Agree a 100%

As far as I'm concern, I would have pilots like in the JBU tomorrow. If you are focused on JB; just hang in there, it will happen, if not this year, for sure at the beginning of the next year!
JB is not bad place to be, it has potential to be very good place to settle down, all depends on our pilots to understand that it's all in hands of our BOD and whether the next deal (merger, acquisition, etc) is worth the risk or gets them enough $$$ to move to another gig. For sure JB is better then any regional airline out there, at least you fly for your own airline with its own planes and routes, don't have to wander about next CPAs deals. Few more months, all of you will be here.

 

You must still be here because you aren't qualified for a better job.

 

BD at least he is a realist. JetBlue is a job not a career. You just seem to have your head in the sand. We all appreciate you understanding the need for a union but this place and it's supporters are like a cult.
Name me another airline who is forcing us captains to attend a mandatory class that barely pays you for three days of your time simply to teach you how to do stand up PA's, clean the cabin better and help increase JetBlues overall NPS scores which are directly related to managements bonuses. Lastly its teaching us how to be better captains and to understand where our authority lies which according to jetblue is almost non existent.
Feel free to tout this place as something better than it is because in reality it's not. Of all the airlines this is the strangest is have ever worked for.
And blah, blah, blah...leave, blah, blah, blah...quit. We've all heard it before and that is why pilots are leaving.

 

The idea is to switch for a BETTER job, not just another job.
When the opportunity presents itself, I'll definitely consider it.
I'll know in few months, whether the upcoming opportunity is worth the effort and risk. I have to look on long term employment opportunities (retirements, equipment type, deliveries, and replacements) M&A protections, Scope and protections from outsourcing, overall compensation package; including equipment seat and salary, medical, LTD and LOL protections, and most important retirement benefits that I keep in case the whole deal blows up, bases and easy of commuting if I have to again, route structure and type of operations, etc. But you wouldn't know anything about it, since you keep drinking the blue juice, and you hang on every word that Dave says. What's our total fleet today, and what will it be next year, and in 2022? What is that Organic Growth, they keep talking about? What will be our route structure in 2014 after we take deliveries of A321? How much are they willing to pay us for flying A321, since it requires a type differences training? How many A320 have been replaced recently with new ones? Why is T5i construction put on hold? What prevents JB BOD from taking a deal for profitable merger, is it that illegal not to consider a merger proposal if such deal will benefit stock holders? (Watch the latest video from Our CFO Mark Powers talking about mergers proposals and ROI)
For me jetBlue was just a strategic move, nothing more. It is much better place then regional airline, and I used to worked for one of them, that used to be considered the best in the industry. I'll do whatever it is necessary to make this place a successful airline for both stock holders and pilots. I keep up with it's affairs; equipment and airframes acquisitions, swaps, investments in real-estate, engine purchases, dividends payouts, SEC failings, BOD changes, inter-airlines agreements, CEO, CFO, COO and other upper management salaries and bonuses payouts, stock movement, etc.
So tell me, what makes this place so special, if it is just another ticker on the Wall St. Don't you have a 401K, don't you keep up with your retirement investments, don't you want to protect your assets from another 2008, 1999, 1987, 1937 market crashes in US...? Don't you want to protect your job and position in case of a merger, sell, or acquisition? Do you really think, our BOD is not considering a CBA with our pilots? It would make their job easier in plaining for fix unit cost of labor for a period of 5 or more years. What prevents them from CBA is the flexibility of f...ing you on other benefits, such as medical, dental, vision, LTD, LOL, FSM, retirement, etc. They give you on one side, and take away from another. Just think about it; JetBlue is a business, just like any other ones public traded, they make money because they openly stated - labor cost structure. However, they promise to share profits with labor that helped made those profits. What they do instead? Just like any other corporation rhetoric:We have to pay down our high cost debt, invest in new equipment, increase on return on investment for our share holders, and then we will be able to pay you. So what happens if we loose money? Well guys, we have to tight up our belts, and take some benefits away. In the mean time our CEO, CFO, COO, and others take bonuses either way, whether we have profits or we loose money. At the end they all, will parachute with severance package and other gold benefits; and you will be looking for another shiny jet opportunity, so you can take a picture on the flight deck and post it on the facebook.

 

Great post jetlink.

What makes Jetblue special for BD and others is the fact Jetblue tells him he is special. Jetblue has never shown us industry standard anything in the 10+ years I have been here and they continue that trend today with the insurance/disability adjustments coming next month.
The advertising firm hired by Jetblue during the ALPA campaign won multiple awards for its campaign because it got pilots to believe they were important to Jetblue. They got pilots to believe Jetblue would fix the issues that brought on the campaign.
Has anything changed? Absolutely not.
Has Jetblues strategy changed? Absolutely not.
Do pilots still guzzle the blue juice? Absolutely.

Like you mentioned the key is to make a BETTER move. We already made a move and it didn't turn out as advertised. Now the search begins again. The job isn't bad enough to make another lateral move.

 

I agree...!

 

With all due respect, have you attended the course yet? I just flew a 4 day trip with a Capt. who just went through the leading edge program. He admitted that he went in expecting one thing (a charm school) and came out with a totally different perspective and new appreciation for our company and leadership team. This Capt. is not a "juicer" by any means, but having flown with him before, I could tell that the course had a great impact on him. If you have not yet attended, I might suggest signing up and checking it out for yourself. I wish FO's could go, as I would like to check it out myself. Like I said, I had flown with this guy before, and he treated me just fine. This time he seemed much happier and went out of his way to treat the agents, flight attendants and customers better. He even volunteered to do the walkaround in the sweltering heat so he could bring some water to the rampers! All I can say, is WOW!

Flame away, but I do agree that this airline is much different than others I have worked for, but that's what keeps me happy and coming back!

War Eagle!

 

It is good to here that the program is working. I also wish they would allow FO's to attend.

 

Got the call today for Sept 19th class date, so calls are going out. It seems that they are calling poolies in order for those of you worried.

Question-I live over a thousand miles away, but I'm still considering driving to have a car during the six weeks. Does anyone have any advice on that? I'm not familiar with the local area so I'm assuming that I'll wish I had a car once I get there. Thoughts??

 

Yeah, you'll wish you had a car.....or at least a good friend with a car. Public transit exists here, but it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. I can get from the airport to my house in Kissimmee, but it takes 2:30 hours and two transfers to do it. If you want to hit a grocery store or Wal-Mart, you'll definitely wish you had a car.

Oh yeah. Congrats! Hopefully I'll only be a month or two behind ya!