JetBird

[Legacylover]

Forget it

Having been involved in this project before I can tell you that the chances that this company will even begin operation is very slim.
Ask them about their AOC and you will find out that even after so many years of preperation they still don't have it and have to rely on someone elses.
Incompetent management with double stories are the base of this all.
Lashing out and basically accusing the Manufacturer of being the cause of this all is not a first time incident.
Have been personally put in a very bad position in public and in front of Embraer because the CEO created a video that was published on Danish TV for the sake of the ego of this person portraing him as the big man and the others as loosers. Just be aware!!

[Go Smoke]

I've had the call. My surname starts with a W.

[Raven1972]

Well I'm not sure if that's anything to go on....I'm still waiting and my surname is earlier in the alphabet...

[Go Smoke]

My post was a response to posts on the previous page suggesting that maybe they were working through a list of applicants alphabetically.

[carlosrate]

My surname starts by R and I havenīt still had the call

[loopyowl]

Hold your horses!

Just spoke to pilot liaison at Jetbird today and she said that they're having a backlog of applications to screen and phone interviews will drag on a little longer than expected. They are getting through the list but had something like 4,000 applications to start with and are phone screening over 500. Sounds like a huge task. So for all you guys still waiting for the phone call just be patient I guess.

LegacyLover - would you shed some light on what you insinuate below - sounds like you've had a bad experience? What specifically happened?

[loopyowl]

RE: Currently happening

Btender - not been online for a few days - damn internet was down!

I took the job in March and officially started a few months later after the delays and that. They actually were production delays btw for all you doubters out there. Just finished my TR in Burgess Hill a few weeks back and I have to say the Phenom is a joy to fly - if even only on a SIM for now You get much quicker at programming the Garmin after practice and they have an IPT to play with each evening after ground school so you're not just going into the SIM blind. Good instructors too.

From what I gather, they are completely back on track now with training slots and TR dates for all the rest of the gang for this year. They've been really good at keeping us all in the loop since the delays and that too so at least we've not been in the dark. Good luck to you - let us know if you get called for face-to-face session.

[The Deec]

Hi LL ,

Having been involved in this project before I can tell you that the chances that this company will even begin operation is very slim .

Are you saying that you were involved in the JB project or a similar start up.

Please tell us more.....

I would have thought with all the $$$$ behind this company that it was recession proof. Stranger things have happened I guess.

Hope your wrong

[wdaniel]

well, i'm a bit far to as in USA right now.....but flexible
miss the call from Wednesday....
Call them back, but I guess they are very busy at this time...applying for an FO position with 4000 hours total time

otherwise thanks for all other feedback

[Legacylover]

Yes I was indeed involved with the JetBird plans to start this business.
Very naive and lacking proffesiolism. Constantly stating that finance was in good order but reality showed the opposite.
Loads of hot air and no action at crusial times. In my opinion, lack of experience and wrong selection of key people are the base of this, in my view, failing business. I believe in the concept but the people working this out are either incompetend or simply do not understand the business.
I stay with my remark before, it will simply not take off! If it does, it will fold right after that.

If they had been serious, recrutement should have started month ago. They just dragged their feet and try to give the world the impression that something is happening by randomly calling people for interviews. No move on deliveries though of their fleet.

[No RYR for me]

Like FOXnews: you decide

They actually were production delays btw for all you doubters out there.

versus

In another sign of the tough economic times, Embraer has more than 10 Phenom 100 very light jets sitting at the factory waiting for delivery as European air taxi start-up JetBird and US charter operator JetSuite struggle to secure financing.

Let me see... Should I believe the CEO of one of the largest manufacturers or a poster on Pprune..

[Legacylover]

For me its obvious, I believe the CEO of the manufacturer.
There is much more to loose in credebility when talking b..s..t. as a respected party in this.
The latter is apperantly no problem for JB. From very reliable sources I know that these aircraft are available and ready for delivery.
Delivery performance agreements in the purchase contract safeguard economical damages and JB is not claiming this!!
It just stinks and I believe that the balloon is about to explode.

[x933]

There's been Phenom's wondering around Europe for a while now, if there was a production delay then one would assume that more people would be jumping up and down and making a noise about it.

I understand those that have lost their jobs recently applying to join - anything has to be better than sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring or the soulless monotony of sending out CV after CV and getting no bites. But for the young guns freshly minted from OAT/FTE/Cabair etc...it smacks of a lot of people not understanding how aircraft get paid for.

