Bottom line with very few exceptions this job is now day trips. You need to live in base unless you do not mind only being at home 8-10 days a month. If you consider you have to commute possibly on your days off and spend every single day away at base. Driving to and from crash pad daily. You also need to live close to your airport as the commute will be too much if it is day trips. The dynamics of this job are completely changing. I agree that there are pilots who want to do that type of stuff. There are plenty of young guys and gals that are going to get very bored and move on. You will do the same 1-2 airports every day. I heard from scheduling the BFI based pilots will pretty much just do BFI-PDX-BFI. 20 minutes legs in crappy weather daily...I know this is all new and adjustments will come but that is what we see now.

 

Things are bound to change when they plan on growing the operation and hire near double the pilots. It’s going to require some patience. So far its still better than walking from your crashpad to your frozen plane in windy sideways snow.

 

Dang I was under the impression every base would have 1 or 2 reserve lines. How feasible is it to transfer to a base with the most reserve lines? I know that could make the commute harder and would be a moving target with all the growth. Maybe a better schedule trading system is the cure where guys getting stuck with reserve lines who want day trips can swap away to a commuter?

 

My base doesn't have any reserve lines either. It is my understanding that this is just an artifact of being a short month, and from next month every base should have some reserve lines.

What will be interesting to see is if reserve goes junior or senior. I will definitely be bidding reserve myself if the fixed lines end up all approximating a 4/3 or 3/2 schedule. The 8/6 was one of the big selling points for the company and is very important to me personally, so I will do the reserve thing if that's the only way to keep it. As far as what happens within those 8 days I don't care if they're day trips or I'm gone all the time, as long as the pattern is rotational.

It will also be interesting to see if with a more automated scheduling system we will have the opportunity to have more dynamic trades, drops, and pickups. That will definitely help to fine tune schedules to everyone's liking. In the training modules we were given it seems like that will be a possibility and it would be a big improvement if true.

 

I spoke with someone who was involved in the scheduling department and testing of the Nav Blue system. They told me only BUR will have resevere lines moving forward for Captains because they have too many there already. Not sure about FOs. There are no 8/6 options on the lines I have to choose from. Spoke with a FO based in LAS and he said there were not 8/6 lines there either. With pretty much only day trips moving forward you have to live in base.....period. Also, I would make sure you have a pretty short drive to work.

 

I just wanted to ask you a few things if anyone could answer me.
First of all, Is it a possibility for an American non-citizen with a 1-year work visa permit to work for the company?

Secondly, I would like to base it in DFW and do you know when the DFW operation is going to start?

Thirdly, Right now I have just 634 hours total time, and I'm still working as a CFI to build more hours. Hopefully, by the end of May, I'll get 1000 hours with 250 Multi times. Do you think I will be accepted by that minimums?

Lastly, do you have any suggestions when should I apply for my application to the company?

 

1) Probably could be a challenge. JetSuite and JSX doesn't provide sponsorship.
2) Best advice is to keep building time. JSX has been interviewing around 1200 TT mins as of lately.
3) Dallas opens up as a gateway base in July.

 

For the Gateway base, I don't really understand the concept? Is it more like the airport for you to commute to work or else?

 

Correct. Start and end your trips in base with positive space travel to the aircraft. I wouldn't factor that into your decision-making process though as all of our other bases are not gateway bases. Imagine that changing to a normal base in the future.

 

I just recently learned that JSX is no longer hiring for Southern California (KBUR &KSNA) that their availability now is for Seattle and Las Vegas. Does anybody has a general idea if I am awarded, let’s say, Las Vegas (or any other base) how soon will I be able to change base to either KBUR or KSNA? That’s main reason that attracted me to this company. Thank you in advance.