JetBlue is clearly planning some significant capacity cuts in late summer and early fall, to the point that the airline is offering to pay hundreds of pilots to volunteer not to fly.
Continue reading: JetBlue Offering To Pay Pilots Not To Fly
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
JetBlue has been offering VIL (voluntary incentive lines) for several months. This is not something new.
I am hoping Jetblue can make it through it. I know they have Mint which hopefully will help their margins- something that Spirit and Frontier don't have. Jetblue needs to be prudent, trim wasteful flying, stick to their strengthens (NY/Boston - FL/Meixco/Carribean/CA) and continue on. Really hoping marty st George brings back the magic to Jetblue that they need.
Thank goodness Jetblue did not get affected by the IT meltdown, they literally cannot afford to. While I don't wish anyone bad fortune, maybe Jetblue got some additional revenue from Delta customers stuck in NYC and Boston?
out of curiosity: Are pilots limited to doing this one or two months in a row, to maintain currency and stay out of the simulators?
JetBlue's current management realizes they have to turn the business around; given that Joanne and others who are leading it now saw all of the money-losing things that they are now cutting, they were clearly not able to do what needed to be done because of Robin's decisions.
like WN, B6 will be fine because of their decent balance sheet but they have to stem the losses and the sheer timing of Robin's departure means that it will be next spring before B6 has a hope of turning the corner with new growth - if it happens even then
Man I would love to not work for 6 months over winter and still earn 2/3rds pay.
I'd be sunning myself on a nice warm beach somewhere cheap.
With DL graciously cutting their capacity by over 1,000 flights a day with no end in sight, B6 may need those pilots after all to handle all the extra business.
It is a temporary issue. They have nearly 10% of their fleet grounded now. With new A220 deliveries coming, the E190s exiting, the engine issues resolved, and the older A320s restyled, they will have a much bigger fleet to fly in the coming months.
This is nothing new…. These VILs were bargained for by the company last fall and resulted in contractual gains to the pilots. This allowed the company to flex staffing on a month to month basis to mitigate for delivery delays of the 220 and for the Pratt + W issues on the Neo which are expected to peak… you guessed it… this FALL !
@Lucky. This is a win/win. I’m surprised you don’t see the bigger picture
- pilot needs are fluctuating based on fleet grounding/delivery delays and yes seasonality of schedule
- Furloughing someone for a few months can be way more expensive than just offering reduced rate lines
- all airlines have reserves that don’t fly. JetBlue just doesn’t want to pay them 75 hours
500 lines … won’t be used. It will be half of that.
This has been going on most the year. You’re late to the game Lucky!
Yet another imminent sign of death for this abomination of an airline. Its end can't happen soon enough.
Throughout maybe 80% of my last 20 years of working, I would've absolutely taken 2/3 pay for having two months off!
Is it cutting money losing things, or just a recognition that airline profitability is seasonal/cyclical and capacity does not need to be surged in the fall/winter? 10% reduction in pilots doesn't seem like a major reduction, more of a refinement.
I would image many pilots would take a month or two at a reduced rate as long as their position on the seniority list is not hindered as well as their proficiency requirements. Another factor is their benefits package; will it be altered in any way?
I love Jet Blue I feel safer than on other airlines! Flown all the other major airlines and always some problem!