Just giving you crap. You will like it here.

 

FWIW..I was told the same when I was down there two weeks ago.

 

I was there less than a week ago and they said the same thing. Hope this helps.

 

First post, so take it easy on the rookie...I'm #16 on the list, not sure I'll get a call if/when they start training back up. If I do, I will be looking at a long commute for the first few months at least.

I'm retiring from the military and this would be my first commercial gig, hence I know precious little about reserve schedules...can someone shed light on E190 JFK reserve duty?

Specifically, is there any flexibility to bunch the duty days as tight as possible or are they set more firm like a 4 on/3 off? Just trying to figure out if the long commute would be an option or should I execute a move to minimize the separation from a young family.

I have a few friends at jetBlue but they are all 6-8 year Captains and subsequently forgot what being on reserve is like.

Thanks a bunch.

 

Howdy,

Reserve sucks anywhere you go, but when compared to other major airlines, JB is particularly bad. There are a few things you can do to minimze the pain, however.

Try to bid 6 days a row on reserve followed by several days off in a row. With our work rules, that at least opens up the possibility of getting some long call days (14 hour callout) vs. the standard 2 hours. If you don't get the schedule you want, you can always attempt to modify it during the Flica windows.

You're on the hook for 18 days a month, and you'll mostly get short call, so you will be spending a lot of time in NY. They say that they'll try to start you late the first day, allowing you to commute in that day, and release you early the last day, but it doesn't always work that way. 0300 starts are not unheard of. An additional feature of JB reserve is that, unless you're very, very senior, you'll have an opportunity to work every weekend and all of the holidays, which is nice.

During the slack months, like September, you can usually expect a couple of extra days off added to your schedule.

Even though it sucks, I would plan on commuting vs. Moving my family. First year pay isn't going to be that great, and the costs within a couple hours of JFnK are pretty high.

To be honest, sitting on the bottom of the list at JB isn't looking like too great of a career plan either. With all the retirements coming elsewhere, I would make sure to spend your time on reserve looking for other employment, and I say that as an 8 year Capt. who is looking to get out.

I hope that helps. Good luck.

 

Stanky left out the most charming part of reserve. Spending countless hours in a crashpad in Kew Gardens NY waiting for the phone to ring.

An ode to Kew:

I have nothing to do,
in the middle of Kew.
Sitting 6 days straight
ive lost track of the date.

Beers at the Kew Club and pizza at Dani's
the resemblence to hell is getting uncanny.
But finally, today is my last!
It's the end of short call and i'm off like a blast.

I pace and pace while I wait at the gate
the flight is delayed and oversold by eight.
Tomorrow is my only day off
to take care of my kid's nasty cough.

The beacon is on, and cargo is closed
the gate agent says "sorry, you're hosed."
Now there is nothing I can do,
so I hang my head and go back to Kew.

 

Reserve is what you make it. Go out, have dinner, walk around. Kew is a decent place in the spring, summer and fall. Lots of crews out making the best of it. Like most things jetblue reserve is a joke but the you can make the best of the time you have there. With the amount of pilots flight ops is expecting to leave your time on reserve should be shorter than most.

 

Thanks for the replies, good info on how reserve scheduling works and life on reserve in general.

Much appreciated.

 

Just a heads up on the E190 and JFnK...they're cutting down on the number of E190 FO's and increasing them in BOS. I only know this because they're expanding E190 Ops out of BOS, plus 10 dudes recently transferred from JFK to BOS, knocking me down 10 places (thanks fellas!). I only sat Reserve for 2 1/2 months before holding a line, but now that I've moved down 10 spots, I'm looking at holding Reserve again for September.

Agreed what the guys said above about Reserve, but I drive in from ALB and have relatives in PVD, so I never really got a crash pad. So my advice is to look for crashpads in both BOS and JFK.

 

I could be wrong, but it seems that being an 8 year JB captain is not the worst position to be in. I suppose with so many retirements coming though, one can look forward to sitting in the right seat for something over a decade instead of the current 16+