The Real Delta Private Jets Thread
Since the other Delta Private Jets thread is full of extremely out of date information and is stuck in the Fractional Section, I though I would start a thread in the 135 section to provide accurate information on what this place is and isn’t.
History (From what I have been told):
The company was started by Comair and called Comair Jet Express. Delta then re-branded it Delta Air Elite around 2001. In 2010, Delta acquired Segrave Aviation and merged it with Delta Air Elite and changed the name to Delta Private Jets. Much of all negative stories are from the “Segrave Days.” I wasn’t around then, but no one seemed to like the management. It seems like typical cost cutting management. They made everyone work more, for less pay, and tried to nickel and dime the operation to the point of failure.
Current Company.
DPJ is wholly owned by Delta Air Lines. The pilot group (and the day to day operations) are in no way connected to Delta Air Lines. The yearly DPJ profit is what DAL spends on fuel in a day, so they let us do our own thing as long as we keep making money. Most of the people in the offices came after the Segrave Days. The rest are former Comair and DHL employees.
While the company primarily generates revenue with its 135 charter operation, it also manages aircraft. Obviously the managed fleet operates differently than the charter (core) fleet and as a result, a DPJ pilot on a managed Legacy that flies once a month and is paid by the owner of the aircraft has a very different view than the core pilot flying CJs 18 days out of the month on a salary set by DPJ. Because of this, I will only talk about the core pilots and fleet on this thread.
Fleet
DPJ will operate any aircraft that makes money. While they have many types of aircraft, the typical 135 core pilot is going to be on a CJ, Excel, Citation X, or Hawker 800. The 604 and other large cabins are available, but because there are only a few of those aircraft, and the chances of getting those off the street are rare, I will focus on the small and mid size fleet.
DPJ does not own the aircraft, it leases them. Most of the lease contracts make a lot of money when the aircraft are flying, but lose a lot when they are not. As a result, DPJ can’t afford to have planes without pilots, so they are always making sure they are properly staffed and the aircraft are well maintained.