qwert512

I can't PM yet (not enough posts), but if you or anyone else would like to share your thoughts, feel free to email me at citationshrs@gmail.com.

Just looking to gather as much information as possible. Thanks!

kevin_p

First of all, I am a pilot for NetJets, so I may be a bit biased. That being said, I have full confidence in the safety of both operators. That wouldn't be a concern at all in my opinion. One thing that I do think could be an issue is the size of each company.

CitationShares is a much smaller operator than NetJets. When something doesn't go according to plan, NetJets is more likely to have a plane available nearby. For example, yesterday we had an unexpected maintenance issue come up about an hour prior to departure. Fortunately there were three other NetJets planes at the airport and the owner was upgraded to a larger aircraft for his flight and was not delayed at all. CitationShares may have needed 2 or 3 hours to get a recovery aircraft in position since they only have about 85 aircraft (vs. almost 500 for NetJets in the US alone).

A couple of months ago, we were in Dulles on standby with the aircraft fueled and ready to go. Another NetJets plane was on its way from New York to Florida. Reaching cruise altitude, they noticed a louder-than-usual noise coming from the cabin door. They decided to go ahead and land in Dulles as a precaution. They parked next to us, the owner walked right onto our plane and we were on our way within 5 minutes. We arrived at the destination less than 20 minutes later than the owner had originally planned.

What will happen when your plane can't get to your airport it's stuck in New York due to air traffic congestion? What will happen when one of your pilots gets sick the morning of your flight? What happens if owners on the flight before yours are an hour and a half late? Will your fractional company have the resources to recover your flight with minimal inconvenience? Because of situations like these, I think the size of NetJets' operation is a huge competitive advantage.

I have nothing bad to say about CitationShares. I have friends who work there and they seem very pleased. But keep in mind any of the fractional companies will probably do a decent job when everything goes smoothly. The true test of any company is how they handle non-routine situations.

Malaikatoo

I'm a former Flex guy who went to NJA. Same story here. Night and day difference in operations. Both companies with excellent safety records but the little stuff is so much better at NJA.

We had a minor write-up last tour within 20 minutes of departure with pax. Called it in and 5 minutes after scheduled departure the backup aircraft arrived. Total down time to the pax was 20 minutes. Not questioning CS as an operation but critical mass which NJA has achieved along time ago really does provide competitive advantage.

Have also found the ball gets carried so much better here than at Flex since we have dedicated departments to handle owner service issues. Way many more hands on deck to ensure smooth operation. Just my 2 cents!!

You get what you pay for right ?!!!

JJOSH122

I have worked on the ramp for a number of years at very busy GA airports that have a lot of fractional traffic. Having dealt with NJ and many other fractionals (including CS) I can tell you NJ is head and shoulders above the rest in a number of areas.

Their logistical structure is far superior. FBOs are e-mailed logistics updates every 2 hours with detailed information including catering orders, ground transportation details, and even pax names so that ramp and customer service personnel can greet them by name. None of the other fractionals are as structured/organized and place as much emphasis on customer service as NJ does. NJ even has ground-based customer service employees at busier airports to help out with customer service and logistical issues.

Having dealt one on one with hundreds of crews from many different fractionals, I can tell you NJ crews are typically much more professional in the way they go about their business. I don't know if it is their hiring process or what, but they obviously attract the best of the best.

9999

qwert512,

I would suggest you call Owner Services at Citation Shares. If you need that number, you could probably get it from the website.

I have noticed that CS employees don't talk up the company. The pilots all appear top notch and happy. The airplanes are always immaculate. Apparantly they know it and so do their owners and that is good enough for them.

I suspect you would be very satisfied with Citation Shares. I know several of the owners that come through the FBO are very happy with them. They are very courteous and very friendly folks.

Best of luck in your search.

Mason32

Not all do this. The smaller places do since the plane just returns to base, larger ones have someplace else for the plane to go for revenue... just as the fractional companies do.... in any event, both charter and fractional have times built into their fees to cover repositioning...

and you don't think the rate charged for "occupied time" doesn't cover portions of other expenses?

That's an awfully large blanket statement you just made... for many that may be true, but certainly not all.

That really depends on his/her needs and frequency of use. If he/she only goes to a few regular destinations there may be a well run, established, charter company that is already doing a point to point regulary along, or near, their desired route. If you can locate one that is going nearby regularly, giving them a revenue leg as opposed to a dead repo leg can be very cost effective.

He/she may wish to call the FBO (signature/jet, whatever) that serves their destinations of choice and see who the charter companies are that are in there fairly often.... other than fractional companies. A few phone calls could produce a very safe and efficient alternative.

I do remember seeing a website that sold the dead/repo legs as long as your pickup/dropoff were within so many miles of the route... if anybody knows that sites web address, it would be a good place to start if you wanted to see what companies are flying that route, or nearby, regularly. Then you could research a few of them prior to calling.

just some other options... .02

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Mason32

I'll add another issue to the mix since somebody else brought up MX issues. Here in New England I know for a fact that NJ has an awsome program. A friend owns the contract MX company that services NJ. The MX folks use both surface as well as their own aircraft to get the MX tech's to/from the AOG asset. Frequently, by the time they arrive (which is quickly), NJ already has had another plane swoop in and grab the PAX.

I'm not sure how the other fractions deal with MX issues, but since I know the gentleman who owns the MX service doing NJ in New England, he has had nothing but excellent things to say about their operation and behind the scenes logistical support.

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av8tor07

[quote=Malaikatoo;497856]I'm a former Flex guy who went to NJA. Same story here. Night and day difference in operations. Both companies with excellent safety records but the little stuff is so much better at NJA.

We had a minor write-up last tour within 20 minutes of departure with pax. Called it in and 5 minutes after scheduled departure the backup aircraft arrived. Total down time to the pax was 20 minutes. Not questioning CS as an operation but critical mass which NJA has achieved along time ago really does provide competitive advantage.

Have also found the ball gets carried so much better here than at Flex since we have dedicated departments to handle owner service issues. Way many more hands on deck to ensure smooth operation. Just my 2 cents!!

Your 2 cents may not be enough. Flexjet also has a department to handle all of their customers requests.

PopWash

Just curious, but did you consider Flexjet? the challenger is an awesome airplane and was recently opened up to jet cards. Any particular reason you are not considering them? All our prices are listed on our website by the way.

Prices: Pricing | Flexjet 25 Fractional Jet Card Program

And if you go with a Lear card, you'll get upgraded into the challenger every now and then since it is a larger fleet

And I think we would all agree that pilot requirements/training is pretty much equal at all the major fracs.

atpcliff

Hi!

I know a bunch of pilots, and have read extensively on lots of sources about the fractionals, and interviewed at Net Jets.

My opinion is that, overall, including safety, Net Jets, Citation Shares and Bombardier FlexJet are all excellent. Flight Options is not in their league. I don't know enough about AvantAir to comment on this aspect of their program.

Good luck!

cliff
YIP

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