At JetBlue, we see the opportunity to ease some of those barriers so that those with the natural aptitude can pursue their dream. Traditionally, our Pilot Gateway Programs has offered six distinct pathways for pilots to join us here at JetBlue. Now, we’re launching a seventh pathway: Gateway Select. What is Gateway Select?

• Jetblue Gateway Program
• Jetblue Pilot Gateway Program
• Jetblue Gateway Program
• Jetblue Gateway Program
• Jetblue Gateway Select

• In a statement, JetBlue said candidates for its 'Gateway Select' program will go through 'an unprecedented level of screening.' Thomas Anthony, the director of the aviation safety program at USC.
• This particular Gateway Program will allow an applicant, if successful, to learn with JetBlue from the beginning and become a JetBlue pilot after completing a rigorous training program. This unique, accessible and cost-effective JetBlue Pilot Gateway Program will take a more competency-based approach to becoming a professional pilot.

Jetblue Gateway Program

Ever dream of becoming a pilot? Think you have the dedication, focus and natural aptitude to fly commercial aircraft? Perhaps you’ve even looked into traditional pathways to becoming a pilot, but were deterred by costs, or the prospect that your goal of becoming a commercial pilot at a major carrier could still remain elusive.

The traditional application process—recruiting certified pilots who may have already completed training with military, university, cargo or smaller airline backgrounds—is one pathway we offer for pilots to join us at JetBlue. Indeed, we regularly see thousands of candidates apply when we open applications for pilot positions, but we also know many with the abilities and passion to become a pilot are deterred from even pursuing their dreams by financial or social impediments.

At JetBlue, we see the opportunity to ease some of those barriers so that those with the natural aptitude can pursue their dream. Traditionally, our Pilot Gateway Programs has offered six distinct pathways for pilots to join us here at JetBlue. Now, we’re launching a seventh pathway: Gateway Select.

What is Gateway Select?

Taking the best concepts of pilot training from military and international airlines, this competency-based training program is designed specifically for candidates without previous aviation training who demonstrate the most desired qualities in a pilot. We’re partnering with industry leader CAE to develop a rigorous four-year training program that incorporates classroom learning, extensive real-world flying experience and instruction in full-flight simulators. At the successful completion of the program, participants will meet FAA requirements for pilots and be offered a first officer position at JetBlue, where they complete the same orientation and six-week instruction that all E190 first officers complete.

Why is Gateway Select different from other pilot training programs?

Because the traditional model requires pilots to make a significant financial investment over numerous years without the guarantee of a job, Gateway Select has been designed to bring more predictability and a lower overall cost to aspiring pilots. With a focused program that builds complex skills from first day with early exposure to multi-crew/multi-engine operations, Gateway Select is intended to train and hire high-quality pilots while also making the profession more accessible to a broader range of candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

To learn more about Gateway Select, or all of JetBlue’s other Gateways to pilot hiring, go to pilots.jetblue.com

All trainees begin their Gateway Select experience with the Foundation Course. The purpose of this course is to give the trainees an overview of JetBlue, CAE (our training partner) and what it means to be a professional airline pilot. The Foundation Course combines academics with hands-on elements and provides a framework for the rest of the Gateway Select experience. Training is conducted at the Orlando Support Center (OSC), home of JetBlue University (JBU), in Orlando, Florida. The cost of lodging, food, and all training materials is incorporated into the contracted fees assessed to each trainee.

At the conclusion of Foundation Course, you will report to CAE in Mesa, Arizona, to complete your primary training. Your primary training will be completed under a Part 141 program and should require ~45 weeks to complete. Upon completion, you will have earned your Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating and Multi-Engine Commercial Certificate. CAE provides transportation and housing accommodations in two-bedroom furnished apartments for the duration of this training syllabus, included in the cost of the Program. A weekly food stipend is also available as a training support option and can be financed with the rest of the training costs.

Jetblue Pilot Gateway Program

A rigorous academic program is interspersed throughout the Program, which will expose you to critical concepts you will apply for the remainder of your career, like Crew Resource Management, and Threat and Error Management. “Glass cockpit” simulators are also used to enhance and improve the fidelity of training. All training materials at CAE — learning management systems, essential flying equipment, FAA medical, flight manuals, licensing exams, etc. — are included in the cost of the Program.

You will return to Orlando for the Airline Preparation Course with JetBlue. The objective of this course is to help you transition from smaller single-engine aircraft to highly complex, transport category aircraft. We will accomplish this objective by providing you with a blend of academics and simulator events conducted in JetBlue’s aircraft trainers. The course emphasizes the fundamentals of air carrier operations, advanced avionics, automated flight, intricacies associated with increased aircraft speed and performance, and exposure to high-density airspace.

Both lodging and food are included in the cost of the Airline Preparation Course.

Once the Airline Preparation Course is completed, you will return to Phoenix for instructor training. During the instructor training syllabus, you will learn how to standardize your delivery of training services, how to calibrate your grading for consistency, and how to apply the art of teaching to the aviation profession. At the end of this course, you will have completed your Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate and Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII) Certificate.

Jetblue Gateway Program

At the conclusion of instructor training, and provided you continue to meet the minimum qualifications, you will have earned your initial instructor qualifications and will begin work as a salaried employee of CAE. You will enjoy your time as a CAE Flight Instructor for 24 months, or until you accumulate 1,500-hours, whichever is longer. At some point during your second year of instruction, you will return to JetBlue University for one week to complete the Airline Transport Pilot – Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP), which is a prerequisite for the ATP Written Test and an eventual ATP Certificate.

Jetblue Gateway Program

Having successfully navigated this challenging but rewarding training pathway, you are now prepared to begin your career as a pilot with JetBlue. You will be assigned a New Hire class, where you will participate in two days of company orientation. Orientation will familiarize you with corporate structure, JetBlue history, the JetBlue business model, company policies, and crewmember responsibilities and benefits. Once Orientation concludes, you will begin your pilot-specific training in our Qualification Training (QT) curriculum.

Jetblue Gateway Select

The JetBlue new hire course is approximately six weeks in length, and is comprised of indoctrination, systems, procedures, and maneuvers training, and line-oriented flight training. To become a line pilot, new hires must successfully complete each phase of training and a series of check-events administered by the staff of JetBlue instructors. You will finish QT with an ATP Certificate and a Type Rating for the aircraft you will be flying before heading out to the line for your Initial Operating Experience.