Mauricio, 42, the second eldest of five siblings, was born in St. Vincent and the youngest, Joe, 35, was born in Luanda, Angola.

In a sense, both of them followed their father’s steps, Manuel Andrade, who was born in Sao Nicolau and married Maria de Lourdes Andrade from Brava Island.

Manuel Andrade was a merchant marine - working for a Dutch shipping company – while the family lived in the city of Mindelo. "He was always absent” – recalled Mauricio. “We are five siblings and there is a difference of our ages which is almost two years apart from each other. My father used to go on vacation from work to St. Vincent to because of a new baby and upon his return, my mother usually was pregnant.".

In 1970, Manuel Andrade decided to change his way of life. He moved with his family to Luanda, where he worked as an employee of colonial Portugal. With the onset of civil war in 1975, the Andrade’s left Angola by sea.

"That on itself was an odyssey because there were many people waiting for opportunities to get out of Angola on the flights to Lisbon or Cape Verde. Fortunately, a sea captain who was in Luanda to rescue a Cape Verdean fishing boat held in Luanda, decided he needed a crew that should be integrated by Capeverdeans interested in returning to the archipelago. That was the ticket out of Angola.

The captain - continues Mauricio – “He knew my father and he invited him to join the crew as first mate. The boat had capacity for about 30 people but left Angola with around 120 plus all the belongings that families had managed to take with them.”.

“It took us 11 days to reach Cape Verde. I remember that when we approached one of the islands, we had a scare because the boat was about to run aground, "says Maurício Andrade.

After a short time in Cape Verde, Manuel Andrade decided to move to the United States . In January 1978, Mr. Andrade and his family relocated to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

The road to success

Mauricio Andrade does not forget what he heard from a teacher (Ms. Rocha) as a Junior High-Schooler in New Bedford: "Mauricio, you can do anything.”

"Back then it didn’t mean much, but it was a message that stuck with me. Years later, I realized that anyone - no matter what his/her ambitions are – there will be people that will cross your path that believe in you and if you put time and effort you can do anything. It doesn’t matter if you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, or even a CEO of a company", he said.

Mauricio and Joe crossed paths in their career.

Mauricio Andrade says that since his childhood he loved airplanes. "There is usually a person who takes you to the other side of the fence. In my case, it happened with a family friend named Jeff Davis, an American citizen married to a Cape Verdean, our relative," adds Mauricio.

Davis is a merchant marine who used to take three months off in the summer time and he would fly ad banners in Cape Cod.

One day, he came to visit us in New Bedford - tells Maurício Andrade – and he found out that I didn’t have a summer job. He invited me to work with him: ‘Mauricio I can’t pay you but if you’re willing to help me out on the weekends, I will teach you how to fly’. For someone at the age of 16 it was something wonderful. During the day I used to do all the set up for him, preparing the banners so he could be continuously flying without having to land to do the preparation. So, at the end of the day, he would teach me how to fly. That's how I started. By the time I finished high school, I had no doubts about the career I wanted to follow. "

After high school, Maurício Andrade attended Bridgewater State College, the only institution of higher education in Massachusetts offering aviation courses at the time.

"I started in 1985, but only finished in 1992, because the aviation career is extremely expensive, and I had to interrupt my studies, work to raise money in order to complete the flight training and finish the course. This is because my parents were not rich, but they have been always aware that education is the best option for their children's future," he said.

After completing his Bachelor degree at Bridgewater State College, Mauricio was accepted in an ab-initio flight training program. Based in New Mexico the Mesa Airlines Pilot Development Program prepared pilots for commercial flying and you could be hired with less than 300 flight hours. At that time, it was an extraordinary offer because the minimum required was 1,500 flight hours. The option involved a major change in his life. He had to leave his parents’ home and to move from the northeast to the Southwest of the United States.

"At the time, I was willing to do whatever it took to be an airline pilot. I applied to the program. I got accepted without even having the money to pay. I went out there in the summer of 1992, with a briefcase and a radio. Not even a place to stay. It was challenging since the program was a military style intensive training, you could have zero flight hours and within 14 to 16 months you would have about 250 flight hours, which was enough to be hired by Mesa Airlines. That is what happened to me, but it was a very tough two years. During this period, I got a job, and between school loans, grants and family support, I was able to make it. I should also add that I joined the Army National Guard - where I stayed for seven years - which helped me throughout this process. It was not an easy road but nothing that is worthy is.

Joe Andrade follows his brother

Joe Andrade attended Bridgewater State College, following in the footsteps of older brothers Mauricio and Etelvino - who was the first to start the course in aviation but decided to pursue other studies.

"When I enrolled, Mauricio was just going out to start the pilot training in New Mexico. I was not clear if I wanted to do the four years degree in flight training or in aviation management. For aviation management it is only required a private pilot's license. But seeing the success of Mauricio, I figured it out that it would be better to have a good combination of the two programs. So I could get my four years degree and good basis in aviation management and than do a full flight training program in New Mexico, "says Joe.

Actually, Joe took one year off from Bridgewater State College and joined the Air National Guard where he completed basic training and technical school, and also became a satellites communications specialist.

"I had an easier ride, first because I knew the process through the experience of my brother that educated me on the route to follow and mistakes to avoid. He pretty much lined up everything for me. Upon completing the program, I also was hired by Mesa Airlines and I began to see the return of my investment.

