My thoughts

[UncleKenn]

Flexjet pilots,



I want to take a moment to share my vision for the future of One Sky and Flexjet. As soon as the threat the union poses to our organization has been eliminated, with your help of course, I will be implementing a few exciting changes. I think the best way to explain a few of those changes to you is to share several excerpts from my book, Management by Trust. I hope this will clear up any misunderstanding that may have arisen, here on Flightinfo, about my intentions toward you.

 

[UncleKenn]

At Flight Options, our company grew so fast from 1999 to 2002 that we hired more than 1,000 pilots in three years. We had to decide what type of pilot to hire. Did we want to use the regional airline/charter model, paying low wages to stopover employees? Or did we want to emulate the major carriers, with their seniority programs and payrolls full of trapped employees? We didn’t particularly like either choice.



What we sought to develop was a program that allowed a comfortable – but not too comfortable - environment for stopover employees and an exceptional environment for committed employees. In other words, we simply wanted to under-compensate those who were there merely to build flying time and experience so they could move on to the job they really wanted, and overcompensate those who were committed. This would not only reward those committed employees who were a significant benefit to the company but, would also provide an example for stopover employees, perhaps providing an incentive for them to become committed.



To accomplish this, we devised a two-part compensation strategy. The first involved a compensation differential: How much more and in what ways would we compensate committed versus noncommitted employees? Second, and perhaps more importantly, how would we determine who the committed employees were?



We developed a two-tier pay and benefits program. The basic concept was to pay those in the committed tier – we called them Senior Flight Officers – above average and the rest of our pilots below average. For example, if the industry average for a certain type of aircraft was $75,000, we made sure nobody made $75,000. Senior Flight Officers might earn $90,000, while the remaining pilots earned $60,000. In the end, our salary costs were not much different from companies that paid everybody $75,000. But look at the incentives we created for people to achieve Senior Flight Officer status – in other words, to be committed.

 

[luckydog]

You really paid money to be able to post this?

You must be one of the over compensated guys you reference.

 

[el raton]

"senior flight officers"!!!! I hope the teamsters can save Flex before it's too late!

 

[ghostrider64]

Some day you'll all wake up and wonder what the hell was I thinking? I thought I'd be living the dream and flying a 777 international. Then reality struck, hell I'm going to be at flex, options, xo, tmc and yes netjets for the rest of my adult life.

Do what you must, but never come back here spouting off about how crappy you have it, now that you're stuck...

Either make your dream a reality. Or accept that you've succumbed to being a slave for the rest of your professional life.

 

[Hawker dude]

Flexjet pilots,



I want to take a moment to share my vision for the future of One Sky and Flexjet. As soon as the threat the union poses to our organization has been eliminated, with your help of course, I will be implementing a few exciting changes. I think the best way to explain a few of those changes to you is to share several excerpts from my book, Management by Trust. I hope this will clear up any misunderstanding that may have arisen, here on Flightinfo, about my intentions toward you.

why don't you just negotiate with the union?

 

[el raton]

To the pilots of Flops who consistently post on Flight Info:
This thread is a perfect example of why you have become the laughing stock of Flight Options of FO pilots in the eyes of most at flex. You guys are brushed off and not taken seriously at all.

Like "Uncle Kenn", you are an embarrassment to the pilot group at FO. A few reasons why.... Your message always starts packaged in some form of deceit. This message, when delivered, already starting with a loss of credibility, attempts to convince pilots at flex to sell their future to one of the most corrupt outfits (the teamsters) in US history. Combine this with FO's past performance of contract negotiations and you have what most call a "joke". Just the the fact that the IBT hasn't publicly asked you to stop posting your drivel shows what an inept operation they are.

Life at Flex hasn't been perfect, there have been some short falls (especially for furloughees and first officers) but for most of us, we've been treated very well considering the economic state of the last 7+ years. With that being said combined with the lack luster of your contract and your clown show here at flight info, do you understand why the pilot group at flex has discounted the teamsters? Also your message comes across as nothing more than a form of self preservation with no ambition to grow.

Stop posting! Regroup! Figure out a better way that we can all stick together "stick together". Right now we see little value in selling our livelyhood to this form of mediocrity you guys live with and have presented as our future way of life.

 

[Praetorian]

Some day you'll all wake up and wonder what the hell was I thinking? I thought I'd be living the dream and flying a 777 international. Then reality struck, hell I'm going to be at flex, options, xo, tmc and yes netjets for the rest of my adult life.

Do what you must, but never come back here spouting off about how crappy you have it, now that you're stuck...

Either make your dream a reality. Or accept that you've succumbed to being a slave for the rest of your professional life.

I don't know brother. I've always liked the kind of flying we do as Fractional pilots and have never really had any ambition to fly for the airlines. A to B to C and repeat seems kinda dull to me. So I don't feel "stuck".

Things have changed at FO since you left. We aren't slaves any more. Problem is there are those who haven't come to terms with that reality yet. I'm willing to give it some more time for that evolution to take place.

 

[dime line]

why don't you just negotiate with the union?

Dam your funny, this is why pilots shouldn't be allowed to negotiate anything. Go ahead and try to get a rich guy to do something he doesn't want to do, it becomes a game to said rich guy.

 

[GlorifiedCabbie]

el, you certainly changed your tune, again. Uncle gave us a free copy of his book so we could understand his vision.
When you interviewed for the job,you came away with the feeling that this was a place where, if I went above and beyond, I too would become an SFO. Didn't turn out that way, but that's just aviation.
And el, if you are counting on the teamsters to save you,don't hold your breath. The Flex pilots are going to have to do that for themselves.