Aviation Student Lands JetBlue Internship

Utah State Aviation senior Josh Krason was selected from 180 applicants nationally for a college flight internship with JetBlue Airlines in Orlando, Fla.

After a communication mishap last year left him unable to complete the application process, Krason took matters into his own hands and applied online. Later, a telephone call from a JetBlue representative would lead to a day trip to Orlando the following week for a second interview with four JetBlue employees.

Two and a half weeks following the interview the good news came.

“I received a phone call the Thursday before school started informing me that I had been selected for the position and that they would love to have me [in Orlando] in a week and a half,” Krason said. “So I quit both my jobs, dropped out of my classes and moved myself and my wife to Orlando in about a week’s time.”

In his internship, Krason is paid and receives USU credit. He works 40-hour weeks and some weekends. Krason works in the courseware development department at JetBlue where he creates, updates and edits manuals for the pilots and instructors on the Airbus A320 aircraft.

The sudden jump into the company is a great career move for Krason. JetBlue expects a lot from its interns, Krason said, and he is given the opportunity to get to know key people at the company, including JetBlue CEO David Neeleman, President Dave Barger and members of the hiring committee. Internship benefits include cockpit jumpseat privilege, which allows him to sit in the extra seat in the cockpit with pilots whenever he has the chance, and the use of the multi-million dollar flight simulators when they are available.

“I am going to learn a lot about how a good airline is operated in today’s changing airline industry, how the Airbus A320 works and how to be the kind of pilot they are looking for,” Krason said.

While the work takes up most his time, Krason said he enjoys it and is given the opportunity to work pro-actively for JetBlue. The internship is a resume-building experience that gives him plenty of responsibility and Krason is grateful for the experience.

“This internship will definitely further my career because I have been exposed to something that 99 percent of people wanting a career in aviation haven’t,” Krason said. “I would love to work for this airline. After being here for two weeks it would be very hard to have the desire to work anywhere else.”