Been thinking about 91 fractionals for a while, and I like a lot of what I've heard and read about FJ.

I'm a guy in my 40s who had a non-aviation career prior to joining the regionals. And Part 121 flying has been....okay, I guess....but I'm finding it kind of boring. It still beats cubicle life, but the endless months of sitting on reserve, getting rusty, makes me look over and wonder if that greener grass I'm seeing over there really is that green.

I've been reading all of the threads, so I've got a decent sense of what the day to day is like, what the pay is like, and stuff like that.

Have any of you guys who left the regionals to a fractional been super-happy with the change? Why?

 

I left the regional I was flying for back in August and won't go back to 121 flying. Couple of reasons (in no particular order).

1.) Positive Space to and from the plane makes "commuting" so much easier compared to the airline. We keep all of our miles and hotel points too.
2.) I've flown 265 hours since December. I was on reserve at my regional and hated it for the same reasons you mentioned. You will not get rusty over here.
3.) The company provides meals if your flights are going through B/L/D times and then you still have the option to buy a meal on the company credit card if needed.
4.) Variety - you never know where you'll end up on any given rotation. You have the standard corporate places like Teterboro, White Plains, Van Nuys, West Palm Beach, Dallas, etc, but you also have a lot of other smaller airports you go to as well.

Of the 16 in my class, 9 came from the regional's (4 CA's and 5 FO's). The rest were a mix of military (air guard) and part 135 pilots.

Come on over, the water's fine!

 

I'd say it's worth a jump to try it out. We work long days often; but then again there's been 3 day stretches of blissful hotel reserve. If I could tweak a few things here I'd adjust the duty day, the rotation length, and some retirement things but what pilot wouldn't. If we can get our staffing under control I'd bet the workload would improve, and for many its not absolutely horrible despite the markup in drama that any forum adds.

I'm considering a jump back to 121 if the basing and seniority is right. But I'd have a decent life if I stayed here too. Know what you're getting into, and give it your best shot. Decent upside here.

 

Why considering the jump to 121?

I see a lot of people LEAVING the fracs to go to 121 carriers, but they're usually doing that to go to legacies, not necessarily a ULCC or LCC.

Do any regional converts become frac lifers?

 

For me, 90% reason is that I'd prefer not to be on the road for 6 or 7 days in a row, or working unwillingly for 17 days a month. The advertised possibility of 4-day rotations happens, but rarely. If I was single, it would probably be no big deal. But I'm on track right now to spend more time away from home per year than I did on military deployments.

Some regional guys absolutely do become lifers. Like I said - worth trying it out if you're interested. First year pay here is really good, although you'll work hard to get it; upgrade is quick if you want it, and the home-basing is a great thing for many. Company credit card and per diem is awesome; And the people (both employees and most clients) are very good.

 

I’m also looking to go back to 121. It really comes down to the overall QOL in the long term. I’m gone from home more here than I was at my regional by quite a bit and when I’m on the road, I work much harder as well. The pay is pretty good in the short term and the food benefits are the best.

But overall I’m going to be home far more and work less for more $$. If I lived somewhere where I’d have to commute. Then I’d consider staying for the long haul.

 

For those that have gone regional to fractional, did you regret the move at all? Currently considering the jump. As of now i'm commuting to sit on reserve and not getting any flying, so fractionals have been looking pretty appealing recently.

 

not at all. Would do it again

 

Even if they hire a lot more, they will bring on a lot more planes. The workload will never improve. There is no incentive for a company to get less productivity out of a worker.

 

I went from the military, to a major airline, furloughed, flow down to regional, then to Fractional. I declined recall to the major 2 years after starting fractional flying.
Biggest reasons I stayed:

-no commuting. That was a huge reason. During my airline career I commuted from CLT to: PIT, DCA, BWI, PHL, BOS. I'd had it with commuting. Since CLT was senior I knew I'd be doing it again for quite some time.

-variety of flying. I think someone already mentioned this. It was rare for me to fly a 5-7 day trip and NOT see a new airport, even after 12 years.

-I liked just having 2 pilots and a jet. Sometimes we kept the same jet for the entire tour. Cleaning and stocking wasn't something I looked forward to but it wasn't that bad.

-I upgraded in 2.5 years at NetJets. I think both them and Flex are well under 2 years now. I spent 10 years as a Captain at NetJets and could still be there at age 66 if not for medical issues. Had I gone back to USAir/AA I might have held Captain in CLT for a year or two prior to age 65.

There's other minor stuff like a gazillion hotel points, airline miles, and fuel rewards. Flying out of CLT most of the time I was Gold status and about 1/3 to 1/2 of the time I got upgraded to 1st class.

The main difference is schedule flexibility. You don't have that much at a Fractional, even when senior. And of course the longer tours. Some like the predictability of the 7/7 and 8/6, some can't stand tours that long.