JetBlue has announced the start of the application process for its entry level pilot training program
A first at a major airline, JetBlue is planning to train novices with no flying experience.
The carrier said the ‘Gateway Select’ program, based at the JetBlue University at Orlando International Airport, will cost about $125,000 and take four years to complete.
JetBlue’s senior vice president of safety and training Warren Christie said the airline is still hiring pilots for training through more traditional ways, such as taking on pilots from regional airlines.
Christie says the novice training program will not be diluted in any way.
"They will absolutely be as qualified as any other pilot that is operating a JetBlue aircraft," he said.
The pilots’ union at JetBlue has opposed it from the outset and says it should stick to hiring experience pilots from the regional airline sector.
