Originally Posted by ZapBrannigan

I left jetBlue after six months for SWA because the commute was untenable and I couldn’t move to New York or Boston, plus my friends at SWA bragged about their unparalleled schedule flexibility, productivity, and more days off.

At the time, pay was much higher at SWA too. Now, the pay is pretty close to the same and JetBlue’s retirement either is already or soon will be 1% higher than SWA. My class at JetBlue upgraded a year ago, while barring a recession or merger it will be another 3-5 years before an upgrade is possible at SWA.

Since they upgraded (most to the 190 but one or two to the Bus) their pay has jumped ahead of mine. I can come close to matching their 190 Captain pay but i have to bust my rear to do it. They pay for ancillaries such as uniforms, parking, etc. but SWA’s vacation overlap blows JetBlue’s vacation out of the water as far as time off. I think they can still sell back PTO at time and a half though... not sure. JetBlue offers commutable lines (built by PBS) where as most lines at SWA will require a commute on one end or the other.

JetBlue wasn’t afraid to spend money on the airplanes so things like window shades and printers remain installed on the airplanes where as at SWA they are removed (printers remain on the ETOPS airplanes). The SWA product for passengers is not even in the same league as JetBlue. Their Mint class product is truly industry leading. Their brand is aspirational so it’s common to see celebrities Tweet about flying on them. Their WiFi is best in class. Most legroom, TVs, snack-bars on the 321 between Mint and coach etc..

All in all there are pros and cons to both carriers, so it really comes down to where you want to live. With 11 domiciles there is likely a SWA domicile somewhere that either you want to live at or is an easy commute for you. JetBlue’s aggressive expansion might result in a faster upgrade and therefore more money in the short term. Any forecast over 5 years in this business requires a crystal ball so no point in speculating beyond that.

Needless to say, I agree with Whack. Delta, American, United and the freighters, then SWA, JetBlue, and finally the ultra LCCs. Good luck with your decision.



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