1st/2nd year practical issues
 

Hi,

I just got notified that I'm in the pool. I don't have other options right now. I would appreciate some information about the following please.

Currently, how long does it take to hold a line on the A320 in JFK and BOS.

What is the most junior date of hire for an A320 BOS FO.

What are the minimum days off on reserve, and what is the greatest number of block days off you can bid for when on reserve.

What's initial training like, and do you look forward to recurrent training. Is it a 'training' culture, or a 'checking' culture.

Looking at threads from two+ years ago, it seems that morale has sunk quite low since then. Considering that some of the issues now, were present then - cleaning aircraft seats, and reserve rules - is it largely money, or has there been some other culture change that has compounded the money issue.

Thanks

Think it's under a year to hold a line in JFK and probably a year or a little longer in BOS. Close friend of mine has been at Jetblue for 6 months and was awarded a Relief line in JFK. Mostly red-eyes though, but if you know how to swap around your schedule, then you might avoid some of them.

Min day off on reserve is 12 days...add in a Pre-Release day or maybe two, you can get 13-14 off. Also allowed to drop one day if staffing allows it, so theoretically on the slow months you can get 15 days off on reserve.

Training is about as relaxed as any part 121 AQP program out there. Welcome to the pool...been at JB for about two years and still happy with my decision. I don't commute, so that might have something to do with it.

Thx for the info!
 

Thanks for the good info and no bashing!!!! I am heading to class on the 9th.

Keep in mind that according to management there will be no contract at least till 2020.

Disregard...

You will also earn 9 hours of PTO per month and can use that to get more days off. If the reserve levels are green you can PTO a day for 4:12.

What’s training pay and realistic first year numbers?

Don’t do that unless you have to. Pto is worth far more as an awarded vacation or sell back than straight dropping a day.

To the OP:
18 days on a month for reserve, 75 hr guarantee. You can drop one day unpaid if the grid is green (above min coverage) down to 70:48. After schedules are awarded they go back and look to see if the can pre release everyone for one day ahead of time. They do multiple rounds of this. So in a slow month you could have a couple dropped ahead of time. We do have long call but it’s on a carrot and day by day basis and if you’ve got a 5 day block of reserve you’re assuredly coming up for the last couple. Not sure if they fixed the 6 day on reserve issue(30hours off in a week) but if they did you could theoretically do 6 on 2 off three times and then have the last 8 days of the month off. It’s pbs bidding.

Quickest way to a line historically in the northeast is the 190. Pay is the same first year and virtually no red eyes.

Classes are usually a mix of Bos/Jfk 320/190. Pick the plane you want, you’ll be able to swap between those two bases on the next system bid if one isn’t available to you in class. Big difference in seniority in Boston on the two planes. Jfk is more similar on the FO side.

Hard to answer your culture/morale question as everyone has a different reason why they are angry or happy. Personally the dragging on of the negotiations and the abysmal on time performance has taken away from my quality of life. It’s made me a bit of a grumpy “not my job” guy instead of the positive self starter I see myself as. The ponies here can pull pretty hard, but they’re standing around with no oats because the stagecoach driver is asleep in the back. Yes I’m talking to you, Robin.

This is a very good point that I should have included.

You can sell your PTO back to the company at 150% pay rate. 401k is not matched. Vacation pays 35 hours but only uses 24.5 hours and 401k is matched as well. Plus it counts towards revolve earnings for the 3% retirement advantage. So taking vacation is the best use of PTO. The problem is vacation is not allocated or distributed fairly.

All true. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I sat RSV for a year. Only 12 days off is unacceptable and often used the last day so no way of commuting home. Thus, I PTO’d and UTO’d 1 day each month just trying to help my QOL. Long Call was very rare. Last day release was rare. RSV here truly got old fast. Getting a line was life changing. More days off. More flexibility to swap into commutable trips etc...