NetJets Recalls

[imacdog]

Certainly misleading if not inaccurate. He starts out by stating that returnees better like flying with incompetent 68 year old Captains. But, in the next paragraph he states that there'll be no upgrades because most Captains are in their 40's and 50's.

Both statements are accurate and one statement does not preclude the other.

 

[transpac]

Both statements are accurate and one statement does not preclude the other.

Read it any way you wish. The statement was made that inferred that one must like flying right seat with 68 year old Captains in order to survive at Netjets. But, reality is that the vast majority of Captains are far younger. I've never had an age-based problem with any pilot and think this was an ignorant statement. But, I didn't criticise the statement for that reason. The statement was misleading because it implied that assignments with an older Captain was going to be the norm while the reality is that it's going to happen infrequently. It's much the same as saying "you must like flying with lousy copilots to survive at Netjets" while reality is the vast majority of excellent copilots. Or, "you must like flying broke airplanes to survive at Netjets" because an airplane breaks once in a blue moon.

 

[imacdog]

Plenty of grey hairs hopping in and out of the NJA planes I see at the airport I work at.

 

[Hogprint]

The average age of pilots at NJA is 45yrs. That came from a company matrix that broke down age, experience, race ect...

 

[Allen1]

If the thread is still about NJ recalls:

Not expected til at least 2016. Maybe hiring in 2020ish.

To my furloughed friends:

Not sure if you want to come back unless where you are at now or go in the next 5-10 years completely sucks. If you have your 1000 hours PIC, shoot for the majors or some other charter/private gig. If you're not married/no family, shoot for over seas, that's where the growth is at.

Unless you don't care about ever upgrading...EVER, and you like flying right seat to a 68 year old, who thinks they still "got it", then come back. The way things look now, in my opinion as a lowly pilot, I don't think we will return to our post recession level for well over a decade+ if ever. Recalls most likely will only be based on attrition, and we all know that at NJ, you fly till you die. Heck, I moved up 5 spaces last year because of it! (Good job saving that 401k, now your grandson is going to blow your cash on a Porsche and your wife will spend it all on shopping, plus everyone scored more cash because you died while employed. Glad you enjoyed your years of hard work and saving!)

Upgrades wont happen.

Most pilots (80%) at NJ are not only PICs but in their early 40s to early 50s, which means at least 20 to possibly 30 years more of service. Only about 15% of the guys are in their 60s and they are looking at 10+ more years of work (Never believe them when they say "they will take a look at retiring in a few years", they just keep pushing the date).

If you're an FO now, and at the top of the list, you might upgrade 10 years from now, giving a total of 17 years as an FO. Bottom FO's might upgrade in 10-20 years from now. And recalls and new hires, never will. All these shinny new plane orders are all just replacements, not growth. And the pilot group is so lovely here, that even when the large class planes arrive, which could provide an SIC more pay if they bid it, PICs will bid SIC slots to fly the "big" plane. And since there are so many PICs, the company wont find a need to refill their slot. SICs lose big time, no pay and no upgrade!

Then again, once the airlines actually hire again, and the EMT destroys everything we love about working here, you might see some swift movement.

Good luck.

Let's hope Delta, United, and Brand X (heck, even US Airways) start hiring soon. Sitting 20 years right seat at SWA or UPS may be looking pretty good right now. Yes, I'm bitter. I used to love my job, until the recession, until I flew with too many UNprofessionals, until I realized I have to keep an eye on my aging pilot on the flight deck, until I realized that the grass on the airline side, in which I came, is actually greener (dysfunctional as it is over there), and until I realized that management wants to destroy us in our next contract. Yes, I'm looking for an exit plan. Hopefully I will provide a seat for someone soon.

Yep this place just plain sucks now. I'd hope for other jobs before wanting to come back here.

 

[rajflyboy]

Lets hope the 495 are called back SOON

 

[jtf]

Yep this place just plain sucks now. I'd hope for other jobs before wanting to come back here.

