Originally Posted by
Trkytr
JetBlue pay compared to some other companies. Here is how much more on average the other companies make.
Fo. Capt
Southwest. 34%. 33%
Delta A320. 17%. 14%
Alaska. 7%. 7%
Delta 717. 10%. 6%
American 737. -2%. 1%
Continental. -13% -7%
American A319. -14% -13%
United A320. -17% -15%
US Air AWA. -17% -15%
Virgin. -13% -16%
Southwest, Delta, and Alaska pay more and that's the facts. But now consider delta's monthly garuntee of 65 hours. Or consider if you got on at Southwest it will be a 15 to 20 year upgrade. Or how long it will take to get on at any of the 3 above companies. If you start JetBlue and southwest at the same time, but upgrade in half the time at JetBlue which place will you make more money? I have never done the math but I can guess which one would be higher.
Don't let the min guarantee fool you. Delta uses a system that shoots for an ALV(average line value) each month. It flucuates month to month to help flow from busy months to slow months. Your line can be built +/- 5 hours either side, so the 65 hour guarantee is a floor to protect you if the ALV for a particular month is low. All ALV's must meet the TLV(total line value)for the year. Delta reserves average 75.5 hours of pay per month on reserve. As a line holder, you'll rarely see less then 70 hours of pay per month more then 3-4 times per year. In the summer you'll see closer to 78-86 so you're easily making up the difference. With the ability to pick up to ALV(average line value) plus 15 hours, it's very easy to make 90+ hours of pay in the busy months and 75-85 in the slow months.
Your upgrade carrot is not a good thing to base a decision on. It's simply not guaranteed, nor is the better chance. Look at what happened to Air Tran pilots. One should base a decision on pay, QOL, benefits, attrition, domiciles etc. This industry is to shaky too be betting on a fast upgrade.