Originally Posted by
Jetlife
Fantastic = free.
I'm not saying NetJets is a great place to be. If you're on the south side of 50 you'd be crazy not to jump to an airline with the current pay. I say our medical is fantastic because:
a) it's free
b) no annual deductible to meet before benefits kick in (except pharmacy)
c) copay in network are $20 flat for an office visit, $100 for Urgent Care visit, $150 for ER or Hospital Admission. Your wife has a baby, it's $150 for the wife and $150 for the baby. Period.
I've done both career paths. Major airlines for 15 years, then NetJets for 14 years. I was in my late 40's when starting with NetJets (2005 time frame) and it was a good deal then. Not so much now unless you want to fly for a Fractional Operator. I especially liked not having to commute and living 15 minutes from the FBO. During my airline career I was only based at home for maybe 2 years out of 15. Being a lineholder in base was very, very, nice. Even senior reserve was pretty good.
I'm out on medical and probably not going back. I don't really want to anyway, but if NJA could rein in scheduling and do something like an AM/PM schedule option I wouldn't mind returning. I'm a night owl and have landed the jet as late as 0430 and been fine doing that. Early mornings not so fine thou.
Other than the early shows I really liked NetJets over the airlines. After 14 years it was still very rare NOT to see a new airport on a tour. Airlines were like the Groundhog Day movie. I got to fly into a lot of very interesting places, some very challenging places too. Several times I've RON'd at unattended airports, once even having to dig rocks out of a ditch to use for chocks. And there's also the sometimes interesting pax we carry. I'm a news junkie and once flew a major network anchor who spent a few minutes talking to me. That was very cool, a bigger deal for me than the sports and entertainment people I flew.
By the time things got pretty good at the major airlines it was too late for me to be changing jobs. If someone likes the kind of flying Fractionals do and don't mind the lower pay vs. airlines then it's still a good deal.