Is this sarcasm? The job is the same as it has been for as long as I've been here. Actually, it is easier than when I started. What sucks is that fo's are stuck in the right seat for probably another decade if things go well. That said, it is currently better than almost anything else available now and maybe what is available in the future if the airlines continue to get more and bigger airplanes for the regionals. If AA doesn't merge and can force their terms on the pilots, that will be literally hundreds of 86 seaters at the regionals and a mainline with 120 seaters flown at regional rates. That alone will cancel out thousands of good or descent mainline jobs. The 495 may very well not have any better prospects when the time comes. They can also take the recall and then bail if there is something better. Honestly, unless there are some airline union wins before recalls, why wouldn't someone take the recall when they would probably be starting again at the top fo pay with the rest of the benefits that go with it? I really do want to see lots of good options available outside of recall for the 495, but it really is a pretty darn good job if those options aren't there.

 

[BentOver]

Is this sarcasm? The job is the same as it has been for as long as I've been here. Actually, it is easier than when I started. What sucks is that fo's are stuck in the right seat for probably another decade if things go well. That said, it is currently better than almost anything else available now and maybe what is available in the future if the airlines continue to get more and bigger airplanes for the regionals. If AA doesn't merge and can force their terms on the pilots, that will be literally hundreds of 86 seaters at the regionals and a mainline with 120 seaters flown at regional rates. That alone will cancel out thousands of good or descent mainline jobs. The 495 may very well not have any better prospects when the time comes. They can also take the recall and then bail if there is something better. Honestly, unless there are some airline union wins before recalls, why wouldn't someone take the recall when they would probably be starting again at the top fo pay with the rest of the benefits that go with it? I really do want to see lots of good options available outside of recall for the 495, but it really is a pretty darn good job if those options aren't there.

I pretty much agree 100%......

AA is gonna be the next to gain huge scope relief... I believe Delta's contract may be due for negotiations soon..... and so on and so forth.....

IMO, Southwest, UPS, FedEx, and Hawaiian may be the only real viable options for anyone hoping to beat the NJA gig in the USA (and that's got nothing to do with retirements etc.. Just what most likely may end up happening with scope)....

With Southwest being the best option for many hoping to slide into a normalized airline lifestyle. (alot of people always comment how cargo just isn't their thing) And unfortunately I don't think SWA is anywhere close to hiring....

Right seat at NJA isn't all bad..... Atleast the company 401k match is the same for everyone.. My max contribution is the same as the guy next to me. He just has more $$ to invest on the side... Unless of course he's oin his second or third wife, in which case he's just not that smart

But I can see how people are very disgruntled, in which case, try Asia.. And hurry up and leave already!!!!!!!

 

[G4dude]

Is this sarcasm? The job is the same as it has been for as long as I've been here. Actually, it is easier than when I started. What sucks is that fo's are stuck in the right seat for probably another decade if things go well. That said, it is currently better than almost anything else available now and maybe what is available in the future if the airlines continue to get more and bigger airplanes for the regionals. If AA doesn't merge and can force their terms on the pilots, that will be literally hundreds of 86 seaters at the regionals and a mainline with 120 seaters flown at regional rates. That alone will cancel out thousands of good or descent mainline jobs. The 495 may very well not have any better prospects when the time comes. They can also take the recall and then bail if there is something better. Honestly, unless there are some airline union wins before recalls, why wouldn't someone take the recall when they would probably be starting again at the top fo pay with the rest of the benefits that go with it? I really do want to see lots of good options available outside of recall for the 495, but it really is a pretty darn good job if those options aren't there.

I believe the FOs have another 3 to 4 years before upgrade at NJA. Lots of retirements coming, and defections to the airlines. Could be wrong, of course.

 

[jtf]

As far as retirements go, I was able to run the numbers dwight after they announced the early outs when the company put out a memo that showed how many pilots there were for each individual age- both captain and fo. All together there were only about 300 pilots who would be 65 or older (not really when anyone here retires) by the early fall of 2014. Almost 1/3 of them were fo's. Since the furlough, I've moved up almost 85 numbers. Even if all 300 tried tomorrow, there wouldn't be an upgrade with the company at 80+ % captains. Attrition just isn't very high and there really weren't as many old pilots as most believe. Even if lots of pilots start leaving for the majors, most won't be captains. There won't be new captains here for a long, long time unless we grow like crazy and that is not in the company forecast. SIC here is still a pretty good job, but the next contract will need to raise the fo pay scales at least as high for years of service as the captain scales. Topping out at year ten will be unpleasant for many of us.