How did you get to JetBlue?

Mauricio Andrade became unemployed in 2002, following the attacks of September 11 of 2001 that affected the aviation industry. At the time, he worked for USAirways, that as most of the airlines ended laying thousands of pilots.

He said that after the impasse he was fortunate to return to Mesa Airlines, the first company for which he worked as a pilot. "The most important is that a pilot has to constantly be flying in order to develop their skills continuously”, he added.

"I flew for nine months with Mesa Airlines because in the meantime I had handed in my application to JetBlue that called me a year and a half later. Just to get an idea of competitiveness, when I sent my application, JetBlue had ten thousand other applicants. For me, having been called to the job interview was like winning the lottery. But the interview only opens the door, than you have to be able to sell yourself and demonstrate that you’re the right candidate for the airline. And I was lucky enough to be hired in September 2004 ", he says.

For his part, Joe Andrade worked for seven years for Mesa Airlines, where he became a captain and a check airman – “a very competitive position in this profession where you always have to do anything to make yourself better - also because you are competing with other commercial and military pilots with lots of flying experience and advanced degrees.

"When I applied for a position at JetBlue in March 2007 - says Joe Andrade – it was a time when there were some vacancies but also many unemployed pilots, since the events of September 11, 2001. Many were well qualified and others were pilots who were inactive aspiring to land a competitive job in a company such as JetBlue."

Both brothers emphasized that JetBlue is a company that believes in diversity and therefore has on its board, people of different origin and culture.

"I think the greatness of a company is built by its workforce and JetBlue is a company that encourages its employees to use their skills and knowledge to better serve customers. We are very supportive of each other in order to get the job done. And we see at the end of each flight how the customers show their loyalty when leaving the aircraft when they tell us: ‘Hey, I will always fly JetBlue because it was an amazing flight’. Or simply telling us: ‘ I love JetBlue’. It is the result of commitment of all staff of the company "says Joe Andrade.

Have you flown together?

Mauricio replied that although he’s been in this industry for 15 years and Joe has about 10 working for virtually the same companies at different times, they never flew together in the same aircraft, because the two are co-pilots. Also, because when Joe was hired at Mesa Airlines, his older brother was already at USAirways, but the time Mauricio went back to Mesa Airlines Joe was flying a different airplane.

On average they fly between 80 to 85 hours which is equivalent to about 15 days per month of flight. However, according to the regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration, a pilot can accumulate up to 100 flight hours per month. The trip can be one day - departing and returning to the same point - or if it is overnight trip, it can be up to five days, with multiple stops in different cities and airports. The rest can be a minimum of 8 hours rest but normally more than 10 hours. On their spare time during a trip they go to restaurants, visit attractions, and explore cities.

Currently, they fly the same model of aircraft: Airbus A320, an aircraft with capacity for 150 passengers, which operates with five crew members: two pilots and three flight attendants. JetBlue flies the United States, Caribbean, Central America and South America, including Costa Rica and Colombia. An Airbus A320 is one of the most comfortable and advanced airplanes in the industry. For passengers, this model offers great convenience and comfort with plenty of space between the rows of chairs and LiveTv services on the flights.

The A320 is considered one of the most efficient and modern planes in civil aviation.

What's your favorite city?

"We have some cities that we like. Curitiba and Florianopolis, Brazil has a special place. In the US most of them are in the West Coast: San Diego and San Francisco, in California; Las Vegas, in Nevada; and Boston where we still have a lot of friends and family and we usually try to get together with them”, said Mauricio.

How to become a pilot in the U.S.

There are two paths: one is by the military that requires between eight to 10 years of commitment. The other way is by getting a degree because it is because it is a very competitive career. As we said before, aviation is a very expensive career.

To be a pilot equates to ?

The Andrade’s brothers do not believe that being airline pilots equates status and glamour. . For Mauricio, it is just a great profession. "There is definitely nothing else that I rather be doing, and I think Joe probably feels the same way “. There was a time, probably until the 70’s where it still had status and glamour. But today it is a common way of transportation.

For Joe Andrade, it is a profession that carries enormous responsibility and, by extension, people continue to have great respect for pilots. And as such, this profession brings a lot of wonderful things and also features that are not as glamorous as people would think."

What qualities are required of a pilot?

In the opinion of Joe Andrade, it is a job where you never stop learning: “We have to be always proficient, it requires constant study, knowing your airplane, the regulations and procedures. Of course, loving your job is not a difficulty.”

Mauricio adds that they need to be a good communicator specially dealing with people - both workers and customers - because they are constantly flying with different crew and passengers, and they need to be flexible because it is a sector which has to be subject to changing situations, places, countries and possibly position in the company. “You must also be a person with the ability to work under pressure and able to maintain calmness. It takes many years until you feel comfortable in this career", Joe added.

How was your first flight?

"Even knowing that this was the career I had chosen, I remember being very nervous. There is so much they try to teach you, and just try to keep up with the amount of information and try to absorb as much as you can and apply, making it difficult to avoid the nervousness at the time that you try some self-control. But over time, with experience, you end up getting used to it and it becomes something very natural, replies Mauricio.

Joe Andrade reveals that his first flight experience was a mixture of feelings such as nervousness and excitement to be finally flying an aircraft.