Gateway select interview
 

Is anyone here going to the July 8th interview, what to expect and gouges after the day visit ?

What does this even mean?

Much fly JETBLUE. Bases fast okeydokey.

Gouge for guys that know nothing about the airlines and want to skip the line in front of qualified guys flying in the industry for a decade? Good luck with that. Happy jetting.

Just wondering if someone with an interview date of July 7th 8th can post their experiences and the day visit agenda here

Q1. When can you get us $125,000?

Q2. Do you know the difference between an airplane and a fish?

Q3. When can you get us that $125,000?

Q4. Are you an active member of the LGB community?

Q5. So, when can you get us the $125,000?

Q6. Do you pledge to thwart the union of over 3,300 JB pilots at every opportunity?

Q7. Could you get your parents to cosign a $125,000 loan?

Q8. Do you enjoy being a brown-noser?

Q9. Did you know that if, for any reason, you don't make it through the program we get to keep your $125,000 and that you'll have a great big black mark on your record?

Q10. Would you like to buy some beachfront property in Nebraska?

That's what I can remember. Good luck!

Rainbows and Unicorns,

GP

Come on guys. It's ok to not like the program, but don't take it out on the individuals that want to be pilots.

I know ALOT of people who want to be pilots. More specifically they want to be JetBlue pilots. They've all been struggling and sweating for 8-10 years TRYING to get to a company like JetBlue. Raising kids on Regional pay. Flying legacy passengers around for years while being spat on by "real" pilots and mgmt. some of them flew combat. Now they want to bring ALLLLLLLLLLL that time, experience, and knowledge to make our pilot group safer, more professional and bring value to a brand we care about.

To spend the better part of a decade squiring this experience was hard work. Now we have a program for people to jump to the front of the line. All for the low low retail prpice of $125K.

So you'll excuse them if they feel a bit short changed by the millennial with mommy and daddy's checkbook. Who "wants to be a pilot"

that ^^^^^^^^

Bam. End of conversation.

Here's some gouge. Jump to the head of the line at the supermarket or Starbucks and see the reaction from those you skipped. That'll be your welcoming committee. I'm honestly trying to help you.

Coopervane nailed it, other than the ever present millennial denigration. Our generation has worked hard and some even flew combat to get here too... Gateway selects don't have to be under 35 to get invited unless I've missed something. Expect a cold shoulder should you pursue this program, you won't be making many friends.

All I'll say is that at 50% on the B6 seniority list ill treat you as any other pilot... for good and bad. Ill be your captain, you had better be up to snuff. (and I'm not a dick up front) Ive worked at the regionals with 300hr FOs, I'm not cool with baby sitting anymore. Hopefully the training works out for you all. You got really lucky to skip all the heartache a lot of us had to endure... the last thing we will do is give you gouge to continue your shortcut.

Like I previous said, hate the program not the people in it. Just like it was the industry that screwed your buddies stuck at regionals, not them personally. I don't like the program either, but to take it out on the ones doing it is rather immature. That would be like a military dude that couldn't afford flight training and had to get all his hours through deployments hating guys that had mommy and daddy pay for Embry Riddle and make it to the majors before them.

That's how I feel about the program, everyone is going to take the opportunity that is presented to them. If the best course of action for me now, depending on my circumstances, is the gateway select, then I am going to take it. A buddy of mine has 10k hours and back when he started, he took the best opportunity available to him at that time, just like most of the people now in the cockpit. It's no different then Wall Street hiring guys off the college, or lawyers having a job before graduating from top universities. JetBlue is a great airline, everyone agrees, so the training given by JetBlue would also be "Ivy League" of airline training. It's only 20 pilots a year, starting in 2021, that's 5 years from now, all the qualified pilots in the pool right now, still have 5 years before the first candidate is even given a class date for QT, and even after 5 years 20'pilots a year is not going to fulfill the hiring need. This program is not stepping on anyone's toes, or undermining the training or experience, it is simply an innovative way to ensure a steady supply of reserve pilots starting in 2021. I heard Delta is also considering similar, might be a rumor can't really say, but it comes from inside. All the people complaining about wanting to get with JetBlue will get sucked to legacies when the retirement starts rolling in, increasing the age from 60 to 65 was just a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Don't worry fellow aviators, there is and will be plenty of seats available to fill, gateway select or not.

It's always the guys with no experience that tell you "you don't need experience."

I didn't know that this program is simply bring a cashiers check to JB and get a seat in the cockpit. Is it .

