Originally Posted by
Vernon Demerest
Breeze pilots. Best of luck making it a go with the new airline. Just because we don’t like seeing the pay rates and work rules the rest of us (and those who came before us at our airlines) fought (and continue to fight for) for threatened by upstart rates, it isn’t personal. Don’t let the negative comments on here get you down. Forums always bring out the negativity in all of us. Remember, JetBlue was once a startup that everyone thought would be “just a fad” and it started during a downturn as well (well-it grew through one). Some of you may use this as an opportunity to build time and move on while others are taking a risk at “buying low” and riding the front if what could be a unique wave. Don’t know if you have jump seat reciprocity up and running yet but I hope to meet some of you if you ever need a UAL jumpseat out to Hawaii or somewhere else the 767/757 flies domestically. Neelman has an excellent track record and a good airline mind. Enjoy the ride.
From our perspective, startups can be considered a necessary evil.
Without them, the public/congress would complain about lack of competition and lack of options in the market for the public.
The good news is that startups are hard, few people can pull it off, and by the time they grow to a significant size their costs tend to be in the ballpark with the rest of the industry. We've seen this movie before... with the same director.