Originally Posted by
ZapBrannigan
I don't have a dog in this fight. Never worked for Netjets, although I have many friends who do. I jumped from 121 to 91 corporate after 9/11 and back to 121 at SW a few years ago.
I'll say this, the grass always looks greener. Not everything that I had led myself to believe about WN ended up being true. It is a good job, but it isn't perfect, especially if you are junior and have young kids at home.
My advice to anyone looking to make the leap is to sit down with a WN pilot and talk with them about all of the little things beyond pay, retirement, and days off. Ask about flexibility to add, drop, or move flying or reserve days. Have young kids at home? Ask about how long before you can hold summer vacation. Ask about the cost of health insurance and how good the insurance is. Ask about lifestyle while on the road (hotel language, meals, etc) Ask what, if any, additional expenses must a pilot incur that are not reimbursed by the company. (Uniforms, bidding apps, parking, etc)
I think people tend to be blinded by pay, but they aren't realistic as to what it takes to get there. Yes, it is possible to exceed $100,000 at WN in year one, and $200,000 by year four or so. But that isn't just flying your line. The pilots making that kind of money are picking up extra flying and moving trips around to do as much of it as is possible. "Work smarter, not harder" is a thing... but only if you have the seniority horsepower to pull it off.
Personally, I like WN much more than I did flying corporate but there are a few things that I miss. Clean FBOs, warm cookies, crew cars, sleep rooms, expense accounts, keeping points, big chunks of time off.
So if you live in a WN base (other than ATL) and want to make the leap and you are an FO at NetJets, it's probably worth looking at. But take off the rose colored glasses, sit down with a WN pilot, and take pen to paper to write a pros/cons list to help you make as educated a decision as is possible.
That said, would love to see as many of you as is possible here, especially if you come to a Texas domicile! Maybe I could hold weekends off!
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