Actually nothing is supposed to change right away. The mngt at JR has done a couple conference calls and some additional e-mail to answer questions. Basicly they said nothing will change for at least 6 months. JR and the guys running the show have really tried hard to make it a 135 operation that people want to work for. It has been a better deal than some of the Part 91 operations I am familar with. I say that because things have been good here and I think most of the guys who have stuck around would like to see it stay that way. With a change like this its possible for things to get bad quick.
The per diem thing is one of those possible eventual changes. Right now we get a company card for hotels. They book us in Hiltons, Marriott, Holiday Inn mid to high end brand hotels. They do shop around but also realize its a cost of doing business. Nicer hotels = rested, happy pilots. Per diem is paid each day you go out. If you fly a 4 hour trip you get per diem, if you do 14 hours you get the same. Right now is $36, $44 for high dollar cities and $55 for international. Back the next day at 8 am ...two days per diem 8pm...two days per diem. No hourly rate or partial day rate.
We do not get day pay, we just get salery. We all on a 2 week on 1 week off or reserve is 8 on 6 off. If you go over on your two weeks because a trip is still out they will either airline the crew back and forth or if you finish out a trip and are on the road an extra day they will pay you overtime ($300 per day)
As far as other stuff goes. From what I understand part of the deal with PA buying JR was that benifits would be similar enough that the difference would be negligable when the JR pilots and staff came over. I guess that ment PA pilots and staff got some new benifits recently, 401(k) match, and some other things. Salery is exactly the same as when we leave Jetride. I'm not sure if our anniversy date will change to Sept 1st for everyone or stay the same based on when you joined Jetride (we would get merit raises each year). Based on what I have been told the only difference we will notice initally is where benifits and paychecks come from. As they move forward over the next year they will try to make policies match up i.e. per diem, when to get rental cars, crew meals etc.
Some other changes I could see is PA going to more of a system like ours where the aircraft are based in cities around the country instead of centrally located at specific limited bases. JR has 1 or 2 planes in about 9 cities? or more now. Each crewed with 3 pilots. 2weeks on call 1 week off. Its a nice schedule with the midsize and light jets because you end up home a bunch, your still on call, but your home, lots of one, two and 3 days trips. I think in my 3 years or so I have only spent one 2 week rotation on the road the whole time and a handful or week long trips (all of which were international down in the islands or Mexico)
I think they will also eventually look at the fleet mix and streamline it. I know PA has kinda a hodgepodge of Lears and a few other jets. My guess is they will try to stay with the 60s for midsize jets and then look at when would work best for light and heavy stuff. So maybe lose the Falcon 50s, the Lear 55's and 45's and 35's and go with 60's and 31's unless they are managed but who knows. Maybe having a good mix in the charter industry is a better business model. There are guys who get paid more than me to worry about that kind of stuff.
ok thats enough typeing.....it would be much more interesting to do this over beers. If anyone from PA ends up in MDW overnight PM me if I'm in town we can go for beer and pizza and talk albout all sorts of what if scenarios.
