat... in fact one of the guys even has a gotee (which is allowed by company standards). When I was in the service my "cover" (aka hat, flight cap, service cap, etc...) was to be worn only when carrying arms indoors or anytime one was out doors and not "under cover". I feel my company has it backwards when they advocate wearing a hat indoors. One more thing I like about JB personally.

Ganbare

"Cover"...should I say Semper Fi?

Ganbare

Fins Up

How' bout GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!

Jetjok

Well, I know I've got too much free time as I just reread this entire thread. I've stayed out of it primarily because as a freight dog, it's not really my place to comment on you people-flying guys and your airlines. However, here are a few thoughts:
First and foremost - Velocipede, you are truly one ugly Mo Fo. Both inside and outside. You make me want to puke, with your holier-than-thou attitude. What should pilots do to earn a living? Hang around the street corner and sell crack-cocaine to your daughter? Would that make you happy? What's the problem with guys working for an airline that doesn't meet your expectations? They're not asking you to work there, and they're not giving you sh!t for working at the place that you do. Name me one "major" airline whose pay and benefit package has not been reduced by almost half, in the past few years. Does that make you all scabs, because you're doing the work, but not getting the pay or benefits that you signed on for? How about it? If an airline doesn't have a union, it usually means that it's a fairly new airline, or that for whatever reason, the workers have decided that they don't want or need a union. Why is that sooooo bad? We live in a democracy, where we have the right to choose. Who the fu@k died and made you boss, to tell others how they should conduct their business? If you think that they are leading the way to the bottom, I suggest that you and your airline don't follow them. But don't blame them for your company’s inability to be profitable enough to pay you as they did pre-9/11.

Secondly – For Sideshow Bob: Do you actually mean to somehow compare an international flight in business class to a domestic flight in coach? That would be like trying to compare the forward seat in a row boat with a suite on a luxury ocean liner. And besides, I question your patriotism for even flying Emirates. I know for sure that Mr. Velocipede must hate you for riding on that subsidized Airbus. And as far as New Yorkers smelling badly, come on… Haven’t you done any world travel? Ever been in Milan in the summer? How about Miami? These airports are busy places, where folks have to build up a head of steam to get around. They all stink. And by the way, most New Yorkers don’t like you either! I’ve flown Emirates and there’s nothing like the odor of a Middle Easterner (how’s that for political correctness) in a sheet. Nothing! As for the service, it had better have been good, or heads would roll. Literally! Three days after 9/11, we were stuck in Bangkok and our company decided to deadhead us back to Dubai to pick up a jet and fly it back to Paris. They booked us on Emirates. Great service, however, the place stank, as did the boarding area and the first class lounge. And it should be noted that the terminal in DXB is probably one of the newest and nicest terminals in the world. In fairness, I can say, we didn’t stick to the floor there. So you won that round. JFK is a very heavily traveled OLD airport and it’s run by the Port Authority of New York. Don’t blame a particular airline for its shortcomings. I’ve taken a poll of all New Yorkers and they have decided that they don’t want you in their city, ever again.

I’ve never flown Jet Blue, but would certainly consider doing so if it were convenient for me at the time. In this day and age, there’s very little difference between the Legacy carriers and the not-so Legacy carriers. Be it peanuts on SWA or "trail mix" on NWA. When I wear my passenger hat, I frankly don’t care who flies me from point A to point B, just as long as I get there, along with my luggage, in a timely manner. Having said that, almost all my domestic flying is done in First Class, and it’s just OK. Nothing special at all, but certainly better than coach.

I wish you all well in the New Year and hope you seats are always filled (with paying passengers.)

Sideshow Bob

Secondly – For Sideshow Bob: Do you actually mean to somehow compare an international flight in business class to a domestic flight in coach? That would be like trying to compare the forward seat in a row boat with a suite on a luxury ocean liner. And besides, I question your patriotism for even flying Emirates. I know for sure that Mr. Velocipede must hate you for riding on that subsidized Airbus. And as far as New Yorkers smelling badly, come on… Haven’t you done any world travel? Ever been in Milan in the summer? How about Miami? These airports are busy places, where folks have to build up a head of steam to get around. They all stink. And by the way, most New Yorkers don’t like you either! I’ve flown Emirates and there’s nothing like the odor of a Middle Easterner (how’s that for political correctness) in a sheet. Nothing! As for the service, it had better have been good, or heads would roll. Literally! Three days after 9/11, we were stuck in Bangkok and our company decided to deadhead us back to Dubai to pick up a jet and fly it back to Paris. They booked us on Emirates. Great service, however, the place stank, as did the boarding area and the first class lounge. And it should be noted that the terminal in DXB is probably one of the newest and nicest terminals in the world. In fairness, I can say, we didn’t stick to the floor there. So you won that round. JFK is a very heavily traveled OLD airport and it’s run by the Port Authority of New York. Don’t blame a particular airline for its shortcomings. I’ve taken a poll of all New Yorkers and they have decided that they don’t want you in their city, ever again.

Since you're such the prolific reader, you noticed the disclaimer that they were clearly different products right? The main point was the vast difference in one day of travel. That being said, you must have noticed how many of these JB types seem to revel in the troubles at the "legacies" and tend to spout off with pride that JB will run them all out of business...not cool. As I also said I don't begrudge anyone for taking any job to feed their family, but if I were in their shoes I wouldn't take such pride in lowering the bar by taking less for about everything and advocating things like over 8 hours a day which degrades safety and further marginalizes what's left of the profession. These guys could well get nickle and dimed to death and then management will spin JB off into the rather full dustbin of aviation, and they will have helped. As for your nationalism rant, funny how you lowerd yourself to ride on Emirates...careful or you make expose a big bag full of your hypocrisy so perhaps you should mind your panel and your business. Or not.

Jetjok

Anyone who doesn't understand the difference between first class international travel and domestic coach travel has not done both. Of course there's going to be a difference. How could one expect any less. I understand your feeling that these JB guys should not be badmouthing other carriers, but maybe if guys didn't badmouth them, they would not feel so inclined to posture the way they do. I think it's great that guys can actually love what it is that they do. I only feel badly for my fellow professional pilots who have given so much to their profession and company, only to be sh!t on by their employers. but again, I don't think that's happened because of Jet Blue or South West. It's happened because like all gigantic ships, large companies tend to not be able to change direction very well. As far as my riding on Emirates was concerned, I really had no other choice, short of declining the travel, and thusly screwing my company out of a first officer, when they needed me to assist the captain in flying the jet back to Paris. Since we were a crew, the captain made the decision. I would have preferred another carrier, but they were the only game in town at the time.