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What would it take for you to stay

Old 10-04-2022, 07:28 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by MinRest View Post
Yep, no doubt I fly to less places in general at the airlines. If varied airports is a top priority, airlines are NOT the place for you. I flew into some really cool spots at NJA and other 91/135 jobs, but I also flew into a lot of worthless crapholes too. Defiantly a much larger spectrum of airports, so many of which are super cool and unique places to fly depending on the fleet you're on.

Like a bus route.

Yawn.
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Old 10-04-2022, 11:36 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by MinRest View Post
Yep, no doubt I fly to less places in general at the airlines. If varied airports is a top priority, airlines are NOT the place for you. I flew into some really cool spots at NJA and other 91/135 jobs, but I also flew into a lot of worthless crapholes too. Defiantly a much larger spectrum of airports, so many of which are super cool and unique places to fly depending on the fleet you're on.
I had my share of crapholes. Emporia, VA a small GA airport with just six single engine planes on the ramp. No attendant because he tried to extort cash from NetJets. We arrived around 2245 at night, the pax jumped in his car and was quickly gone. We're supposed to go to the Hampton Inn. First problem: No chocks to be found anywhere. We were fueled thru to IAD the next morning, I suggested to the PIC we just go ahead and fly there since we had enough crew day. But he was tired and didn't want to do that. So I wound up digging rocks out of a ditch to use the chocks on the nosewheel. PIC got approval from the on call management pilot to do that.

Second problem. The Hampton Inn only had the one clerk on duty so he couldn't come get us. The taxi service closed at 10pm and by now it was around 2315. So we had no way to the hotel. Another call to the management pilot and he authorized paying cash to anyone who would take us. So we asked the hotel clerk to call his buddies and tell them we'd pay $40 to someone who'd come take us the 4 miles to the hotel. So well after midnight two sketchy guys showed up in a beat up minivan. One of them was talking to us on the way and he mentioned he knew who we brought in and how that person's father owned half the town. He said he was at the father's car dealership the previous week and got arrested for trespassing and how unfair that was. We vigorously agreed
And it was about 20F outside while all this was going on and all doors were locked. We waited about 45 minutes for the minivan. Of course on the next day ride back to the jet the taxi driver wanted $40 LOL.

Probably the best deal I had was 3 nights in a Ritz-Carlton resort in Puerto Rico, including New Year's Eve. Weak battery I had kept warning Mx about, they kept saying use the GPU. Guess what? Nearest GPU was 2 hours away at San Juan Intl. We were at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base which had very limited services. Huge CF bringing us a new battery.
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Old 10-04-2022, 02:52 PM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by ZebraSpots View Post
Like a bus route.

Yawn.
Exciting destinations doesn't put a kid through college, or a pay for a house.. whatever...
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Old 10-04-2022, 02:54 PM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by Crockrocket95 View Post
Exciting destinations doesn't put a kid through college, or a pay for a house.. whatever...
You can say that again.

“Wow, you got to fly a trip to Shangri-la?”

”Yes, yes I did. I saw an airport, a van, a hotel, a van, and an airport. It was amazing…”

FUPM
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Old 10-04-2022, 03:13 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by GeeWizDriver View Post
You can say that again.

“Wow, you got to fly a trip to Shangri-la?”

”Yes, yes I did. I saw an airport, a van, a hotel, a van, and an airport. It was amazing…”

FUPM
What’s even better is the hotel clerk saying we gave you a beautiful city view. My reply is I don’t see squat but my eyelids after I close the drapes.
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Old 10-04-2022, 05:55 PM
  #16  
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My god there's some real cry babies on this forum. Nothings ever good enough. "My free crew food was cold, my all inclusive hotel didn't have any favorite IPA on tap, the ocean waves were too loud in my hotel room."
Wahh!
The next time you fly over the 405 freeway on the approach to LAX, you should look down at all the poor b.stards stuck in traffic commuting to their crappy jobs. I'm sure the majority would tade their jobs for ours in a heartbeat.

