Hey 250,

I hope that you are doing well and enjoying your new flying gig. You have made some valid points in the past, but things have changed drastically here even in the last 4 months here.. So to quote Notorious B.I.G... "So if ya' don't know, now ya' know...", LOL. We are back on salary with annual step increases vs. daily rate pay from Covid-19, our per diem has increased to one of the highest rates among our competitors at $66/day, starting FO Salary has increased by $10,000, we now pay $10,000 extra incentivizing the 15/13 schedule if you take it, you now go to years of service pay rate when you upgrade (not to 1st year Captain rate), 401K has increased, and improvements to family rate insurance is improving in 2022.. All these improvements, at least 1 per month, since June 2021! I don't know when you left, but things have definitely have changed for the better. Combine that with the most flexible home basing policy in the industry (I live on both coasts and I'm not the only one..), quick upgrades, and a set schedule that you know a year in advance (that nobody messes with..i.e., Junior Manning, Jumpseating, Crash Pads, Displacements, Base Closures, Downgrades, Furloughs, Company Shutdowns, etc.. Been there, done that), you can see that we are a young Company that is rapidly gaining and improving. Ask any NetJets, SWA, UPS, FDX old timer about what their pay and QOL was less than 20 years ago.. In 2002, Flight Options was the place to be over NetJets, where you had to live near 5 domiciles and be there 12 hours in advance of your duty on. Starting PIC was only $35,000 less than 20 years ago. Prior to 09/11/2001, pilots were leaving UPS, FDX, SWA, etc. in droves to go to the "Majors". Pilots were similarly trying to get out of NetJets prior to their Contract '05. Now we don't have Berkshire Hathaway or Warren Buffet backing us, but who knows where this only 6.5 year old company will go... One things for sure, we are growing exponentially and moving compensation, benefits, and QOL in the right direction. Not perfect, but definitely gaining and improving while keeping ridiculously friendly policies like allowing pilots to fly out of DHN, EWN, OAJ, and even a commuter from Italy. We have gone from nothing to the 5th largest (soon to be #4) 135 operator in 6.5 years!

We are losing younger pilots to NetJets (which makes total sense because they have a generous and hard fought CBA, and a long upgrade doesn't scare someone in their 20's). We have lost some other pilots to Frontier, FedEx, Spirit, AA, and Delta, which also makes sense, but we are no longer losing pilots making lateral moves to other 135 operators (we did lose some before the pay raises, though. Did I mention that we were one of the only aviation companies on the PLANET that not only didn't issue drastic pay cuts, furlough, terminate, shut down, etc. last April, but we actually grew by adding airplanes, building infrastructure, and hiring many employees (not just pilots). Our pilots sat at home with full pay while other bigger operators issued draconian pay cuts or forced leave of absences. This put us in the position to be ready to go with planes and pilots when the flood gates opened last May, even more so in June when we broke our all time record, and when we broke it again in December. We broke our 5 year goal 3 months early in 2020, have already exceeded our 2023 goals, and our poised to exceed our 2025 goals next year.

Finally, 250, while the growth, pay, and QOL improvements have been dizzying in the past few months (8 more jets before the end of 2021 bringing us to 85 announced at our monthly Family Teams meeting yesterday), we retain an atmosphere and policies that are rare. One of which is that if you left here under good standing (i.e., gave 2 weeks notice and fulfilled your one year pro-rated training contract..), our DO will welcome you back with open arms.

Take care and have fun at your new gig. If you left more than 4 months ago, you might not recognize the place. While I have really enjoyed working here since Spring of 2018, I can hardly recognize the place myself. Your posts about the Company, while not always complimentary, have been thoughtful and respectful, unlike a few of our trolls, and I appreciate that and your opinion. I didn't apply here in 2018 for quite a while due to some of the trolls on here... I am glad that I ignored them.

Again, take care and be safe.