While I was getting my masters degree, a professor made a great observation. The day the airlines stopped paying travel agents commissions and created on-line ticketing and on-line ticket sites (ie Orbitz) was the day they created their own demise. They succeeded in teaching the flying public how to search the web for the cheapest fares and book the fare that saved them $5 over the next guy. In fact it taught the public that if they wait till the last minute then they could get an even cheaper fare. THAT happened way before JetBlue was on the ramp at JFK. That one decision led to passengers refusing to pay $1200 to fly NYC to LAX. JetBlue merely figured out a way to take advantage of that.
As far as pilot pay and benefits, there are a whole lotta USAir, UAL, AAL furloughees that JetBlue is taking off the streets. You know the guys ALPA and the top 25% in each of the legacy carriers has forgotten about to save their own pensions! I am fresh out of the military so I am new to this, but trust me, if FedEx and UPS would hire every available pilot, nobody would be having this discussion and we all would be able to stand together. But as it stands now, the ones who ***** the most are the ones who are high enough up the seniority ladder not to worry about getting furloughed. To them it’s better that they keep their $250K+/year and 90hrs/mo while their fellow union brothers collect unemployment. How is that protecting the profession?
Lastly, while every JB pilot agrees that both the 190 pay and the upper pay-scale at JB need work, Neeleman at least kept the 190 mainline and didn't sell out to a regional. These 190 pilots of today are 320 Capts in 2-3 years. (Are there any Comair or Eagle pilots who can say the same?) Let's do some math; E190 pilots can expect ~37,000 the first year and ~72,000 the second. That’s ~109K for 2 years. The best one can make at UPS in two years is ~27,000 and ~76,000 (~105K).
Am I way off track?