I thought the candidates have to go through a rigorous selection process, only 24 chosen from 1000's of application based on the ability to multitask, aptitude and personality to be able to multitask under pressure and after that go thru a 15 months training VS 180 day trading at ATP, same ratings... Than work additional 2 years as CFI, then get a new hire date. Having to pass everything at every stage, failed check ride, go home and keep your money.

May be I am wrong, may be it just is bring mommy and daddy's check book and write a check and bid on a flight tomorrow as an FO. I can surely understand your concerns !!

Right there should be a disqualifier for anyone who decides to do this. Anyone who would decide to do this obviously has flawed decision skills.

I think maybe you should be asking the questions in the interview.

What happens if JB is bought before you finish the program?

What happens if, for any reason the program is terminated before you finish?

What happens if you need to interrupt your own training for whatever reason?

What happens if, for any reason the company decides not to hire you as a pilot?

There is so much that could happen over the next 5 years to derail this program. Downturn in the economy. Terrorist attacks. Mergers. Acquisitions. Oil spike. Zika. Meteors!

What I'm saying is that unless you actually get the job you could have a $125k hole in your pocket and a CFII/MEI certificate that may have little value.

Any training program can teach most people which buttons to push. It will be your lack of experience which will come back to bite you (and maybe me, my family and 100-200+ people). Experience cannot be taught. I'd much rather have someone with several thousand hours of left and right seat time in a variety of aircraft than some fresh, excited newb marveling at all the lights, screens and switches. I've flown with some very low experienced pilots. While they generally do a decent job of flying it's the out-of-the-ordinary things they have difficulty with.

Again, you can't teach experience.

GP

Just discourage it. That will be fine.

Only it's not the same. There is no such thing as a line. No one is entitled to a position, or a spot in some line, based on their perceived experience. I have repeatedly tried to work for companies that would rather hire a fresh graduate from a top school instead of myself, with years of experience in my field. That's just life and there are always people that have an easier path to your goal, but that alone does not make it wrong and I don't resent those people.

How many of those same pilots would have jumped on this opportunity had it been available to them when they were starting? Do you really think they would have thought "Nah, I'd rather fly at the Regionals for seemingly endless years while enduring poor QOL and struggling to pay back my training loans, so I can pay my dues!" Give me a break.

Is the position from more experienced folk really "Well, they didn't suffer like I did so we won't respect them". Come on. Aviation training in America needs a re-birth, the profession is suffering at the entry-mid level (although improving somewhat); whether this program will succeed or not is yet to be known, but give credit to JetBlue for at least trying something new.

People that flow through this program are earning their position (which JetBlue gets to decide), albeit in a different way. They are paying for their own training, earning the same ratings, and have to pass the same tests. If they flop, they drop, and they only have themselves to blame.

For those waiting for a call, take out your frustration on greedy Management that has eroded the profession and helped foster an unhealthy Regional model, not on these guys wanting to jump on an opportunity.
The industry simply can't rely on people wanting to fly for nothing anymore, as evidenced by the weekly "PILOT SHORTAGE DOOM" articles that keep popping up.

To the OP: You really need to do your homework. There's considerable information on the web, these forums (and others), about interviewing with the airlines. Had you checked, you would have found sufficient answers, and would have known this particular thread would not be well received here.

Again, just like all 14 of your posts you fail 5o miss the point. YOU WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE TO FLY FOR A MAJOR AIRLINE. I'M TIRED OF THIS PILOT SHORTAGE DOOM and gloom. We get thousands of apps with qualified people every 6 months for 250 slots a year. There is no reason for this program at all. 20 pilots a year? Doesn't do a thing. I'm not a babysitter and none of the other captains are either. WE ALL HATE THE PROGRAM AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL THAT TAKES THIS ROUTE WILL BE A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEIR LINE OF THINKING IS SHORTCUTS

That about sums it up.

Grim04 mic drop. 👍🏼

Recurrent CP brief: 6700 apps for 250 slots this year. No need for this garbage.

Instead of raging with your caps-lock on, please ask your employer (I assume you're a CA with JetBlue) why they're creating this program and inform me, and others, who are interested in this and similar programs. You seem to know something they don't and I hardly doubt they're willing to create useless programs for no reason other than to simply to anger the current pilot group. Let us know what they say.

Also, what you are saying about all pilots hating this program is simply untrue, evidenced by the responses from current pilots in the other thread and on other forums.

The only reasonable argument you have made so far is that there are other, more experienced pilots available today, which I agree with, although it's a moot point as the situation may change in five years (and hours alone do not guarantee you a position...). What will the situation look like in four years? Ten years? What will the situation be like then? My understanding is the program is designed to safeguard against a looming problem, not a current one.

