chase

Some great folks at FE, several on here who do a great job of speaking clearly. Hope they are at liberty to give a clear picture but understand the realities of sharing less than encouraging news when you are still being employed by that company. I experienced that personally at XOJET when the “death rattle” went from a barely audible sound to cowbell that was too loud to drown out. 17 months later they are on life support…still loads of good pilots and friends there. Hope they can hang on.

Regardless, I wish all the best to the FE pilots..have met many in the year since I left XO and interviewed at FE and all were solid folks.

My only piece of outside intel was at an FBO when everyone was comparing FE fleet utilization the previous week and was excited to report it was just south of 50% (6 out of a fleet of 13 I recall but I could be wrong about total fleet #s) and yet this number was the highest number the FE pilot has seen in sometime…that was the silver lining he felt, things were getting better. He had sat for weeks at a time over the past 6-12 months. Great guy, wants to fly but understands there are systemic issues FE is trying to deal with.

He never mentioned any of the info posted in recent posts. Just another data point is all.

You can track Baker aircraft on FlightAware under these tail numbers for comparisons.
KOW818
KOW733
KOW955
KOW922
KOW51
KOW910
Callsign “Rodeo”

1Pint

The recent decision by flyExclusive to park its Encore jets has raised a lot of questions. With only 30-40% of the fleet available, it seems like there is a deeper problem.
The decision to downgrade senior pilots who were dual-rated is also puzzling. Was this done to free up pilots to fly other aircraft, or was it an attempt to drive away experienced pilots? Demoting a pilot who has been flying the same aircraft for years is a clear sign that the company is in trouble.
It is possible that flyExclusive is simply trying to cut costs in order to stay afloat. However, the company's actions have also damaged morale and confidence among its pilots. It remains to be seen whether flyExclusive can recover from this crisis.
It is also possible that flyExclusive is simply trying to consolidate its operations and focus on its core business. However, the decision to downgrade senior pilots suggests that the company is in serious trouble.
Only time will tell whether flyExclusive can recover from this crisis. However, the company's actions have damaged morale and confidence among its pilots, which will make it difficult to attract and retain talent in the future.

B727DRVR

The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated..

So, things have been busy around here while I have been off. To begin with, many of the above reports are true, and I am one of the affected pilots. Here is what I know..

1) It’s true that the Encore fleet is being retired and its pilots have transitioned to other fleets, thus taking up sim slots that would have been street hires. We are still hiring, but the classes are smaller until December because of our internally transitioning pilots.
2) Many senior pilots on the X (Seniority #3, and me, #25) are dual-rated in the XL and are paid a stipend to maintain these two type ratings, and if necessary, to fly the XL when needed. When the X is not available to fly, we can be called to fly the XL. We will still be flying both types as the Company needs us.
3) There has been no “downgrade”, per se, for me or my fellow X pilots and our pay as dual-type rated Captains remains the same. Also, we are not being “downgraded” per se into the XL as we will still be flying the X when they are available. The XL has always had a better dispatch rate than the X.
4) I have not heard about the Gulfstream Pilots situation, but I can totally understand a G-IV SP pilot not wanting to go to a smaller jet.
5) Fleet wide availability quoted seems low, but that could could be a be on a given bad day. My opinion.
6) I did hear a rumor about a vendor, but I also heard that the Company audited invoices and pushed back on what they thought was “gouging”. Unofficial.

Bottom Line: There is truth to these posts, except for the pay downgrades for the X Pilots. I am an X Captain, dual-typed in the XL, and my pay remains unaffected. Along with other X pilots, I chose to keep my XL type active, accepting the stipend, and we knew that we may be asked to fly the XL one day (I am actually heading to recurrent here next week). I actually like the XL and enjoy flying it. I am sorry to hear about the Gulfstream pilots, though, and will reach out to them for clarification.

For me, personally, I will definitely be keeping my ear out as too what’s going on here, but the Company has just been too good to me through 100th Birthdays, Hurricanes, concussions, Covid-19, etc. to consider bailing unless the sitiuation was dire. What I have seen here since March 2018 has been consistent growth, pay, and QOL improvements, so I am going to ride this ride as long as I can. I think that we are in a transition period until we start getting the new jets en masse, and when that happens I feel things will stabilize and continue to improve, but that’s just my opinion.

