Is NetJets a career place?

[AirBear8]

I worked for US Airways and will pass on recall when it probably comes later this year. My friend who talked me into coming to NetJets got his recall letter last week but is passing. This even thou our pay at Airways would be $88K/yr or more compared to 50K or so at NJ right now. In the long run NJ is a lot more stable, has tons better quality of life if you don't mind 7 day trips, better benefits, and will pay as much as Captains make at Airways after we've been here 5 years. There are quite a few ex-Airways pilots at NJ, I'll be shocked if any of them go back.

AirBear

 

[Falcon Jet 1]

What are your drinking limitations at netjets?

 

[V1 Rotate]

Hey guys, I appreciate everyone's input to this thread. It's been of great assistance. I will probably be submitting my resume soon. I'm still curious though about any jumpseat privileges or Interline Discounts. Does NJA qualify for any of these? Also, is the company assigning crewbases or are you allowed to pick where you'd like to go?

 

[netjetwife]

You can always ask for the domicile city (1 of 5) of your choice, but it is up to the company whether or not you get it. From what I've read on the NJ message board, jumpseating seems to be uncommon. That is understandable when you remind yourself that the lack of reciprocation reduces the motivation to give a lift to frac pilots. Good Luck on the hiring process, V1.
Netjetwife

PS An update for those who know of my personal battle for justice: Interviews are a sore subject with me today. It's commonly accepted that innocent people talk but the guilty won't. The interrogation we've been waiting for has been put on hold. If you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're right!

 

[Fozzy]

What are your drinking limitations at netjets?

When you fall off the bar stool, you have reached your limit.:beer:

12 hours bottle to show/go, or something like that. We are like the Clinton Admin. Don't ask, don't tell.

 

[Seat 0A]

Here’s another slant on NJA from the perspective of an actual NJA pilot:

I DO NOT commute. I fly from home. My travel is company paid positive space travel and I keep the airline miles. This also means that my first and last days involve very little work. I have elite status on 4 carriers and ride First Class often (remember that I am on duty at this point as well).

We are briefed no later than 7pm the night before day-1 and it cannot change and we cannot be contacted.

I have 3 weeks vacation per year (which is really 9 weeks). I also have 3 weeks of paid training per year so now I am down to “working” 20 tours per year. I could knock this down to 18 tours by using up my sick leave each year.

Now, if you take 18 weeks and conservatively figure 6 days per tour of work (one day less than 7 due to airlines on day-1 and day-7). This is a fair comparison because the airline guys are not counting their commuting days only the duty days.

That equals 108 days of line flying per year or 9 days per month. How does that compare to airlines? Oh yeah, I have 4 weeks vacation at year 10 (actually 12 weeks) that will drop it down even more.

I have never flown more than 450 hours a year here in 6 years.

I am NEVER away from home on my “off” days like many 121 guys are (commuting). If they don’t get me home by the end of my last scheduled day then the economic penalty to the company makes for a VERY nice Xmas at my house. I also “comp off” those hours returned home late from the beginning of my next tour.

Base pay in the neighborhood of $100k at year 5.
If you are young you can look forward to a base pay of $200k (or $240k in the BBJ). I am currently earning another 15-20% over base pay with “normal” overtime. I DO NOT volunteer for any extra but it is there if you want it. Also I AM NOT on the reserve payscale which is a fair amount better.

401k 50% match, insurance fully paid by company, around $8k tax free per-diem in your pocket each year (we don’t buy food here).

We DO NOT stay in Hotels less than Hilton quality and we keep the hotel points too.

10 hours minimum rest begins upon arrival at the HOTEL. Normally it is between 12-16 hours.

We have actual BRIEFED rest. If they shut us down at 4pm today and brief us (yes, they have to brief us before shutdown) for a Noon show tomorrow they CANNOT touch us until Noon tomorrow, no phone calls, etc.

An average day for me is 3-4 legs, 4-5 flight hours, 9-11 duty hours.
Payscales at NJA and the majors are growing towards each other at a fast rate.

So far it doesn’t seem too bad.

My .02

 

[Wankel7]

Here’s another slant on NJA from the perspective an actual NJA pilot:

I DO NOT commute. I fly from home. My travel is company paid positive space travel and I keep the airline miles. This also means that my first and last days involve very little work. I have elite status on 4 carriers and ride First Class often (remember that I am on duty at this point as well).

We are briefed no later than 7pm the night before day-1 and it cannot change and we cannot be contacted.

I have 3 weeks vacation per year (which is really 9 weeks). I also have 3 weeks of paid training per year so now I am down to “working” 20 tours per year. I could knock this down to 18 tours by using up my sick leave each year.

