ExecJet99

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They flying is the best part of the job at NJ from when the door closes till it opens is great. (Mostly). It’s all the other garbage that we do and ridiculously long duty days to hopefully get some FDP and The Planes Trains and Automobiles crap that make this place suck. Like a wise man once said “this place will always kinda suck”

shrsailplanes

A little piece of information that would have been good to know is that if you get randomly assigned to, let’s say the Sovereign, you have pretty much zero chance of bidding into the right seat of a super-mid like the 350.

What you are told is after your initial lock you can bid into whatever fleet you like, even large cabin since things are really humming along. Trouble is they leave out the part that the right seat in the Latitude, Longitude and the 350 are only given to new hires and there are no open bids for the right seat of those airplanes.

I understand now why the company doesn’t offer open bids into the right seat of those fleets, but it may have affected my decision if I knew that from the beginning. “You might be able to hold captain at the end of your lock.” Maybe, but it will be in the Phenom (which I fit out of) or the XLS or right back into the Sovereign. Anyway, the only way off the Sovereign for me is displacement somewhere around 2028 and I don’t get to pick my fleet then either.

So, if you are randomly assigned the Sovereign or XLS, just be prepared to earn notably less regardless of what schedule you fly and don’t get your heart set on the right seat of a super-mid after your lock is up unless the company puts you there after they start parking sovereigns. Even that’s all up in the air because I keep getting told we are keeping the Sovereign until the wings come off.

As far as upgrade goes I have to wait until I can hold the Latitude. It just would have been nice for QOL and my paycheck if I could wait it out in something other than the Sovereign.

Peabody17

I would concur that bidding opportunities in the last year or so support this. I assume you were/are not interested in Large Cabin?

shrsailplanes

I think the assumption by the company is that all new hires want large cabin. That might be true for some, but not all. I would like the 350. It mostly does domestic flying with some international and Hawaii. It’s a comfortable cockpit. I can clean the cabin without hunching over. Baggage is accessible from inside and there is no recessed aisle and the pay is way better. I could hang in that airplane for however long it’s needed to upgrade in the Latitude or even just wait it out until I upgraded in the 350. Either way I really don’t seem to get a choice as an SIC. Seems unfair that QOL and pay between two FO’s of the same seniority and same schedule can be so different based on a decision the company made for me way back in indoc.

Peabody17

Totally agree!!! It sounds like you and I want exactly the same thing.

Round Luggage

I can’t help but think of “121 stink” after reading some of these as there was a time if you went 121 once you’d never get picked up for a job like this, but the market we have been in for years has made that disappear.

MinRest

I would have to imagine that wet ticket ATPs and R-ATPs would be a better pick up for NJA than any prior 121. It was one thing when regionals were dog crap but as they have had to elevate significantly to attract pilots, there will be less and less that leave regionals for NJA. Those that leave a regional for NJA will more than likely leave NJA for an airline. Then again NJA and regionals will have to take anyone and everyone they can get. 121 stink will exist for NJA as much as they can allow it because prior 121 will leave NJA for a major more than likely.

shrsailplanes

It appears as if NetJets is creating a flow for their SIC’s especially new hire SIC’s. You join the company in the fleet NetJets picks for you, then you bid into large cabin, then you upgrade into what you can hold. If you don’t fit that mold and don’t want large cabin, especially if you are hired into the sovereign, XLS, or even the Phenom, then things get complicated.

Peabody17

I think you give NetJets way too much credit. I don't think they're capable of planning such a flow. While they have control over releasing bids to FO positions on Latitude/Longitude/350 and have lately chosen not to do so, they have released bids on the LC fleets and reluctantly had to waive seat locks to get sufficient bidders. Rumor has it that many "senior" FOs are not bidding for FO positions because they don't want to carry any additional seat-lock into their soon-to-be upgrade. I think this may have merit, but it leaves those of us that don't want the quickest upgrade wanting...

I think the "right thing" to do is that as long as new-hires are being placed into Latitude/Longitude/350, then there should be at least a quarterly seniority bid for FO positions on those fleets, but absent contractual language requiring it, I don't see the company changing course.

shrsailplanes

There seems to be a “Changing of the guard.” I think there are still a sprinkling of 15 plus year FO’s and we are now into the 8 year FO’s. I would agree that many of them are staying put waiting for their upgrades. I think it’s the new hires that are being put into this “flow.” SIC’s that are out of their fleet lock and still three plus years from upgrade will have one path really. Large cabin unless they were lucky enough to be placed in a super-mid. They would likely stay put as would I if there was an opportunity.