Pilots helping pilots
View over 100 airline profilesAdd to Google



Welcome to the Airline Pilot Central Forums.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. If you're a working pilot, please join our free community and you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you don't want to register (or not a working pilot), you can still use the Google search box in the upper left of this screen to search all forum posts!

Go Back   Airline Pilot Central Forums > Airline Pilot Forums > Fractional
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read


Fractional NetJets, FlexJet, etc

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-11-2008, 11:08 AM   #1 (permalink)
New Hire
 
Joined APC: Nov 2008
Posts: 3
Default Questions from propsective Citation Shares customer

Thinking about purchasing a Vector jetcard from Citation Shares. Currently have Marquis card through NetJets.

First off, my continued thanks to the NJ pilots. You guys (and gals) are terrific.

Just wanted to take the pulse of the knowledgable folks here who post and get your thoughts on Citation's current operations. We went with NetJets for our current jetcard because of its perceived commitment to safety (pilot training, maintenance, etc). It is pretty hard to research this topic, so I wanted to see what the consensus is with respect to Citation's operations. Citation's jetcard offers a bit more flexibility with plane choice, hence my interest in switching.

Thanks very much for your help--really appreciate it!
qwert512 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 04:16 PM   #2 (permalink)
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: E135/145 PIC
Posts: 325
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by qwert512 View Post
Thinking about purchasing a Vector jetcard from Citation Shares. Currently have Marquis card through NetJets.

First off, my continued thanks to the NJ pilots. You guys (and gals) are terrific.

Just wanted to take the pulse of the knowledgable folks here who post and get your thoughts on Citation's current operations. We went with NetJets for our current jetcard because of its perceived commitment to safety (pilot training, maintenance, etc). It is pretty hard to research this topic, so I wanted to see what the consensus is with respect to Citation's operations. Citation's jetcard offers a bit more flexibility with plane choice, hence my interest in switching.

Thanks very much for your help--really appreciate it!
To my knowledge, no Citationshares aircraft have crashed. The pilots are all trained at very high standards. I'd say the standards are comparable to Netjets in terms of pilot hiring and training. You probably already know this but I would make sure that the aircraft fleet offered matches your requirements. If you consistently need 3-4 passengers flown 500 miles, a CJ3 or XLS at Citationshares might work well for you. If you require trips to Hawaii or Europe, Citationshares won't provide aircraft capable of some of those missions.

Keep in mind that when you buy these jetcards you are basically paying a huge premium to cover their extensive overhead. If you look at it from an hourly basis, you could probably charter a much bigger airplane from a "reputable" charter operator for the same hourly cost (including fuel) because you are not funding their enormous overhead. Charter operators are rated (Argus and others) and you look for highly-rated operators who can provide the same or bigger aircraft for the same (or much lower) price offered by the jetcard schemes. I would ask for charter customer references during your due diligence.

Personally, I think these jetcards are a huge waste of money when compared to some of the more "reputable" charter operators out there... You are paying a huge premium for the brand name and "implied" reputation for safety. In doing so, are you suggesting that corporate or private operators are any less safe and reliable because they don't buy fractional shares? They care about safety too - most pilots don't have a death wish. Most highly-rated charter operators care deeply about their reputation for safety and operating standards. I don't work in the industry but my opinion is based on what friends who do work in the industry think... You need to shop around.

Have you ever done this price/value comparison between fractional cards and "reputable" charter operators?

Last edited by Bill Lumberg : 11-11-2008 at 04:30 PM.
Bill Lumberg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 05:28 PM   #3 (permalink)
Bidding 4 and 3
 
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: CL 30
Posts: 270
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg View Post
Keep in mind that when you buy these jetcards you are basically paying a huge premium to cover their extensive overhead... Personally, I think these jetcards are a huge waste of money when compared to some of the more "reputable" charter operators out there...

Geez, Bill you really missed the point on this one. Charter operators charge you for repositioning time. Card holders pay only for the occupied time. The level of consistent, quality service of the fractionals far exceeds that of the charter operators. While I obviously wish this questioner was looking at my company as well as CitationShares, I know that he will do better with them than with a charter operator.
Navajo31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 05:46 PM   #4 (permalink)
New Hire
 
Joined APC: Nov 2008
Posts: 3
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg View Post
To my knowledge, no Citationshares aircraft have crashed. The pilots are all trained at very high standards. I'd say the standards are comparable to Netjets in terms of pilot hiring and training. You probably already know this but I would make sure that the aircraft fleet offered matches your requirements. If you consistently need 3-4 passengers flown 500 miles, a CJ3 or XLS at Citationshares might work well for you. If you require trips to Hawaii or Europe, Citationshares won't provide aircraft capable of some of those missions.

Keep in mind that when you buy these jetcards you are basically paying a huge premium to cover their extensive overhead. If you look at it from an hourly basis, you could probably charter a much bigger airplane from a "reputable" charter operator for the same hourly cost (including fuel) because you are not funding their enormous overhead. Charter operators are rated (Argus and others) and you look for highly-rated operators who can provide the same or bigger aircraft for the same (or much lower) price offered by the jetcard schemes. I would ask for charter customer references during your due diligence.

