Quick summary of JSX from someone who just joined recently:
This is an operation that’s slowly but surely becoming a 121/135 hybrid and I mean that in the best possible way. You get the best of both worlds. Yes, we do the flight planning and w&b (all on the iPad through Arinc Direct) but we have an entire staff of in house ground crews, gate agents and mechanics at each station. For those of you asking if it’s possible to get a part time job here, you must not be taking the company seriously.
I just wanted to outline a few things that have not been mentioned too much and that separates JSX from the regionals and low cost carriers:
1. Crew meals. If you fly 3 legs or more in a day you can spend $50 on the company provided AMEX (everyone gets a personal expense account) which basically means you rarely ever pay for food while on duty. Company also pays for all your Ubers to and from the hotels (no need to wait for hotel vans).
2. Bases. You can pick the base of your choice (OAK, LAS, PHX, BUR) and get it right out of training. The only base that is not listed and that will require some seniority to bid is SNA. It is rumored that San Diego and Portland will be the next 2 destinations added to the west coast (not sure if they will become bases).
3. The Operation. You show up and the plane is a 60 second walk from where you enter. The removal of the busy commercial airport operations and the precious time you save dealing with that over the course of a year (parking, kcm checkpoints, walking from one end to the other, waiting in line etc...) is quite the gem. You still do get KCM and CASS privileges.
4. Bidding. We are migrating to NavBlue where we’ll do true line bidding in a few months. For now, the company does its best at accommodating your preferences (sleep in base, early/late starts, weekends etc) and from what I’ve seen, they work hard to accommodate you.
5. Benefits. The major ZED agreements right now are FedEx, Spirit, Frontier. Bennies with Southwest and JetBlue. Rumor is that Delta will be added by end of year to Zed.
6. Money. This is a company that is backed by JetBlue and Qatar. This is such an important point. This allows JSX to truly focus on growth through strong financial backing and partnerships. They are spending a ton on growth and most importantly the customer experience which is literally the one and only thing that sets us apart from ANYONE and it will be the one and only thing that will bring explosive growth. The focus on the customer, which is the exact opposite of what majors and regionals do.
7. Chief Pilot. This is a big one. The guy who’s in charge of us is someone who has battled and seen everything that’s wrong with regionals and LCC’s as it relates to pilot culture and QOL and has set quite the tone in regards to how much he cares that you come to work happy and content. The pilot group at JSX is one of the best I’ve seen and everyone truly wants to be here as opposed to walking around with the typical mentality of “get in, get out asap” and believe me, if that’s your plan, they’re good at weeding you out during the recruiting process.
8. Upgrade. If you have the time and experience you’ll spend no more than 30 days on the right seat. There is no lag here or wait, they understand the growth that’s coming in 2020 and want to upgrade as many people as possible as long as they show they can handle the airplane and get accustomed to the operation. This is a proactive operation that’s run as such, not a reactive one.
9. Pay. $130k-$150k a year is doable 1st year on left seat if you pick up some extra days. Lots of incentives and extra pay opportunities here.
10. Management. It’s a well managed place with smart people who are forward thinkers. This place feels like a silicon valley tech company and they always welcome your feedback and treat you with respect.
11. Uniforms. Leave your hat, blazer and epaulets at home and let em collect dust. Our uniform consists of black Nike pants and a black mesh polo and is very comfortable. They also allow beards/facial hair if you’re into that European pilot look lol.
I hope this provided some insight. Glad to see more Compass people joining the group.....