BusBoi

I'd like to enter that chat with a hypothetical.

I see Breeze is still hiring DECs for the A220. I'm currently a captain at Spirit, just under 500 heavy jet PIC (the min Breeze wants for DEC). I live in NJ, currently commuting to reserve in FLL, although we should be getting a Newark base soon (I hope). Spirit continues to falter, with our management now saying as many as 70 planes may be parked next year. I had an interview with United a few months ago and they said no. I've been applying to AA and Delta and so far no calls.

If Spirit continues to falter and especially if I get downgraded, would DEC at Breeze be an unreasonable career move?

For consideration, how long to hold a line as a captain in BDL? What's the reserve call out time? I'm about a 3 hour drive to BDL. What's the breakdown of 1/2/3/4 day trips? Is there any schedule flexibility (can you drop/swap reserve days, etc)? I know of one person from my previous regional who's at Breeze, a Connecticut native, and I think he likes it.

usmc-sgt

As an outsider with no connection to either, never.

Id no question sit tight at Spirit and keep applying to legacies. There is no upside to a lateral move to Breeze.

bluespoon

You’ve got fast wifi, entertainment using your own device, you’ve got food, new planes and direct flights bypassing hubs. Customer satisfaction and NPS scores are through the roof, not sure what in the world you’re talking about. Also I really hope we don’t get an Allegiant style contract where we make 57 bucks an hour!

bluespoon

Only you could know how bad it might get at Spirit. If it’s bad then yea you should come over especially if you’re in the BDL area.

bonvoyage

Snack boxes. Lmfao. Sure, we have plenty of snack boxes, help yourselves!! Amazing that you skipped every truth to everything else I said and picked in the food. Food (snack boxes) and internet, as long as you bring a device! We are certainly competing with Delta One.

lol. And flying over Dallas to go to Gulfport Mississippi! Move over airline industry, we’re coming through!!

Swapapotamoose

Alright this is just my opinion. I spent a few years as a breezyboi and my intuition was right most of the time.

I just had an AA recruiter on my JS. He said they will be hiring full steam ahead after the summer. This will be AA’s biggest summer schedule ever! They needed all hands on deck. You’ll get called, specially if you have PIC.

I believe Spirit will be fine tbh. Going to breeze from spirit is a lateral move at best. If you were an FO maybe, but you’re already a captain. You’re taking a pay cut and a QOL hit being at the bottom.

If you move to a base you might enjoy it , but from my experience Breeze is the worst airline to commute to. Worse than the regionals. When I left, my QOL was 10x better , even though I initially commuted. Now I’ll be upgrading next year and I’ll be making $100 dollars an hr more than when I left + 17% DC into my retirement. I have 25 years left. That’s millions of dollars over my career. I also got into this for the travel, you can’t compare the travel benefits breeze will offer vs the legacies (wife and I consistently get first class to Europe).

breeze is a good stepping stone but compared to established airlines, it only beats the regionals. As the legacies slow hiring overtime, breeze will have absolutely no reason to pay industry standard rates. You WILL always make less money than your peers. Azul A330 pilots are the least paid heavy group in the world, that was a title they earned and it’s probably still true. I like DN, I believe he is mostly sincere , but he is a business man and he does not believe in rewarding the work horses. If I were you I would not leave spirit and gamble on breeze. Breeze is also dealing with P&W issues.

good luck!

bluespoon

What about JetBlue pilots? Are they the least paid narrow body pilots in the world? All we need is the DC and this place would be good to stay at. Pay was ok until Delta went up to 300 an hour for the A220. You come here for the schedules and seniority. Not sure how long it takes to have 18 to 20 off and day trips all month as a Captain at a legacy but it can’t be as fast as here. Of course if you want to fly heavy international, big planes with higher pay rates, go to a legacy. But that’s not for everyone.

Swapapotamoose

They are not, does DN have any control on how much B6 pilots make? Because he does at Azul. Ask any JB pilot who was there in the beginning and they will tell you that DN had famously regretted sharing the company stocks with them, and was once quoted saying that he paid them too much. When I came to breeze I thought the stock was going to be dished out to all of us who were there from the beginning. That didn’t happen. Listen man you obviously like it there , and that’s okay. To each their own , but someone who’s a Capt at spirit shouldn’t be jumping ship to Allegiant 2.0. Breeze will always follow the allegiant model which is keeping the controllable operating costs as low as possible, the biggest one being pilot salaries 😉.

BusDrivrr

Can anyone share what their monthly schedule looks like? Debating how rough commuting to BDL would be like initially. Any guesses how senior RSW may be?? Hoping TPA and MCO keeps it junior.

bonvoyage

Almost all of the trips leave before 8am and return after 9pm. So you will commute in the day before, and commute home the day after. IF you’re a line holder. For reserve, enjoy 12 days off and no crashpads around an airport like BDL. TPA and MCO have crashpads because other airlines are based there