Out West

Though I'm almost positive this is buried somewhere within this forum, the search function is atrocious and doesn't turn up anything.

How does fractional basing/domicile/home/etc. work? If it is company dependent, let's call it NetJets for sake of argument. I hear the term home basing (within and outside of the fractional business) but I do not think that term means what I think it means.

For example - NJ lists what, 40+ domiciles on their APC profile? Something tells me there isn't enough traffic with NJ in/out of Medford, OR to drive it being a domicile.

So how does it work? What's the time allowed to commute when you're "on?" Is it actually feasible to live basically anywhere, or is that a shiny version of a very different story in practice?

Cheers

GeeWizDriver

Can't speak for the others, but NetJets has a fairly decent basing system.

There is a list of roughly 100 cities that a new hire can choose from as their "base."

Various criteria apply regarding frequency of airline service and proximity to major hubs. These criteria can cause a base to sometimes be closed (BLI is currently on the chopping block, a class action grievance has been filed). Your choice of base can affect whether you will get paid overtime for travel to and from work. Your choice can also impact what schedules you can bid.

The company will provide travel to and from the airplane they want you to fly whether by airline, taxi, limo, or rental car on the first day of your tour and then return you home on the last day. In other words, you commute on their time, not your own.

You can actually change your base with 15 days notice and there is a mechanism called "dummy ticketing" that will allow you to go someplace other than your base on your last day and the company will defray a portion of your ticket expense.

It can get a little screwy with some of the details but those are the broad strokes. If you're willing to drive an hour or two, there are very few places completely off the table.

Out West

That's a much better picture than I was assuming - thanks for the info!

I'm living in a great spot with a small market airport but very good options on a daily basis. Seems like it would be workable, obviously pending the details which I imagine are tough to quantify.

Is there a "common" list of places one would routinely be tasked to fly out of, or purely depending on customer demand "whenever and wherever?"

(For reference so it's not so vague: My local airport is KVPS near Destin, FL. Between there and Pensacola nearby, I can get to CLT, ATL, DCA, MIA, DFW, IAH direct. Not perfect, but not terrible for regional only service.)

Flyfalcons

Pensacola is a crew base. So if you were to work at NetJets, you could be based there and your responsibility on your time is to get there at the start of your tour.

GeeWizDriver

VPS is not on the current list so Pensacola would be your best alternative. There are provisions in the contract to add bases should certain criteria be met but I wouldn't hold your breath on that score.

And we go anywhere from Albuquerque to Zanzibar and all points in between. Every tour is a box of chocolates.

Out West

Well, I whiffed on that one. Makes total sense, and Pcola is less than an hour from my front door.

Million dollar question - how are bases assigned? (My mind is stuck in 121 domicile definitions.) I can't imagine walking in the door as the new guy asking when I start in Pensacola...

GeeWizDriver

Them: "Where would you like to be based?"

You: "Pensacola, please."

Them: "OK."

Out West

Sounds like a trick.

(Kidding - thanks for the fill in!)

Sounds like NJ is a pretty good operation to work for, at least on the basing/commute QOL questions. I'll go back to lurking and reading to see what else I can find.

Thanks again, folks!

NJA04

It really is as simple as stated above. You pick any base from a list of 100. Typical tour length is 7 days on, 7 days off. You'll be somewhere in North and Central America for those 7 days. Good chance of spending the week between New York and Florida.

There are overtime rules for first day early starts and BIG payouts if you get home a day late. Vacation wipes out a tour for 21 days off (assuming you're on the 7/7). Otherwise it's simple like already explained.

FLYLOW22

NY and FL... hardly.

Back and forth and up and down.

Lots of states out there... a newer fleet gets around... all west for 5 days now. East prior but not NY. Or FL.

It's random.




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