aviator09

JetLag7 , thanks for that post .. lots of good info . You said in it you can hold the 7/7 line. I was wondering what the other line options are like at NJ, or is it just pretty much the 7/7?

palgia841

Does that mean that a 10 year pilot gets 12 weeks of PAID vacation a year!! HOLY SH!T Thats 3 months off!

jetlag7

No problem! -- I've benefitted from information provided by this website and am happy to reciprocate!

Regarding benefits elsewhere, I can only speak for how things are at NJA. Folks from the other fractionals will have to fill you in on how things are in their neck of the woods.

jetlag7

Yep, you got it!!

jetlag7

There are 2 types of "line options" available to NJA pilots.

1. 7/7 Schedule: pretty self-explanatory.... work 7, off 7, work 7, off, 7, lather, rinse repeat.......

2. Reserve Schedule: (formerly known as the "FLEX" schedule) bears absolutely no resemblance to an "airline Reserve" schedule. (no sitting-around waiting for a "call")

Pugnacious G summarized the FLEX/Reserve schedule in his post ( http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...99&postcount=8 ) but it goes something like this.......

* you get to pick 4 days out of the month you want off -- once you pick 'em, the company can't touch you on those days
* once you go on duty, the company can keep you out for a max of 7 days in a row
* if they keep you out for 7, they have to give you a minimum of 4 days off in a row once you get home
* if they keep you out for 6 days or less, they have to give you a minimum of 3 days off in a row once you get home
* they can work you a maximum of 18 days per calendar month

Due to its flexible nature, there is no "typical" pattern for this line type. (it changes on a month-to-month basis) However, as an exapmle, a 30-day month, on the FLEX/Reserve schedule would be something like:
7 on, followed by 7 off, followed by 7 on, followed by 5 off, followed by 4 on (18 duty days, and 12 days off)

Clear as mud???

mooneymite

You select SWA as a "top choice". I'm sure it is, but let me take you back 30 years:

I got my dream job with Delta Air Lines in 1978. At that time, Delta paid at or near the top of the industry, best benefits, always profitable even when the other airlines were losing their shirts. Delta had never furloughed, though some pilots were "sent to the ramp" for a few years in 1974. Delta always took care of its own, it was "The Delta Family". Delta was the darling of the industry, though you'd never know it today.

Now 30 years later, I retired and shortly thereafter received a letter telling me that my retirement income for the rest of my life would be "zero" and I would have no medical either. Today, I'm working for NetJets. Great benefits, but I'm making about ten percent of what I was making when I retired from Delta. The flying at NetJets is about 100 percent more challenging and fun than what I did at Delta.

I'm sure SWA is a great place to work, but when Herb is dead and gone and the "money boys" from Harvard Business School take over and steal everything, what will SWA look like when you get ready to retire? Yes, you will probably have your 401K, but you will still need your medical benefits from any company you retire from.

Will NetJets be any more secure? Probably not. Pick the job that will be most satisfying while you are there. They can't take the good times and memories away from you.

Good luck and watch those bastards like a hawk!

9999

^^^^^^^^^That was an excellent post!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That is just the kind of information I am looking for prior to retiring from the military and looking for another flying job. Thanks for the honesty and real world examples.

palgia841

10% of your DL pay...hmmm....are you sure about that?
I didn't know DL paid captains $400k/year.

mooneymite

Back before the big reductions, a pilot on a regular line on the 757/767 made about $265/hr. But there was such a thing as a "greenslip". When the company ran out of pilots, because they had understaffed, they gave out "greenslips". A greenslip was double pay on top of the cap. Each day was worth a minimum of 5 hours even if you only flew ten minutes. Do the math...it isn't tough.

Of the 500 best paid people at Delta, 450 were pilots. You had to be senior to do it and you had to play the game.

Those days are gone. Better you never know what you missed.

harleypilot

I am in the process of switching from Netjets to SWA...for me this was not science...Jumpseat priveledge with SWA and not driving 7 hours round trip to a domicile at Netjets saves me so much valuable time that I could spend with my family. Don't get me wrong...NetJets is a GREAT company, and they have excellent benefits, but they really need to address the domicile issue.
SWA is in my opinion going to be a much better fit for me. I too have friends at SWA and they "LUV" going to work. I look forward to joining them on the line.
My advice is don't always look at the money value, even though with the way I was taught math, SWA does seem to be the better paying job. Most important to me was my time. But different strokes....Best of luck in whatever you decide, and keep at it. It may take a while but eventually it will happen if you perservere.