Yep, I left the best of the best to be 5th best and I’ll make more than a 10 year NJA FO without breaking min lol. The irony...

 

Didn't you lose on things (that might not be important to you) like healthcare, vacations, 401K?

 

I spend about 4K a year on healthcare at my airline. On year 2 FO salary I’ll get 18,000 dollars put into my 401k before I put in a dime (15%). That is on top of making 30k this year than I will have made at NJA if I stayed. The healthcare gets argued like it’s worth 20k a year, it’s simply not. And the 401k, NJA isn’t even in the same universe as the airlines, it’s unfair to even compare.

Vacations are a subjective thing I guess. The super senior guys get lots of vacation but the staggering contrast in QOL compared to the airline doesn’t make staying at NJA worth it for me personally. Also with how flexible my schedule is now, I can get the same amount of time off as I did as a year 3 FO at NJA, but for sure the senior NJA guys get a bigger block of time off. However I will average an entire month off more at my airline at the end of the year because I work 2-3 days less per month.

That’s at the 5th best airline 🤣

 

My medical deductions for myself and two kids are $2650 a year and another $261 for vision. My health care coverage is not much different now than at NJA and the vision is actually a little better but not much.

As far as vacations go it's hard to compare. I was on the 18 day schedule at NJA and that's the average number of days I have off now. I had 21 days off this month, 21 days off in February, 19 in January, 18 in December, 17 in November, and 18 in October. I don't really need vacation but when I do use it I string 15 days together off. With the ability to drop, swap, float, mandatory float, or just call in sick I haven't missed a single event in three years that I wanted to attend. Of course if it's a family event that I don't want to attend then I cuss and swear that I couldn't get the days off.

We'll have to see how the new Section 25 plays out and how PBS works in a year but I can tell you that there isn't a single second of a single day of a single week that I ever, ever regret leaving NetJets. I raised my salary over $100,000, work half as often, doing a quarter of what I used to do and I've put 1,000 guys below me in an airline that just topped 2,000 crew members and will possible triple the fleet in the next seven years.

Edit: I forgot to address the 401(k). NJA was what, a 1:1 match up to 9%? It's been a few days. When I started we were a 1:1 match up to 9% and now we're a 11% direct contribution going up 1% every DOS anniversary to 15%. I think that's a remarkable improvement.

And I'm at the 6th best airline.

 

thanks for the info.

 

I want to thank those of you who provided some insight to the current situation at NetJets. I've been circling the pool for almost eight months and was just offered a training class. It was a hard decision, but I've decided to remain at my regional (I took the regional job when I realized NJA was putting me into a pool). The info on this forum provided some of the information that went into my decision.

The hiring folks handled my decision with respect and asked if I'd share my reasons for turning down the position. I've decided to share them here in the event someone else is struggling with the same choice. Thanks again for your guidance, folks.


1. I lost some confidence in NJA’s professional approach to its pilot group when, instead of being offered a position after my initial interview, I was placed in a pool. That was counter to what I’d been told to expect. Next, the lack of communication from recruiting (I understand there was an underlying personnel issue there) was followed by the request for a Skype with Mr. Bobo. I was told this was NOT a re-interview, but then was later informed it was, indeed, another interview for the FO position. My interview with Mr. Bobo was cancelled and rescheduled three times, and when it finally arrived (four months after it was first scheduled), Mr. Bobo was not present for it. I was advised by some NJA pilots that this was “just how Netjets does it.” It left a bad taste in my mouth. To be clear, when you became involved, (recruiter's name selected for privacy), the hiring experience transformed into the professional one I would have expected.

2. The pay scale for FO’s made it very difficult to commit. People in my position at a regional (where I received a substantial sign-on bonus) can expect to be at a major within three years, give or take, earning a lot more than the NJA pay grade.

3. The upgrade time is too lengthy. It would be easier to handle if, like other corporate operations, the FO would sit left seat for his or her legs. The duties of an FO in a small corporate jet have more to do with passenger comfort than with flying the airplane, so waiting over a decade for an upgrade is a real consideration.

4. Seat lock is too lengthy. Most other operations have a maximum of two years before being able to transition to a new jet. 39 months (?) is a long time to sit in a cramped cockpit.

5. Tour lengths: I was prepared for the 7/7 rotation, but I now understand that I would be expected to be on the lengthier tour (72 or 76) for the first several months. That would be very difficult with my family situation.

6. Workday: As a regional pilot, I am used to duty days that range from 8-12 hours. I always have time to exercise and have a meal in civilian clothes. My friends who work at NJA say this is not the case on a regular tour where the days are 12 hrs minimum with much of the day spent sitting at an FBO.

 

Thanks for your post, Btoflyer. I apologize for what you've been through. Some of what your write about your experience with NetJets is downright humiliating.

My experience with duty times here and looking at my history show a 10.5 hour average. Yes, the 13 hour days do occur, but so do the 7 hour days.

Best of luck with your opportunities in the future. I hope NetJets improves, but things at this point seem FUBARd.

As a 15 year pilot here I have no confidence in anything associated with NJA anymore.

 

Yea management loves to tout the 10 hour average duty day, too bad when somebody fatigues and gets shut down after 4 hours, that counts towards the average. And if you do get a legit 7 hour duty day, it’s probdbly followed by only 11 hours or less of rest to flip your clock. The 7 hour duty day never comes with a 23 hour layover.

Great write up Btoflyer. Glad you were honest and hopefully it causes ripples that will actually fix those issues.

 

Could you guys/gals try and smile and look alive at the signature in TEB. You guys look like zoombies walking around. Never realized bringing trash bags of catering into the crew lounge to eat was a thing.

 

Ah yes. The old drinking and posting on the internet. I’m sure you will get the old “GFYS” before too long.