I too hope that no one is furloughed, but I assume JBLU language is similar to what's in most ALPA contracts concerning furlough protection, and during 9/11, those furloughs were deemed out of the companies control even though those were actually MUCH MORE of an economic downturn related than this time during a pandemic and the 9/11 event was just the trigger which allowed the company to correct to the size that needed to be obtained for the current demand.
Back then the arbitrator declared it was out of the companies control and allowed two months pay.

I was furloughed during that time, I will say that I found work quite quickly because starting on 9/12 I planned on being furloughed and started looking immediately. When my furlough came in November of that year, I was already on my way to a new job, but those who did not plan on the furlough were often a day late on getting on with their lives. Even those who were at the bottom of the list (not furloughed but close) experienced a less than desirable work situation as they were repeatedly displaced from base to base and sometimes to other equipment as the airline gyrated at its smaller state for awhile before the trajectory turned. Many of them would rather of found something stable to do in the mean time on a LOA rather than suffering that experience for a few years. You can always come back when/if things get better.

Parking airplanes (and furloughing) due to passenger demand or loss of revenue / profits is considered “under company control”...

23.C.4

The term “circumstances beyond the control of the Company” includes, but is not limited to, a natural disaster; labor dispute (strike); grounding of a substantial number of the Company’s aircraft by a government agency; reduction in flying operations because of a decrease in available fuel supply or other critical materials due to either governmental action or commercial suppliers being unable to provide sufficient fuel or other critical materials for the Company’s operations; revocation of the Company’s operating certificate(s); war emergency; owner’s delay in delivery of aircraft scheduled for delivery or manufacturer’s delay in delivery of new aircraft scheduled for delivery.

...The term “circumstances beyond the control of the Company” shall not include the price of fuel or other supplies, the price of aircraft, the state of the economy, the financial state of the Company, the relative profitability or unprofitability of the Company’s then-current operations.

Good luck, all I was saying was that 9/11 furloughs were more economic reaction than pandemic so far and they were allowed to be used as Force Majeure and considered beyond the company's control to not only furlough, but pay the reduced furlough pay.

Agreed, and the industry-standard furlough clauses after 9/11 were written with that 20/20 hindsight. When my 9/11 airline was in BK, the lawyer from ALPA National told us our No-Furlough clause wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. His exact words.

He said that going forward, furlough protection would have to take the form of making it very specific and financially painful to furlough, without saying they can’t furlough.

Our furlough section clearly spells this out. Even in BK, the company is obligated to follow this section, unless we give it away as concessions or they take it in 1113. Will they follow the contract? That’s a different question altogether.

Great, best of luck and hope they don't need it anyway.

This poses the question as to why ALPA contracts weren't written this way to start with.

Trying to add something positive to a B6 discussion.

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/ans...-companies.asp

B6 positioned well for the recovery with low debt, (see above article). B6 positioned well for future with A321LR/XLR and A220-300's, (see below article).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/deandon.../#2c6cb73067b9

Not trying to be critical of any other Airline, just trying to add some optimism to a B6 thread that is mostly negative and discussing furloughs. Hopefully all Airlines recover smoothly and nobody has to furlough. Good luck to all.

I’m thinking buyout offers for pilots say....at age 50. Guaranteed 50 hours a month, 401K contribution, health care, and travel benefits for 15 years. I’m in. Let’s do this.

GONE!!

in
a
heartbeat!

Honestly, how many pilots do we have above 60? 55? I’m sure someone has an easy spreadsheet