If one of those experienced pilots with an app currently on file at JetBlue (and the other 10+ or so Major/Legacy airlines) doesn't land a job at a major, do you really think it's because of 20 pilots hitting the line 5 years from now?

Applications on file aside, at what point is a pilot experienced enough to fly at a Major? You drive this point continuously but can never provide data or examples. Why doesn't this apply to me if I fly an E-175 with Republic? Does the public know their Regional FO is not experienced enough to command the airplane safely? If that's the case then I won't fly on Regional aircraft anymore due to safety concerns.

I can't tell if the anger is that there are pilots with more hours already on file today, or that the program will create unsafe pilots.

There are guys that got hired at regionals before the new rules with 500 hours, made captain and moved on. Some didn't even make captain and came here. Others spent a long time as captains at other carriers, some did the military route. I personally don't see this program much different then a guy paying to go through an aviation program, instructing, and going to an airline. However many many.... many others do. I would say the majority of pilots here don't like and don't support the program. They all have reasons which they have said in many post. I agree that with all the qualified applicants this program is not necessary. This type of program belongs at the regional level. Jetblue or any other major or legacy is not, or will not be hurting for applicants in the near future, possibly ever. Please listen to this advice, if you go through this program you will never be accepted here if that has not been made clear by now. For the money they are charging you can go to all ATPs or a similar school, instruct, get your ATP, get a job, and if there really is a pilot shortage get on at a legacy or major realitivly quick. Even as the market is right now after a couple years at a regional you should have multiple job offers. Why limit yourself to just Jetblue, for the same time and money you could make yourself marketable to all the airlines. There is no way of knowing how things will be in 5-6 years. If you do this you will be forever mated with one company that might not be around. Look at airline history. These are things you need to learn. Please take your money and time to an aviation school and do it in a way to protect yourself. These are things current pilots know and have lived through. They're frustration comes in two forms. The program is not necessary and there are plenty and always will be many already qualified pilots looking for jobs. And second, you don't understand because your not a pilot. Actually the more I think about it, and this is about as blunt as I can say it, you are just plain stupid if you do this program. Why would any reasonable person not just pay for a real proven program and start building connections and experience to open the job possibilities to more than one airline.

I have tried to give you examples but you won't listen. Most pilots here do not approve of this proggram. I hate to burst your bubble, well I actually am enjoying it, but you still seem to think there isn't a difference between majors and regionals and there end lies your problem. You go to a regional to gain enough experience to handle many different types of situations you can't be taught.

As for why? We have no idea why they are doing it. You actually think management is open with us? That's funny. If you actually worked here you'd k in that they actually do things here to **** us off and try and make us think we aren't as important as we are to this airline.

My anger and the anger of MOST pilots here is for both of those examples. Yes I do think that it will impact more experienced pilots in 5 years. It has nothing to do with apps on file at this time.

I'm gonna say this 1 more time. Anyone going through this program will not be welcome here. We have a program that takes a few pilots that fly for cape air. They have more experience flying in weather, with passengers at major airports etc etc. That program works just fine. There is no need to start a babysitting program.

I have graduated high school and was recently named employee of the month at Walmart. JB still has not called me after a month. I am so tired of paying my dues. When do I get to be a pilot?????

I think the issue might be, that these 6700 apps are also on file at AA, DAL, UAL, FDX, UPS, and the other LCCs. The supply will dwindle quickly IMHO.

I'm not a huge proponent of the program RIGHT NOW. However, in 5 years, the pilot shortage MAY materialize, and if our contract is industry standard or better, I may be for the program then. It's 4-5 years before these guys will hit the line, and who knows what the hiring picture will look like then. I don't believe we'll have even a quarter of applications on file then as we do right now. If you're QOL isn't increasing then because we can't find warm bodies to fill the seats and we can't grow, you will complain that management didn't do enough to remedy the situation. If you're being honest with yourself, just admit that you don't want somebody else to have an easier path than yourself. It may not be the chief reason for your rejection of the program, but I'll bet it's at least in the top 5.

You have not provided examples, but broad generalizations that I have repeatedly questioned you on that you have still not answered with clear and concise answers. They have been reasonable questions, yet your responses have been borderline rambling and I sometimes wondered if you were drunk when you posted due to your temperament and inability to carry a constructive discussion at times. Don’t get too much enjoyment, you’re not bursting anyone’s bubble. For anyone reading, here’s the original thread. Make up your own mind.