The market that JB are going after is still relatively unproven - Blink are just about getting by (and, having seen how much flying they are doing I use that term loosely), so another player coming into the market *will* upset the apple cart. Ultimately it'll end in tears before bedtime for someone.

[The Deec]

I guess alot of you are holding out with the hope of a phone call or maybe even an interview, if your lucky enough to be selected . I wish you all success. Lets just hope that things continue in a positive forward motion, planes get delivered , people get trained and JB succeed with their launch and biz plan.
I guess thats all we can hope for at this stage otherwise all the blood and sweat will surely end in tears !They appear to have put a hell of a lot of work into this project and we can only wish for everyone concerned that all will be well . It seems to be the only show in town right now, and with company layoffs increasing, the industry surely needs these jobs .

[JimJoness]

Actually I have to disagree. I do not wish them well and I hope they will not succeed. My reasons ? Bad salary and a VLJ is for a pilot for sure not the nicest aircraft to fly.
There is a more or less fixed number of people that travel in privat jets, its not that JetBird would create or dig out new customers for the biz jet market.
So if they get clients, those clients will be lost for other small aircraft operators which already suffer in the current market conditions.

And personally I would prefer flying a Cessna Citation than a VLJ, I simply don't like VLJ's and I am for sure won't like the salaries beeing payed.

I do understand that pilots prefer getting into a VLJ at JetBird than sitting at home being unemployed. But I am convinced as well that there is only a small amount of people that would like to fly a VLJ for their whole career. So "if" the market picks up again ( I bet it will ), JB Pilots will start sending CV's out again to get themselves into a decent plane with a better salary.

Don't get me wrong here, I wish for every Pilot that he finds a decent job.

[His dudeness]

PS: JinJoness - A large part of the JB plan is to make private jets available to people who could not normally afford a private jet ,for example the airline business class traveler thereby expanding the market.

Business class pax that fly business class in Europe only? Seems a very, very small market to me. Almost all business class travel intra europe is feeding to go intercontinental.
BTW, I do fly for a huge company and they have changed their travel routine away from business class to eco.

In part I have to agree to JJ, not on the I donīt want to fly VLJs section, but that these new jobs will only lead to make established ones with decent pay go away.

Lets face it, for the time being there is way to many pilots out there without a job. But JB wonīt changed that Iīm afraid. (and I understand everyone trying to secure a job in this climate)

We shall see in a few months time how and if they are going to fly.

[The Deec]

Carbon footprint solved.....

I guess there will always be people who feel threatened by new concepts and new technology in terms of new design and more fuel effecient aircraft. This is surely only to protect their own agendas and above all their own hides. Lets face it this can only be regarded as progress and innovation in the market and at the cutting edge of design & technology, and as long as there are people with vision and know how, call them entrepreneurs or whatever you want, if these guys see that there is a gap in the market , secure inward investment, they can make that concept a reality . I think making biz air travel affordable for the average joe and not just the elitist groups in business, can only be positive for the industry. Above all it will certainly put alot of gas guzzlers out to pasture in the Mojave desert ! Carbon footprint solved !
Rant over....... sorry guys

Green machine....

[BigNumber]

I am not convinced that JB will be able to secure new market custom away from the "Business Class Seats" of Main Line Carriers.

IMO the tightening economic climate has seen this Premium market greatly eroded and replaced by Lo Co / Economy fare travel for company executives.

This being the case, JB will have to 'cost compete' with the existing Bravo / CJ / King Air operators for market share. Is this really realistic?

Customers will be willing to pay a 'small' premium for a nice new aircraft and the association with a well marketed brand, but only in the short term. Cost, IMO, will secure success or guarantee failure for JB.

I wonder how they will cost compete with the likes of 247Jet or ASL? They will need to be sharply priced.

I only have cockpit experience so would be interested to hear the thoughts of those more Business Savvy.

Thanks, BN

[Gamen]

Relocated Crews

Hi everybody!

I have followed this thread for a long time now and think that there is alot of good stuff being written.

I am like many of you, recently unemployed. For me after almost ten years in the business. A question about JB relocation demand. With an "airline" roster of 5-4, 5-3 for their 18 days per month, it makes living anywhere else than in Germany impossible. Are there that many Commanders out there that are willing do drop families etc and move to EDDK? Assuming that young or low time pilots are less attached to their homes.

Does anybody have a good answer to why JB wouldnīt choose a "normal" schedule of say, 14-18 days on and 12-14 off?

Thanks!

[stefair]

Anyone out there who hasn't had the call yet but had been emailed? I'm still waiting and it's dreadful - sitting on the edge of my seat so to speak...