JetBlue reserve and commuting
 

For those currently at JetBlue, I'm preparing to apply when the next app window opens hopefully in a few weeks. I live in Denver and my ONLY concern is making the commute to the BOS, JFK on reserve. If there's any JetBlue guys that can speak to this about your experiences, I sure would appreciate it.

Some specific questions I have are;
Where are folks commuting from to get to the east coast?
How many days off while on reserve?
What if you just can't make it in..., commuter clause?
How many times can you commuter clause?
Any other advice would be great! Thanks in advance.

Can't tell you about the commute from Denver.
12/13 days off month on reserve.
If you can't make it they are pretty relax about it as long as it's not a constant problem and you give them a heads up so they can plan accordingly. No set rule about how many OOP (out of position) are allowed before they talk to you about it. If you can't make it in when you need to they tell you to get here when you can and call them when you are in base. They are very understanding from what I've seen as long as you leave yourself several options. Good luck!

They post the next day Reserve Schedule at noon the day prior. So if you start reserve tomorrow, you will know what time you have to show up. On the first day of RSV they try to give you a late show, but being junior you get stuck with a 0300 short call on the first day.

Commuting DEN-BOS should be pretty easy and if you were JFK based the DEN-LGA would probably be your best bet.

Minimum days off/month is 12, but staffing in some bases allows for them giving you an extra 1 or 2 off, which you know about before the month starts (this is on the F/O side, CAs seem to be short everywhere).

I was not on reserve long, but I almost always got late shows 1st day and early shows last day, which is what they try and do unless you specify otherwise. Reserve shifts (short-call) are 10 hrs. Long-call you MAY get, depending on staffing and how many days you are scheduled to be on reserve in a row (the more in a row, potentially the more long-call days at the start), and call-out time is 14 hrs. Also, on your last day, no matter what time you start reserve, if they have not called you by 5pm base time, you are automatically released.

There is no set limit on out-of-position calls, just be sensible about it and don't abuse it. As such, you won't have any problems by not being able to make it in.

Thanks for the great info guys! I sure appreciate it!

Just to clarify, it's 13 days off for long months (31 days) and 12 days off for short months (30 days). You may get 1-2 PRL Pre Release days each month, where a reserve day is removed, but you still get paid. That's typical on the less hectic, off season months like jan-apr or sep-oct. If you bid more than 3 days of reserve at a time, you are eligible for long call reserve. If you don't get used on LCR, then you stay at home in Denver. I have before had 16 days off on reserve with 1 PRL, and 2 unused LCR days, and 13 days off scheduled = net of 16 days off. Additionally you get 9 hours of PTO (Paid Time Off) time each month. Each reserve day is worth 4.2 hours. So if each month you PTO 2 reserve days, then plan on getting two more days off. This is all processed via the internet with instant results (Flica). If you PTO, get lucky with PRL, and get lucky with LCR, it's possible to get 17-18 days off on a well staffed month. Staffing is different for each base, position and plane right now.

Thanks to Flica (scheduling software) trading reserve days is also processed instantly on the internet and is very easy to do. Swapping your schedule around to group your reserve days together to minimize your commutes down to only 3 a month is fairly easy if you do it at the beginning of the month when the staffing numbers are in the green.

All in all, reserve is not that bad. Hope this additional information helps.

Do you guys have the ability to proffer for trips or any ways to try and get trips on reserve or is it just luck of the draw?

Currently you can put in requests of trips that are in open time for the next day.

Awesome, what a breath of fresh air! We have FLICA as well but our management refuses to release control to allow the full functionality that you just described. Hope to get on board someday soon, JetBlue sounds like a great place to be! Thanks again!

Just out of curiosity, what were competitive qualifications at JetBlue last time they hired?