So, my United-branded ExpressJet flight I paid $550 for last week, how does the public know the difference? Why am I paying exorbitant prices to fly 1.5 hours on an aircraft operated by pilots that do not have sufficient experience to operate, as you’re suggesting? Are thousands of Regional flights every day gambling the lives of their passengers? Do you really think the Regional model exists to help pilots gather experience, or to save shareholders money? At what point does someone have sufficient experience to fly at a Major? What type of training should they receive? How many hours? Do you believe pilots that go through ab-initio programs are unsafe pilots?

You are basically saying the solution to gain the experience required to safely fly passengers around is to simply do the same thing, only do it with a Regional logo stamped on the plane somewhere. Do you realize those Regional pilots are flying into the same weather and airports that the mainline guys do, or am I wrong there as well?


You sound like a really great person to be around :rolleyes: Like I suggested, how about asking them? Let us know what they say.

I will go back and say, however, that I understand what you're saying regarding situations that can't be taught. I have learned that first-hand myself through my own flying, as I'm sure every pilot has. It is important and I'm not trying to diminish its value, but it is not everything. Quality of training is important. The type of flying is important. The safety culture of your organization, etc. There are a myriad of factors that help create a safe pilot and it's important to discuss what those are.

Exactly. It takes a wide variety of experience to build the knowledge base, skills, and decision making ability to handle the things we see every day. We simply want to share the cockpit with someone who already has that wide variety of experience, not someone who is getting it sitting wide eyed in the right seat of our plane. Classic example of "not in my backyard" but I believe it has merit anyway.

I don't think that the program is an "easier path" or a short cut compared to what I did. I think it's a harder path that costs more money, takes a long time, doesn't give you a wide variety of experience, and at the end only leaves you competitive with one company. I think choosing that path demonstrates poor decision making because of its many risks and large costs.

Actually I am fun to be around but your so thick headed you can't understand plain english. I'm sorry but I'm not the only one on here that has stated the same opinion. Most of the JB pilots are against it and are doing whatever we can to stop this. You have no experience in our industry and it seems you want someone desperately to take your side. Too bad.

Do you think it is ok for a person to go through this program and start on a 777 to gain experience? How about looking into the asiana crash in SFO. Prime example of why this program doesn't work. Look at the German wings....same type of program. A320 crash.

The specific examples you ask for are fodder for your desperate attempt to justify this program in your sad mind. I'll give you an idea of how this works....

You start by learning how to fly in a small plane. Then you learn instrument flying in a small plane. Then you earn the commercial license then multi rating then instructor atp etc etc etc. This is called building upon prior knowledge. You cannot learn how to handle smoke in the cockpit with a hydraulic failure searching for a suitable airport while handling 2 flight attendants 100 passengers without hundreds and hundreds of hours of experience dealing with the basic things associated with day to day flying.

According to you you can learn this as a 1500 hour instructor pilot from a 172 because you'll get trained in a sim. That's not how it works. If that's the case why not let you go straight to a 777?

Let's take a look at two different crashes shall we?

Buffalo Colgan flight 3407. And US Air flight 1549. Inexperienced vs experienced.

What do you think would have happened if you had a more experienced captain on the Colgan flight? Now how about a 1500 hour inexperienced pilot on 1549? Simulators Do not and Can not teach everything.


Like I said before we are not baby sitters and should not be put into a situation where we have to watch a poorly trained and inexperienced FO like a hawk.

This... All day. Every day.

Gateway select interview
 

Edited...

Not worth arguing.

more important to make Jetblue pay you 300hr to fly an Airbus than to give a **** about who they are hiring......stay focused and skip the paint job pride

+3300 JetBlue pilots

Gateway guys may share the cockpit with me but we are not equal. Years of experience 1000's of landings (day, night, vfr, ifr) over 10,000 hours makes me more qualified than a gateway pilot to fly a major airline. You may get "hired" but from the pilot side gateway guys aren't welcome

Gateway select interview
 

One of my favorite Einstein quotes...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...1f29ad17c2.png

Some of you guys are exhibiting some pretty big egos.

Let's talk about egos. I like your example from Einstein very much. I met a 25 year old new hire at JB about a year ago. Daddy paid for all his ratings, no college degree, 2 regionals, no PIC time other than CFI. He had the biggest ego I have ever seen in my 18 years of flying in the military or civilian. Not all, but a lot of these gateway guys will be even worse than him.

Gateway select interview
 

To those applying, don't let the obnoxiously loud minority scare you. Most pilots here are (at worst) ambivalent about the program. It's 20 pilots a year starting in 3-4 years from now, so it isn't a huge stream of pilots competing with other sources. I'm willing to bet that those hired from this program will do better in training than most who have over 6,000 hours. High-time new hires often struggle in training. But hey, if the high time guys make it through training, at least they will be welcome on the line with the egomaniacs on this web board...