XOJet growth...??

[noperf]

thx xdriver

 

[xrated]

Not trying to flame, but what are some of the benefits of flying for XOJet vs. for Netjets or Flexjet? Are there any incremental benefits? .

Pay and upgrade time!

 

[t-bone]

How soon are the Challenger 300s expected to be on the line and how many have been ordered total? What about Citation Xs - how many on the line now and how many have been ordered total?

Not trying to flame, but what are some of the benefits of flying for XOJet vs. for Netjets or Flexjet? Are there any incremental benefits? I want out of the regional business and I am trying to learn more about alternatives like these.

Stock Options. Being part of a growing company that is still small enough where your opinion is heard, AND matters. Being part of a company where the CEO, COO and other senior level management travels to meet with the pilots to ask them what needs to be done differently to make this a career job. And then watching them follow up on what they say. Being part of a company that was willing to end its relationship with a charter client if they weren't willing to stop smoking on our airplanes (pilots had voiced this as an issue). The list goes on.

 

[cessnaxdriver]

Minimums

They are advertising 1500 min. with turbine time. Not to sure of the exact mins, but the people that are coming thru for interviews have averaged 2500 total with jet and turboprop time for mins.

What are the hiring minimums?

Thanks

 

[t-bone]

More minimums

2500 hours for the 10, 1500 for the king airs (which I believe are fully staffed). There really isn't a good number for what's competitive. Your attitude and personality are more important to us than how many hours you have. Guys and Gals are getting hired with anywhere from 2500+ hours to 20000+ hours. They're coming from the regionals, legacy carriers, other 135 operators and cargo operators. We just hired a guy with over 4000 hours of piston twin time, very little turbine time, but with a great attitude. He impressed all that interviewed him, and he's got a job here. Don't get hung up on your flight time (as long as you meet our/ARGUS minimums). We want people that are going to fit well with our pilot group, and you'll get voted off the island if you don't.

 

[Huggy Bear]

T-bone,
I just left a 10 year career in the Navy flying FA-18s. I only have 1700 TT (average for a fighter pilot) but almost all of my time is PIC, ME, Jet. Would I be a non-starter for the citation X with it's 2500 TT?

Huggy

 

[t-bone]

I really don't know what conversion they use for military time...but I'd be surprised if you didn't meet the requirements. Give it a shot! Your 737 type may result in some questions to your sincerity of wanting to work here though...just a heads up!

 

[t-bone]

I really don't know what conversion they use for military time...but I'd be surprised if you didn't meet the requirements. Give it a shot! Your 737 type may result in some questions to your sincerity of wanting to work here though...just a heads up!

 

[EatSleepFly]

Applying

Did a search and couldn't find anything recent. Is fax or email preferred, and who should it be addressed to?

Thanks!

 

[bizjet800]

They placed an ad a while back that says send resumes to [email protected]. In the subject line put CX pilots. Good luck.

 

[EatSleepFly]

Thanks!

 

[skiandsurf]

2 questions...

1. Is XOJet a charter or a fractional company? I have theard that the owners dont really buy a plane, they buy a part of the company. Therefore they (the owners) dont really have a valued asset. Can you explain what the business model is?


2. You have the CX, and are ordering the C300. I dont know too much about the 300, but arent these two planes too similar to each other. Wouldnt it make more sense to offer a small cabin and a large cabin, vs 2 medium cabins. These are both transcon airplanes, with close numbers.

 

[jonjuan]

1. XO jet claims that it is fractional, but cheaper if you buy a larger share. Same operational concept. You buy a fraction of a plane, pay mgmt fees, and hourly rates based on usage.
Not sure how their getting fuel at airports other than TEB, for example, is going to be that cost or operationally effective. How do they get around high ramp fees when not buying gas at TEB?

2. The 300 has cabin volume of 860 cu ft versus the X at 508 cu ft. A big difference, I'd say, especially for a coast to coast trip.

 

[t-bone]

2 questions...

1. Is XOJet a charter or a fractional company? I have theard that the owners dont really buy a plane, they buy a part of the company. Therefore they (the owners) dont really have a valued asset. Can you explain what the business model is?


2. You have the CX, and are ordering the C300. I dont know too much about the 300, but arent these two planes too similar to each other. Wouldnt it make more sense to offer a small cabin and a large cabin, vs 2 medium cabins. These are both transcon airplanes, with close numbers.

Good questions...I'll try to answer.

1. We are a little of both. Our airplanes are owned or leased by our General and Limited Partners. Once they purchase the aircraft, they then enter the airplane into an interchange agreement with the rest of our fleet, where they now have access to all of our airplanes at DOC. They can use as many of our planes at the same time as they want, at a cost savings of 40% compared to the fractionals. They own the airplane, so they get the tax benefits of depreciation (I think).

What we get is an additional airplane to sell charter on. In exchange for the owners paying DOC only on occupied legs, we keep ALL charter revenue. We aren't limited to flying only for our owners, so we can supplement their flying with revenue generating charter flights. As a result, our deadheads are less then 20% on average, and a very small percentage of that is uncompensated deadhead. Makes for a much more efficient operation for the owners and for the company. There's a magic number, somewhere around 1000 hours per year per airplane, beyond which profit margins go through the roof. That's what our goal is.

Another difference is that we sell half or whole shares. We don't offer 1/16 of an airplane, therefore we don't have 16+ owners trying to fly on the same airplane on the peak travel days.

2. As for the challengers, my understanding is that for essentially the same acquisition and operating costs, we can get an airplane that satisfies 2 different needs. For the Citation 10 owner who typically flies by himself and wants to get there fast, the 300 offers him the ability to bring his family and not have to sit on anyone's lap. Sure the flight will take a bit longer, but it will be more comfortable. Or, for the 300 owner that typically flies with a larger group, he/she can hop into the 10 for that occasional trip with 2-3 passengers where time is more important that cabin space. Also, I think Cessna's inability to deliver airplanes fast enough has something to do with it.

Hope that helps. Keep in mind, I'm just a pilot so don't quote me on any of this!

 

[jonjuan]

Also, I think Cessna's inability to deliver airplanes fast enough has something to do with it.

But the 300 has been sold out for 3 years since last year. The backlog is even bigger/longer than that of the X.