domiciles

[SwissAviator]

just wondering how your company determines which city can be a pilot domicile. For instance i noticed that NetJets pilots can choose Cincinnati and Columbus but not Cleveland.

 

[Heavy Set]

Swissaviator,

I suggest you check your facts. Netjets has a system of "gateway" cities throughout the nation - conduct a search on this forum for a complete list (maybe a NJA pilot could post it here). Pilots fly out of the gateway of their choice - they choose, not Netjets. Flight options allows pilots to choose cities that have airline service (not certain about specifics) - its system is pretty liberal regarding location. Citationshares has a similar system to Flight Options. FlexJet has 4-5 gateway cities for pilots to fly out of - Dallas, Ontario/LA, Ft. Lauderdale and New York I believe.

Conduct a search on this forum and look for the relevant posts.

 

[trainerjet]

Actually sir, you should check YOUR facts. The "gateway" system that NetJets uses requires the pilots to choose from a list of company approved cities. Yes, the pilots choose, but the company gives them the cities they can choose from, which was the subject of his post. Inquiring how the companies determine which cities they approve for use as gateways or domiciles.

CitationShares does the same. They have a list of approved "domiciles" and requires you to live within 90 minutes of your domicile. Again, the pilot chooses, but he must choose from the choices the company makes available. NetJets, Flex Jet and CitationShares are similar in this regard. However, NetJets is different in that the pilots are not required to actually live in their gateway city. They are just required to be there by midnight of the night before their tour.

Here are the NetJets approved gateway cities, as listed on their website:

Columbus, OH; Bradley, CT; Teterboro, NJ; Washington Dulles; Atlanta, GA; Orlando, FL; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Boston, MA; San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA; Midway, IL; Pittsburgh, PA; West Palm Beach, FL; St. Louis, MO; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; New Orleans, LA; Charlotte, NC; Jacksonville, FL; Detroit, MI; Phoenix, AZ.

Here are the CitationShares approved domiciles from their website:

BOS, HPN, EWR, BWI, ATL, MCO, FLL, MIA, ORD, DFW, DEN, LAX, SFO, PHX, CVG, SAT, STL, BNA, MCI, IAD

Flight Options has a little different concept, where they are allowed to choose any city served by a certain number of airlines and flights.

The criteria the companies use when approving cities for domiciles or gateways have to do with the cities having a certain number of airline options, as well as the price structure at these airports, and to a certain degree, if the airports are prone to big delay or cancellation problems.

 

[SwissAviator]

thanks for clearing up the criteria for me trainerjet

 

[Heavy Set]

Trainerjet,

"Pilots fly out of the gateway of their choice - they choose, not Netjets." What does that mean to you?

I meant that Netjets pilots can choose among the gateway cities offered - I asked for someone to post a list and you did. Netjets will not assign a pilot to a particular base - that is what I meant... The pilot chooses the base. Pilots don't have to actually live in those cities, they have to live near them though.

As far as city selection is concerned, you are correct - it is based on the number of airlines/flights serving the city - they need to get you to your aircraft and require airline seats to get you there in most cases.

 

[LXJ31]

One minor correction; A Flexjet pilot does not have to live in his/her gateway city, but has to be in callout range at midnight the first day.

 

[BrnJetFuel]

Domicile vs Gateway

Here is some trivia for those who care.

NetJets (while it was Executive Jet) coined the usage of "Gateway" as it pertains to fractional airlines today. Essentially CMH "Columbus, Ohio" is still a Domicile for all sense and purposes with NetJets. It is our UNION CONTRACT that protects and recognizes the word "Domicile" and it's special privileges, ie. Selling of a pilots house if relocated, for fair market value and moving expenses. Well as we started expanding and looked West to LAS (Las Vegas), our management didn't want to get stuck footing the bill to move pilots and pay for their homes if they didn't sell. So the language of "Gateway" came into play. Our contract still retains the right to Domicile for CMH essentially only to ensure that the language is there for future purposes if the Union sees it necessary to pursue the rights to a "Domicile".

The advantages of Gateways vs Domiciles is one that is historical with the airlines use of "Domicile". With a Domicile, one bids for a seat and a Domicile according to their seniority. With us NetJets pilots and Flight Attendants, we "Give written Notice" one month prior to changing our "Gateways". So we are free to select a Gateway that is warmer in the winter and one that is cooler in the summer at our own free will. Just provide notice the month prior. We actually have some pilots living out of Motor Homes and their spouses will move them to a new Gateway location during the pilots work week. Some utilize to visit family members for a month or just to enjoy a summer/winter home. Move as much as you want. However the company protects itself from paying your expenses.

FYI