Go ahead with the usual childish responses. My give an F meter is already pegged at zero!
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Old 10-04-2022, 06:23 PM
  #17  
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Been reading through about as much as I can on these pages. Passed the “phone interview” and invited to hiring expo. Currently on the commuting grind and if I stay 121 whenever and wherever I can go will still be commuting until senior enough to hold where I live. Obviously with enough seniority life gets better and the money is great and the more I read through some of these threads the crazier it seems to leave 121 for fractionals, at the end of the day QOL is most important to me. Anyone on here that can maybe talk about leaving 121 for Netjets? Glad they did it and happy? Regret it and trying to get back?
Much appreciated!
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Old 10-04-2022, 07:22 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by starphisone View Post
Been reading through about as much as I can on these pages. Passed the “phone interview” and invited to hiring expo. Currently on the commuting grind and if I stay 121 whenever and wherever I can go will still be commuting until senior enough to hold where I live. Obviously with enough seniority life gets better and the money is great and the more I read through some of these threads the crazier it seems to leave 121 for fractionals, at the end of the day QOL is most important to me. Anyone on here that can maybe talk about leaving 121 for Netjets? Glad they did it and happy? Regret it and trying to get back?
Much appreciated!
I’d work a few more days not to be gone for 7 in a row. And yes I know there’s other schedules but this one capitalizes on the FDP and the others are rarely available. Granted the 21 day vacations that everybody touts, but at the same time it’s pretty tough on a family. Now if you live in the Midwest and bought your house for 350K and your wife doesn’t work now that’s a different story. You also don’t have the mandatory retirement that can speed up attrition working for you. Also no other organization even comes close when it comes to compensation and lifestyle to help move the needle in terms of compensation.I Don’t think anybody would ever leave net Jets for flex jet (maybe a newbie for red label). They are definitely at the top of the food chain but when it comes to the airlines you’ve got multiple choices and carriers who are constantly improving contracts and one upping each other. Could also be some green new deal politics affecting private jet flying in the future because they burn too much fuel for a few folks to move about the country. Ultimately it’s a mathematical equation between pay and hours worked and right now the airlines are winning. And again this would be advice for somebody with less than 10 years at NJ and under 45. One big thing to think about is if you lose your jobs as an A320 FO your options will be limited for picking up where you left off in terms of pay and seniority. With 1000 hours of CL 350 experience you would likely garner another high-paying job in the private market.
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Old 10-04-2022, 08:58 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by starphisone View Post
Been reading through about as much as I can on these pages. Passed the “phone interview” and invited to hiring expo. Currently on the commuting grind and if I stay 121 whenever and wherever I can go will still be commuting until senior enough to hold where I live. Obviously with enough seniority life gets better and the money is great and the more I read through some of these threads the crazier it seems to leave 121 for fractionals, at the end of the day QOL is most important to me. Anyone on here that can maybe talk about leaving 121 for Netjets? Glad they did it and happy? Regret it and trying to get back?
Much appreciated!
There's plenty of threads about airlines vs. fractional. One of these days I need to copy all the pros/cons where I can just paste it into a reply.
I was flying 121 from 1989 to 2005 and had to commute most of that time. Then I did NJA from 2005-2017.

NetJets is owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Deep pockets. Fairly recession proof, but not the 2008 disaster. Not dealing with commuting is HUGE. 7 day trips can get old as do frequent circadian rhythm jumps. In 2007 I was close to making Captain at NJA when USAirways recalled me. I passed and took early retirement from them. Looking over my shoulder I did better financially at NJA than if I'd accepted recall. And when I bailed on medical in 2017 at age 60 I had the Union's LOM plan which kicked in after my 3 years of disability from NJA. The benefit from the LOM will keep coming until I'm 68.5. And it's tax free as long as you didn't deduct the premiums from your taxes.

Now if I had to choose between being a lineholder here in CLT with AA or doing NetJets that'd be a more difficult call. There were a few times where I could hold CLT, once as the #2 B727FE on reserve and years later as an A320FO. Being a lineholder or senior reserve when you live 20 minutes from the airport is very nice. The problem is I'd have to stay as an F/O a long time at AA before I could hold Captain in CLT.

Seniority is not as critical at NJA as it is at airlines. Basically it matters for vacation dates, bidding bigger jets, bidding a start day on the 7/7, and of course Captain upgrade. Airlines it really matters because of bidding a line and being able to drop/add trips. With seniority you do have a lot more control over your schedule at an airline. Control over your schedule is one of the biggest drawbacks to Fractional vs. Airlines.
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Old 10-04-2022, 09:05 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Crockrocket95 View Post
Exciting destinations doesn't put a kid through college, or a pay for a house.. whatever...
Bingo.

I will fully admit I do love the idea of going places I have never been, but that is for a hobby, not a profession. For me personally, I will take the same 15 airports. All the hotels are nice, and I never have to worry about some truck stop hotel in the middle of nowhere.
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