HOW does the Netejts base system save them money

[ThisistheDream]

HOW does the Netjets base system save them money?

With NJA now having 5 bases that you can only have how does that same them money in the long run? Are you always flying an aircraft from your base with paying passenger to your 1st destination and always flying paying passengers from a city back to your base on the last day of your stretch? reason being, if your base is for example DAL and on the 1st day of your stretch you fly on an airline from DAL to LAS to meet the plane and then do your flying and on the last day you finish in Denver and fly an airline back to DAL what good or difference is it if you lived in MSP and the flew out to met the plane and back to MSP after your trip versus back to a base? or ever more expensive if you ferry from DAL your base and then meet passenger in LAS, the cost to ferry an airplane to get into position and back to base after your stretch would be more costly then if you just flew the airlines to meet the plane etc. ?? Can any NJA pilots explain how this system helps or saves them money??thanks

 

[Waterboy622]

The problem is that crews typically won't pick nice easy airports like MSP to fly into and out of. So when trying to get a crew member home on their last day to an airport in the middle of Montana (example) with limited duty time, we end up incurring extended days due to limited airline service and after midnight arrivals.

 

[ThisistheDream]

if thats part of the problem having pilots living in small cities with limited airline service then why not keep the bases to large cities that have alot of airline service to rather than just 5 cities like they did in the past and like other fractionals. I know alot of pilots including myself that with this limited base option now in place and not being able to jumpseat cant take a job with netjets

 

[Waterboy622]

I understand the frustration. We are just now starting to see people hired after the contract finishing up IOE that are making these very long commutes. ie. Virgnia to TEB. Some of the contract allows crew members to book their own flight to where ever they want to oget home. They then get re-imbursed up to the amount that an airline ticket would cost to get them to one of the gateway airports. This is starting to be used more and more. The down side is that your car is now at the gateway airport. I believe mgmts thought is that over time more pilots will eventually end up at gateway airports.

 

[ThisistheDream]

I just cant see the benefit for the way fractionals are set up to have just 5 bases rather 15 or 20 in only big metro cities. the only way i can see it as a benefit for them is if the 1st and last leg of your stretch is flying paying passenger from the base and back to your base, otherwise your just paying to fly the crews out of a base and back to a base or ferrying the plane which is even more cost.

 

[RTRHD]

Good post's Waterboy. I hate to see guys having to live like this. I used to commute just three hours every three day. That sucked.

 

[Waterboy622]

I think the belief is that these 5 bases are postioned geographically so that the do not necessarily prohibit ferry to these places to get crews home. Plus these are places that we get most of out MX done. I think you make a good point in the fact that maybe opening up some more would help new hires. The theory might be that over time we will have all of these crews at the 5 bases and we could just switch crews out from the 7/7 schedule. You are right in saying that the chances of flying pax in and out of your base is slim; in CMH. But TEB is a different story. Time will tell if this sticks around for the long run.

 

[Waterboy622]

No to mention that these places are where most of our pax trips start and end.

 

[Just Peachy]

bases

Scheduling does whatever they want... were now starting to ferry crews to planes ( have done that off and on in the past) and with most all commercial flts full, were probably going to see more crew ferrys....

 

[CA1900]

I'll also be curious how many of these new-hires bail to a good 91 job because of the onerous commutes to work, with a free type rating from NetJets and no training contract.

I can see this costing more money than it saves, if that ends up happening. From an outsider's point of view, the only thing this is providing them is negotiating leverage for the next contract.