Lateral Move???

[CA1900]

Did you have to move or do you still live in the ALB area?

I could have stayed in the northeast and driven to TEB, but I wanted out anyway, so I moved to Florida. I figure hey, the pay's the same, the cost of living's cheaper, and the weather's warmer.

How does year one at NJA compare to CommutAir?

So far, things are much, much better.

Starting pay was a pay raise from captain at CA -- it starts at a bit over $46,000 on the reserve schedule (18 days max per month, 4 hard days off), which all new-hires start on. You can bid to stay on it, or move to the 7/7 schedule, which pays $39,000 plus any extended days you may work (which pay $321 a day first-year). "Reserve" here just refers to which days you work, really. You'll still know by the evening before when or if you'll be working the next day. Tough to plan things out because you never know which days you'll be working, though; I'm starting the 7/7 schedule next month for that reason.

Family medical (Aetna), optical (VSP), and dental (Aetna) are currently fully paid by the company, starting on the first day of class, so that's another couple thousand I'm saving. 50% 401K match of whatever you contribute, up to 15% of your paycheck. 2 weeks vacation to start, which on the 7/7 schedule gives you two 3-week vacations, really.

Crew food is provided basically any time you're on duty and not free to go get it on your own. (e.g., if you're on "hot spare" at an FBO, or you're on a <3 hour turn, you'll get food.) That makes the per-diem go quite a ways, since you're not spending it as often as I did with CA.

So far, I'm really liking it. I have a feeling this might be the last stop on the career merry-go-round. Sure hope so!

 

[NEDude]

I could have stayed in the northeast and driven to TEB, but I wanted out anyway, so I moved to Florida. I figure hey, the pay's the same, the cost of living's cheaper, and the weather's warmer.

Just watch out for those hurricanes. I got hit by three of them back in '04 before we moved to ALB. My kids are still traumatized by our experience with Charlie. I remember walking through the terminal in MCO and seeing gates taped off and puddles of water everywhere.

So how long before they close Orlando for NJA?

Any talk of home basing coming back?

 

[CA1900]

So how long before they close Orlando for NJA?

That's my secret plan, y'see! I'm actually based in PBI, so I never technically moved to my base. Therefore, they can't close it!

Any talk of home basing coming back?

The company could do it tomorrow if they wanted, increasing home-basing to 100% of the crews. But I'm fairly sure we're not going to see that until the next contract in 2010. Hope I'm wrong! I'd love to save the gas and the drive time getting down to south Florida.

 

[Seat 0A]

I urge anyone making a change to look several years down the road, not get all hung up on this "first year" crap, and consider NJA.

For the year 2006 I was on 5th year pay for part of the year and 6th year pay for the rest. My W-2 shows $137k and change. Yes, this included the second 40% of my bonus ($16,000), so that would leave a pre-bonus income of $121k. You can add to that another $6000+ per year for tax-free per-diem (we do not use most of our per-diem here). I suppose that would equate to nearly another $10,000 of gross income if you look at it that way.

So there I am at about $131k of actual pay against what you see on our payscale is $92,250 for a 6yr Captain. I am more than 30% over the payscale.

I do NOT work any extra days. They are available if you want them. I was on duty for 147 days in 2006, 19 of them were training days.

Life is great here in my opinion. Good hotels, good food, I have never exceeded 475 hours a year in 6 years. An average day is 9 to 12 hours of duty time, 3-4 legs, 3-5 flight hours. My overnights average 11-15 hours (we have a minimum of 10 and that starts AT the hotel!)

I earn enough airline miles and hotel points for two NICE free vacations per year. Don't even worry about losing jumpseat privileges (to some former airline guys this is some kinda big deal). They aren't worth a sh*t anymore with capacities the way they are. If you ever did jumpseat at your current job how many times per year did you do it? Maybe 10? With tickets running less than $300 that's only $3000 per year if you buy your own POSITIVE SPACE tickets. You can afford it if you work here.

Recap;
$130,000+ after 5 years with the company, flew the line 128 days in 2006, every other week is a FULL 7 days off, 3 three-week vacations per year (4 at year 10), another 12 "sick days" per year, full health/dental paid, 50% 401k match, The list goes on. In my opinion a slam-dunk against any regional and for that matter most majors.

Future? The rich will keep on flying, will the poor?

Every time I fly to work on one of our nation's carriers (albeit ON DUTY, and in a POSITIVE SPACE seat), I am reminded why NJA will continue to grow.

 

[Fozzy]

Don't listen to that man. NJA is horrible. Stay far far away.
That is unless you are flyiny a 1900 for a certain fleabag operation out of PLB. Then I would leave to drive a rickshaw.

 

[hydrarkt]

The XLS seats are WAAAAAAAAAY better than the XL. And so are the avionics. The XLS is what the XL should have been.

 

[737 Pylt]

Yep, I got the bid before the holidays and I'm junior to you. You should have put it in earlier.

Fozzy:
Or you could have walked in the cheif f/a's office, got on your knees and done some of those "Gordon special favors," that get you whatever you need!

737

 

[CA1900]

That is unless you are flyiny a 1900 for a certain fleabag operation out of PLB. Then I would leave to drive a rickshaw.

Whaddya mean? I was driving a Rickshaw! That's why I'm here.

 

[milehigh6080]

Seat OA- thanks a lot for the breakdown. I'm starting class for the Beech . .. uh, Hawker 400XP in May. Is 30% over base common across all fleets? I know the 400 isn't nearly as busy as the other fleets, therefore less overtime. I was hoping for overtime accounting for about an extra 10%, but 30% would be great, just wondering if you have any idea how common that is. What fleet are you in?

 

[RNObased]

Gotcha... do you guys ever take off over Gross?

Did you really just ask that question on a public website???

 

[RNObased]

Seat OA- thanks a lot for the breakdown. I'm starting class for the Beech . .. uh, Hawker 400XP in May. Is 30% over base common across all fleets? I know the 400 isn't nearly as busy as the other fleets, therefore less overtime. I was hoping for overtime accounting for about an extra 10%, but 30% would be great, just wondering if you have any idea how common that is. What fleet are you in?

I would say on the 400, 30% would be a bit high. Those planes aren't in demand like a lot of the other jets and can't cover for other fleets so I would hazard a guess as to maybe 15% over base. Remember I'm counting holidays and etc. Etc being the company screwing up and not getting you home on your last day.

 

[milehigh6080]

Thanks RNO, I appreciate the help.

 

[pdub20s]

I ask the over gross question because i have talked to many pilots who fly 135 & 91 and t/o over gross. I was shocked as Shyt to hear him say they do it often. He told me "...if you dont go then they find someone else who will"

 

[NJA bound]

The motto at NJA is "safety first"

If it can't be done safely than we don't do it. Nobody pushes you to do anything, take your time and do it right, that's why this is a career not just a job. Netjets is not the typical 135 company, we're over 2600 pilots strong, not sure but I believe we're the 6th biggest airline in the United States.

 

[hydrarkt]

"...if you dont go then they find someone else who will"

If you intentionally takeoff overgross at Netjets and get found out, you are in deep ********************e. They will NEVER ask you to do it. If so, let someone else do it.