straight answers about Netjets

[WillFlyFoCookie]

Calling all people on the inside! I know that things are very heated right now with the union vs. management but I'm just looking for some very simple and as objective as possible answers about Netjets.

How do you like your job? I think it might be fun not knowing by heart everything about everywhere you're going all the time. Are the majority of the people you run into cool or stuck up? What kind of pay realistically may be coming? 40K FOs/80K Capts? Upgrade time and does it depend on what aircraft you're intially assigned? Is "home basing" a real possibility? Is a strike a real possibility? - not unless the NMB releases both sides is what I gather.

I know that most people on these boards would say that coming of Netjets is a "huge mistake" but the Netjets pilots I've met in person admit that relations are tuff right now but that they see themselves having a future with the company and new hires even as well.

I know, I know "What the heck are you thinking?" Please keep in mind that I fly for a tiny regional where I'm gone from a home a lot, fly 85-95 hours per month, I still make less than 25K, and airlines aren't even close to a safe bet right now with most going bankrupt and my little one might not even be here in a few years (or months).

Some simple answers and advice without must rhetoric would be very appreciated. Thanks to all of you!

 

[cathaywannabe]

Even with all the issues you are already familiar with, NetJets is still a viable alternative to the majority of the troubled industry. I've come from two regionals and one major. Two furloughs and two bankruptcies.

I will try to make my answers as objective as possible, without the "spin" from either side.

Contract issues to the side, I enjoy my NJA job a lot.

I find most of the passengers/owners I take to be more pleasant, knowledgeable and understanding than a typical airline passenger.

As far as pilots here go, expect more "diversity" than a typical FAR 121 setup. There isn't as much centralization here and the seniority list is quite lengthy on some equipment, so you'll fly from the really good to really bad, really young to really old. Really angry to really happy.

As far as realistic pay, that is a difficult question. I think we have an excellent union (to tell you the truth, these guys have their stuff together more than any ALPA local I've been part of). With that said, the National Mediation Board is currently very anti-worker and I doubt they will ever let us into self help. I think the company is well aware of this and therefore is not interested in what pilots here perceive as "good faith" negotiations. There are two things I see happening:

1) The union will eventually back off some wage demands (realizing without the threat of self-help they may be impossible to achieve) and an agreement will eventually occur.

2) Both sides will stay strong and the employee/company relationship will continue to deteriorate. The product will continue to deteriorate and in the long run NJA will have some major problems.

I've dealt with these types of negotiations and labor strife at just about every airline I've been to. It's kind of the sign of the times. However, I've never seen such an angry pilot group as there is at NJA right now. For a lot of people, things have become increasingly hostile and personal. I'm not sure why this is the case, as these type of negotiations are frequent in today's industry and not just unique to NJA.

One thing that is different here is I don't think the company has very good labor relations. They tend to negotiate in public a lot and send a lot of negotiations materials out in mass to other NJA employees. This doesn't seem in good taste, nor an effective way to eventually make an agreement.

In the company's defense, they are extremely organized and helpful when it comes to personel and HR issues. I'm very impressed with their ability to answer and fix benefits issues, or safety issues such as hurricane preparedness or sick calls.

In closing, NetJets is NetJets. It is difficult to compare to an FAR 121 airline because it isn't. Ideally, I think one needs to come here with the thought in mind not to personalize negotiations. If you do personalize them, you will be miserable just like many of the people flying the line today.

 

[JustInfo]

As I have always said, I like working at NJA. Flying is great, 99% of the owners/PAX are great to work with, and maybe 90% of the pilots (although it is decreasing) are great to spend a week at a time with. I think Cathay nailed it with the two ways this can go, unfortunately I have lost faith in the whole deal and I am strongly leaning toward his #2 coming to fruition. There is a point where the hard headed conflict becomes nothing but detrimental to all involved and we have started into that area, neither side is going to budge due to egos etc going for "the win."

Having said all that, as much as I enjoy NJA I am now full fledged running what used to be my side business as my GTF out of aviation plan. A lot of the pressure the pilot side is feeling is "Where else am I going to go?" Airlines suck, Regionals suck worse. Corporate is too often no schedule no life, so as I have heard so often NJA sucks the least. I just no longer look forward to going to work anymore because of the environment we have to work under and that is not worth leaving the family for every other week. Thats my take anyway, thanks for listening.....

 

[paldss]

Finally a honest and objective opinion on NJ. I have long thought that this is where I want to go, but have seen nothing but crying on this site. Glad to finally hear a calm reasonable response to a simple question. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it!

 

[RoughAir]

Finally some cool level headed rational thoughts on Netjets.

Very nicely said.



Ex-NetJetter

 

[WillFlyFoCookie]

That was really great and I thank you. You guys broke it down very well and were very honest. On these boards it's so hard to sort out things sometimes and you guys have really helped. Things are never quite as bad or quite as good as most people on these threads indicate.

What's flying the Ultra like? I know that's what they are hiring into mainly. I know it's the workhorse of the fleet. No APU is a bummer. I've heard the guys that do fly it are generally a bit younger and do like it to some degree. Flying into some of those shorter strips and more out of the way places. Is this the most common plane that Netjets continues to get?

Thanks again all.

 

[Diesel]

I did over 4 years in the ultra and i can tell you i didn't love every minute of it. But what I do miss from it are the guys. They were all young and we all rocked out with our C0ck out.

Seriously we had a good time. We didn't have to think about the plane. Jump in it fire it up and takeoff. Land shutdown coast to a stop and run to the fbo for the remote for the tv.

The no apu sucks but i've found that with an apu you're tied to the plane. With the ultra it was a race out of the plane.

Seriously it was the guys in the plane that made it a blast. Some of the best times in the plane were some of the crazy places we went, and jumping in some airport car bombing around to find something to eat.

Yeah the X is where airline pilots go to die.

 

[acaTerry]

I love the 400XP. But the darn thing eats up runway more than anything of its size that I have ever seen.

 

[rk772]

But what I do miss from it are the guys. They were all young and we all rocked out with our C0ck out.

Sounds a little Gay.

 

[Diesel]

Sounds a little gay?

that's like let me just stick the tip in. You're either straight or you're blowing some tranny down on hunts point.

Anyways my Rock out with your c0ck out reference was from American Pie.

Guys in the ultra watch American pie, office space and Napoleon dynamite.