I will keep you posted

flynhooligan

Thank you for the timely info 727. New hire here!!!

chase

As always 827 come through with clarity. So much goes on inside the decisions that are seen from the outside that makes perfect sense once explained. As encouraged from 727, always use caution and pick wisely, speak to credible sources for making career decisions. 727 is one of those for FE

PrivateFlyer

There is definitely a varying opinion and everyone is entitled to their own views. This forum is suppose to stimulate a discussion and provide information from all angles to help make informed decisions to the best of their abilities. Any smart person would be wise to consider each piece of both positive and negative aspects. Some will be sugar coated and make it seem "ok", while others who prefer not to drink the company Kool Aide provide just as much beneficial insight. The fact of the matter is integrity and fairness to employees. Kicking people off their primary fleet all of the sudden that they have been flying for years leaves a sour taste in peoples mouth and greatly hurts morale. Threatening pay cuts and then back peddling with uninformed apologies and band aides is not the proper way to run a business and manage employees. It makes individuals question the future when they're told "it's for the health of the company". Transparency is important and no one likes a cloudy obscure picture of what's really happening. A small miniscule dual type stipend does not make up for this. Having a pilots primary and secondary fleets swapped or reassigned is a version of a demotion. As far as I'm aware there are not many companies who even allow dual type flying anymore regularly as they generally want people current and proficient on only one airframe. If a Captain's primary fleet was say on the super mid (CX) with secondary being on the smaller jet (XL) gets those reversed, that is a downgrade and was never part of the initial fleet transition agreement. Same goes for the heavy fleet. Scheduling will send you to the primary fleet. The promote from within mentality appears to have become irrelevant with seniority meaning nothing. After recently moving tenured pilots down, new street hires have been assigned directly into higher fleets, that previously was only available to current employees wishing to move up. Present employees patiently waiting their turn for years for the call to move up are now extremely frustrated as they are now skipped over which is unfair. People should take everything with a grain of salt and question beyond the surface of these actions about why management is seemingly targeting high earning, large revenue generating pilots. Sure some are not effected, but that doesn't mean they won't be in the future. The career progression and opportunity to move up to a bigger plane or be promoted is essentially nonexistent. Several more people, including a line check airmen, have recently resigned due to points stated above. About a dozen more are expected to be departing soon as well from what I'm hearing. Sure the new planes are coming soon and more and more infrastructure is being built, but if your employees, and your main source of revenue (pilots) are unhappy and frequently leaving....what does that say about the operation and management lately. Many attribute the changes to going public. Everyone is aware at how well that worked for Wheels Up. Flexjet was going public as well, but decided to rip up the paperwork and cancel and not do it after all. I'm sure everyone heard about the firing of 40+ office people all of the sudden during the holidays last December as well. If you want some initial jet time I'm sure it's fine. But if you plan on any long term progression or career advancement, perhaps think twice. Get in get what you need and get out. Heard there is a whole bunch of new processes and policies coming out soon which drastically change many things, including upgrades, and inefficient micro-managing. Many are trying to get things done and in order before that happens. Not trying to bash anything or anyone. Just trying to provide relevant information that could be useful to others making their life decisions.

captjns

I interviewed with FE 7 years ago. Very impressed… Opted to remain 121 in a management position. Wish I took the job, being 30 miles from KSIO. Curious to know… was there a change in management in the fall of last year? I can’t believe the the original Management Team would try to fix a smooth happy operation if it weren’t broken.

1Pint

The fact that the company calls itself a "flyfamily" makes the situation even more ironic. A “flyfamily” is a company that values its employees and treats them like family. But if the company is driving away senior positions to save money, it's clear that they don't truly care about their employees in the long term.

I'm disappointed to see a company that I care about make decisions that are not in the best interests of its employees. There are many companies out there that value their employees and treat them with respect.

UTR69

I dont see how this is a surprise to anyone. Years ago we asked Mike G why the pay scales only went out to 5 years. Then they expanded them to make it seem more of a “career destination”. That’s cool but bottom line on the “fly fam”….its a business…and if you think you can’t be cut at the whim of a company (without some sort of contract protections etc), then you are crazy and I have some bridges to sell you in Arizona.

Even when I left them years ago, about 6 months after I left, they came knocking on my door for the 3 months of training contract I owed them and THEN told me I had a month to pay it back. No issue. I owed it and paid it buy my point is that it’s a business. There is no family anywhere. You are an asset, so this behavior isn’t surprising at all.

Good luck to anyone that still works there but I have to really question WHY you still work there.

ExcelMN

I think the market is going down. My old company just announced pay-cuts and no more 401K contributions indefinitely. 3M just announced at the end of this summer that they’re going to be closing their flight department and going with Netjets. I think this silent depression we are in is going to be affecting us a lot sooner than what we predicted.