How is 7/7 in reality & do you NetJet's pilots think your QOL is better than the 121 airline pilots?
My background is from a 121 regional, so I never experienced the lifestyle that a super-senior captain at a major airline enjoyed. On the positive side, you'll start with a much better schedule here than a junior guy at any major. On the downside, it doesn't get a whole lot better as you get more senior, as you'll work the same number of workdays, minus the extra vacation time the senior folks get.
I left the regional a little over a year ago to come to NetJets, and have had absolutely zero regrets about changing career "gears."
It's the best move I've made in my career. I say that despite my former chief pilot's suggestion, when I called to quit, that I was making a mistake giving up flying a Dash-8 to be a "glorified baggage handler" (his words). Nice guy, but he really doesn't understand what it is we do.
To answer your question, 7/7 isn't bad at all to me. I feel less tired after a 7-day tour here than I did after a 4- or 5-day tour at my airline. A lot of that relates to quality of life while on the road, too. We stay in very nice hotels most of the time, we eat catered crew meals instead of fast food in the terminal (quality varies, but always better than Burger Crap any day of the week), and so on.
We're limited to 14 hours of duty, with 10 hours minimum rest; that was an improvement over 121 for me, where 8- to 9-hour overnights were typical at my old carrier. And if you've had a particularly brutal day, you call in and tell them you need more rest to be safe. You'll get it, per our contract. I did it 3 times in my first year here, when it was just a bad idea to press on with scheduling's plan. They'll sometimes work you 'til you cry "uncle," but if it's too much, you have an easy out.
Also consider how much actual time you'll be out flying. Once you're done with training, and on the 7/7 (if you want it), subtract out two weeks for the semi-annual simulator session, another week for company recurrent ground school, and two more weeks of vacation. That's only 21 weeks out of 52 that you're actually out flying. Less as you get more senior (after 10 years, 4 weeks of vacation). Additional days off for paid time off (12 days a year, available for sick time or personal days, with some limits).
On the road, I've found lots of little quality-of-life differences that I've almost started taking for granted, but were a constant source of irritation at the airline job. Some examples:
- Hotel vans. More often than not, we don't have to wait for one. I frequently would wait 30-40 minutes for our hotel to pick us up in frozen BUF, and it was a real pain. Now, if the hotel is close by, the FBO will either take us, or loan us a crew car for the night to take ourselves. Had that happen down in the Florida Keys a couple months ago; that was a lot of fun.
- Even the worst FBOs are dramatically more comfortable facilities than airline terminals. Almost all have free WiFi, computers to use, satellite big-screen TV, and more. I mean, honestly, would you rather kill an hour here, or here?
- Food's much better than any airport fast food, and undoubtedly healthier. Some crew meals are better than others, but we have a menu to choose from that varies by location, and you can usually find something you'll like. On the menu are basics like salads and sandwiches, to better stuff like crabcakes and ropa vieja. The blackened tilapia salad I had in FLL the other day was just outstanding.
- No jumpseating or non-reving, for what that's worth anymore. But frequent-flier miles turn into positive-space tickets. Even more valuable, we keep the points at the hotels, which are Hilton properties more than any other (we get their Diamond status automatically). I started out on the line in March, and already have enough points for five nights in the nicest Hilton properties, or more nights at less expensive hotels.
Downsides? Well, we're an on-demand business; you can't bid trips ahead of time. You never know where you'll finish each day, nor do you know whether you'll be doing mornings, evenings, redeyes, or a combination during the week. You'll have to be a little adaptable to that, but if they do something ridiculous that a human body can't do, then the fatigue call is the tool for the job. I'll do what I can, but I can't do a 6am start one day, and a midnight start the next. I'm not
that adaptable!
Also, those airline terminals you learn to hate? Well, we're usually in them a couple times a week, getting between our home bases and the planes we're assigned. Sometimes we'll happen to be where a plane is, but not often. (In fact, I haven't yet picked a plane up at my base since I've been here!)
I'm sure others will have more to contribute, but that's a little glimpse of life on the road for us.