Now, if you take 18 weeks and conservatively figure 6 days per tour of work (one day less than 7 due to airlines on day-1 and day-7).

That equals 108 days of line flying per year or 9 days per month. How does that compare to airlines? Oh yeah, I have 4 weeks vacation at year 10 (actually 12 weeks) that will drop it down even more.

I have never flown more than 450 hours in year here in 6 years.

I am NEVER away from home on my “off” days like many 121 guys are (commuting). If they don’t get me home by the end of my last scheduled day then the economic penalty to the company will make for a VERY nice Xmas. I also “comp off” those hours returned home late from the beginning of my next tour.

Base pay in the neighborhood of $100k at year 5.
If you are young you can look forward to a base pay of $200k (or $240k in the BBJ). I am currently earning another 15-20% over base pay with “normal” overtime. I DO NOT volunteer for any extra but it is there if you want it.

401k 50% match, insurance fully paid by company, around $8k tax free per-diem in your pocket each year (we don’t buy food here).

We DO NOT stay in Hotels less than Hilton quality and we keep the hotel points too.

10 hours minimum rest begins upon arrival at the HOTEL. Normally it is between 12-16 hours.

We have actual BRIEFED rest. If they shut us down at 4pm today and brief us (yes, they have to brief us before shutdown) for a Noon show tomorrow they CANNOT touch us until Noon tomorrow, no phone calls, etc.

An average day for me is 3-4 legs, 4-5 flight hours, 9-11 duty hours.
Payscales at NJA and the majors are growing towards each other at a fast rate.

So far it doesn’t seem too bad.

My .02

Lets see I do 135 charter....I work 240 days a year....rest starts 15 after the plane lands....we rock out at the super 8 and dream of a hilton...and commute to work.

Clearly, I don't see how your deal is better than mine

Wankel

 

[Seat 0A]

Been there and done that! Except I worked about 300 days per year 135 and was expected to "fudge" duty-summaries to make a legal 10 hours.

Two things brought me to NJA;
1. Quality of Life
2. Safety

The money was never a deciding factor.

p.s. I now fly with former airline pilots who tell me time and time again that this is the absolute best gig they have had in aviation.

 

[gunfyter]

Here’s another slant on NJA from the perspective of an actual NJA pilot:



Now, if you take 18 weeks and conservatively figure 6 days per tour of work (one day less than 7 due to airlines on day-1 and day-7). This is a fair comparison because the airline guys are not counting their commuting days only the duty days.

I have never flown more than 450 hours a year here in 6 years.

10 hours minimum rest begins upon arrival at the HOTEL. Normally it is between 12-16 hours.



An average day for me is 3-4 legs, 4-5 flight hours, 9-11 duty hours.
Payscales at NJA and the majors are growing towards each other at a fast rate.


My .02

You must not be in the X fleet.

 

[buttercup]

Too much bullsh*t and intellectual dishonesty on this thread.

 

[Fozzy]

You said it.

 

[BOOYA]

Lets see I do 135 charter....I work 240 days a year....rest starts 15 after the plane lands....we rock out at the super 8 and dream of a hilton...and commute to work.

Clearly, I don't see how your deal is better than mine

Wankel

You too? Which one, the older or younger?

 

[Seat 0A]

Too much bullsh*t and intellectual dishonesty on this thread.

Hey As214, I am not sure why you are implying bullshit and dishonesty here, I have given a pretty accurate account of MY days at NJA. Do you work here also? Would you like to explain why you have a problem with my data?

And no Gunfighter, I am not in the X. Had the ability a few years ago and decided not to for the obvious reasons. It's a cool plane but I was looking for QOL.



Here's the tour I just returned from:

Day1: Airline only, go to hotel (started at 0445L today), 10.5 hours rest
Day2: 3 legs, 9 hours duty, 13 hours rest
Day3: 4 legs, 10.5 hours duty, 14.25 rest
Day4: 1 leg, 10 hours duty, 11 hours rest
Day5: 5 legs, 14 hours duty, 12 hours rest
Day6: 4 legs, 12.25 hours duty, 16 hours rest
Day7: 4 legs, 12.5 hours duty (7.2 hours flight today---the most in one day this tour) and then ferry to my home base and in my house at 2000L.

For the year 2005 I was on duty (including training) for 161 days. I only had 2 weeks vacation last year. I used some sick days to knock out one tour. Of the 161 days I did not fly for 43 of them (training, airline only, etc.). This has me flying the line for 118 days or 9.83 days per month. Pretty close to my example above.

Hey, even if you guys want to figure all 161 of my work days into the discussion, that is still only 13.4 days per month for ALL of my obligations away from home. That works out to about 16.6 days off and actually at home each month.