Personally, I think these jetcards are a huge waste of money when compared to some of the more "reputable" charter operators out there... You are paying a huge premium for the brand name and "implied" reputation for safety. In doing so, are you suggesting that corporate or private operators are any less safe and reliable because they don't buy fractional shares? They care about safety too - most pilots don't have a death wish. Most highly-rated charter operators care deeply about their reputation for safety and operating standards. I don't work in the industry but my opinion is based on what friends who do work in the industry think... You need to shop around.

Have you ever done this price/value comparison between fractional cards and "reputable" charter operators?
I typically fly to places that are pretty remote, so the aggregate repositioning fees result in the charter quotes equaling (if not exceeding, in some cases) the per hour cost through these jetcard programs. Plus, as Navajo indicataed, I like the consistent service provided throug the fractionals (at least, I've enjoyed NJ service thus far).

Citation's plane choices should be fine for my needs (under 2.5 hr trips across east coast/midwest).
qwert512 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 06:52 PM   #5 (permalink)
Line Holder
 
Pilatapus's Avatar
 
Joined APC: May 2007
Posts: 38
Default

Avantair may also fit your need. They too have a card.

As far as training etc. I would say that the fractionals all have pilots that are well trained and aircraft that are well maintained.
Pilatapus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 07:43 PM   #6 (permalink)
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: E135/145 PIC
Posts: 325
Default

Look, if you have the money to burn then go for it. The amount per hour for those cards is outrageous but when did that matter to super rich people? I was just trying to offer an obvious alternative (there are quality charter operators out there). Citationshares should work for you.
Bill Lumberg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2008, 08:58 PM   #7 (permalink)
Line Holder
 
highnpressurizd's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Default

Bill is correct, we (CS) have had no crashes. As a whole the fractional industry has a superior safety record when compared to the average 135 carrier. Disclaimer - just talking numbers, again, Bill is correct about there being excellent charter outfits out there. NJ and CS both train at Flight Safety and both outfits are pretty well plugged in to the whole customer service thing. If you've been happy with your service, it comes down to what program best fits your needs. If you have CS specific questions, feel free to PM me (after you get 10 posts).
highnpressurizd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2008, 05:39 AM   #8 (permalink)
Gets Weekends Off
 
EXTW's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2005
Position: Up Front
Posts: 130
Default

qwert512,

As my colleague stated above, we (CS) train at FlightSafety as does NetJets. FS is very good at what they do and I have been very impressed with their product. As a reference, I came from the Part 121(airline) side of the industry.

CitationShares is very proud of our customer service aspect of the business. We have a highly motivated group of team members here, and we want exceed your expectations on every trip.

If you have any specific questions, I would also be happy to answer via PM.

Hope to see you on one of "our" airplanes soon!

Regards,

X
EXTW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2008, 06:19 AM   #9 (permalink)
New Hire
 
Joined APC: Sep 2008
Position: CE560XLS PIC
Posts: 8
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg View Post
To my knowledge, no Citationshares aircraft have crashed. The pilots are all trained at very high standards. I'd say the standards are comparable to Netjets in terms of pilot hiring and training. You probably already know this but I would make sure that the aircraft fleet offered matches your requirements. If you consistently need 3-4 passengers flown 500 miles, a CJ3 or XLS at Citationshares might work well for you. If you require trips to Hawaii or Europe, Citationshares won't provide aircraft capable of some of those missions.

Keep in mind that when you buy these jetcards you are basically paying a huge premium to cover their extensive overhead. If you look at it from an hourly basis, you could probably charter a much bigger airplane from a "reputable" charter operator for the same hourly cost (including fuel) because you are not funding their enormous overhead. Charter operators are rated (Argus and others) and you look for highly-rated operators who can provide the same or bigger aircraft for the same (or much lower) price offered by the jetcard schemes. I would ask for charter customer references during your due diligence.

Personally, I think these jetcards are a huge waste of money when compared to some of the more "reputable" charter operators out there... You are paying a huge premium for the brand name and "implied" reputation for safety. In doing so, are you suggesting that corporate or private operators are any less safe and reliable because they don't buy fractional shares? They care about safety too - most pilots don't have a death wish. Most highly-rated charter operators care deeply about their reputation for safety and operating standards. I don't work in the industry but my opinion is based on what friends who do work in the industry think... You need to shop around.

Have you ever done this price/value comparison between fractional cards and "reputable" charter operators?
Dear Qwert512,

I flew at CitationShares for almost 4 years and left and went to Netjets. Want to know why.? PM me
steve47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2008, 06:26 AM   #10 (permalink)
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Apr 2006
Posts: 106
Default

As one of the dozen or so pilots this year who have made the switch from CS to NJA I can shockingly say the difference is night and day. CS is a great place with a strong commitment to safety but they are behind in NJ in several areas. They are going through a lot of the growing pains that NJ has already dealt with. Owner Services and billing are the biggest complaints of CS customers. CS just hasnt implemented the technology needed to make a strong dispatch department (CS pilots file their own flight plans and get their own weather, do their own weight and balance) all things that take away time that should be spent getting the airplane ready for the owner. Another huge difference is recovery times. Every MX problem at NJ seems to have another NJ plane landing within an hour while CS's response times usually involve 3 or 4 hours and often and outside vendor. Both are great companies just one is a little more mature. I will say both have strong committment to pilot training and safety. Please feel free to PM for more info
flyguy37 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Any Hiring Info for Citation Shares? FlyingFish Fractional 6 03-31-2005 01:46 PM


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:31 PM.


Copyright ©2000 - 2007 DreamLaunch Media Ltd

Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0 RC7