Again, lets remember that many of the airline folks that may only work 11 or 12 days per month are still doing some travel on THEIR time. Not me.

 

[Pervis]

Why would you call dishonesty here? If you worked at NJA you'd know this is true, and if you don't, you have no frame of reference. Does it make you feel better to convince yourself that there are no companies out there that have a pretty good deal? We fought a long battle for this and work our butts off for these well earned bennies.

Others at NJA do work more, but in my case it's by choice. I'm reserve schedule and in my 6th year. To date two months for '06-I'm averaging 13k/month salary, not including perdiem. Because I live in one of the big 5 bases, I fly on first and last day more than most, and average lots of hours flying the X. Flew 58.5 block hours in Feb, which is not unusual. They are using me the whole 18 days allowed in the CBA as well.

The work rules and benefits are a huge deal for me. If I'm tired, if my crewmate is tired, we're done with an automatic 14 hrs rest-more if requested with no stigs attached. One benny I haven't seen posted is full medical/dental/vision coverage continues after retirement at no expense after 20 yrs service, prorated after 10 yrs service. That's huge. Lots of others as well that have been listed in other threads. Yea, this is my home till retirement. Took a lot of years to be able to say that too.

 

[Diesel]

The question really is two parts.

Is Netjets a career place because of the longevity and stability of the company?
or
Is Netjets a career place because of the schedule, quality of life and pay?

Using a very direct comparison to FedEx because that's what we are really comparing this company too. The legacy carriers are dead and aren't hiring. You can go overseas to work and that has it's benefits, or go to a LCC like Southwest but for my perspective I have to compare it to a move up in the ladder.

Although a good corporate job would to me be considered a step up in a career movement but not in long term stability. Who really has any stability these days? A corp operator might go to a frax for the price but then realize that familiarity is gone and go back to their own flight department. I've seen it happen.

Is the financials of NJ something that will make a long term career. Jesus I don't know. I do know the company is willing to step over millions to pick up pennies. A prime example is the crew food, fuel savings, training cuts, the list goes on. Yet they have no problem ferrying a plane from HPN-SFO to do a leg to OAK. So any savings we just saved the company is thrown out the window by inefeciant scheduling, full price at FSI and a variety of others.

When people ask me how NJ is doing I have to give them a shrug. I have a half assed report that says we lost or gained money but we're hiring, getting more planes, and flying are buts off even harder, yet the waste continues.

So is NJ a career place in terms of company stability. Maybe thats the best answer I can give you. I think more people are getting wraped up with the union stuff than really should happen but thats another topic for another day.

In regards to a career place for the day to day work stuff.. Maybe It depends what you like and what is important to you. For me it's time off and time to spend with my family. Like my dad says NJ is a great part time job. It is but it is also in such true infancy that companies like FedEx and UPS have answered to their stock holders. They have played the game. They have their own issues. MOAB is a common word around this house right now.

A personal choice for me. Yes the QOL of life is worth it. I do like it here but lately i've taken a step back and watch attitude. (those of you that know me know it's not my style) I'm waiting for the dust to settle.

Off to have a beer.

 

[Fozzy]

Off to have a beer.

Damn, not even 1700 yet. :beer: Wish I was you.

 

[Hawker dude]

dang, not even 1700 yet. :beer: Wish I was you.

Fozzy and ass214 what is your problem? do you not believe the Netjets pilots?

It is the truth. Heck my last tour was easier than the one in the post. I worked for the airlines and will never go back. you two need to step into reality. every pilot should have a contract this good.

 

[Fozzy]

HDude,

What are you talking about? You must be confused, or maybe I posted while under the influence and don't remember.
Regardless, I am a NJA pilot. Sucks some days, great others. That about sums that up.

 

[buttercup]

Fozzy and ass214 what is your problem? do you not believe the Netjets pilots?

It is the truth. Heck my last tour was easier than the one in the post. I worked for the airlines and will never go back. you two need to step into reality. every pilot should have a contract this good.

Stop with the name calling playboy. You obviously have no sense of that reality that you are spouting off about. FedEx and UPS now those are good contracts. Those are careers, Netjets is a job. Let me guess you either worked for a regional or you were furloughed from a major airline. Why do Major airline pilots not voluntarily leave their companies for NJA unless they are furloughed? I've seen many leave NJA for airlines though. Tell yourself whatever makes you feel good and allows you to sleep well at night.

 

[Hawker dude]

HDude,

What are you talking about? You must be confused, or maybe I posted while under the influence and don't remember.
Regardless, I am a NJA pilot. Sucks some days, great others. That about sums that up.

Sorry dude, I just saw that you were agreeing with ass214. so I assumed you were with him.