I remember I was working for another 135, on a special 91 account flying a rich dude around to various places in Mexico/South America/Central America and we usually tipped pretty well, it wasn't unusual to see us hand 20 to fueler, 10 per line guy helping with the billion bags they carried around, catering tips, etc. The DO (New DO at the time) came to me and said, why are you tipping these people? Its cutting into the margins. I told him, in nicer words, that he obviously hasn't been outside the US and if you want to get fuel or whatever on time you have to be willing to part with money. He didn't really get it, and got the owner to intervene and essentially say 100 bucks to some line guys per day was worth it to get gas and food when we wanted.

Some companies are SO concerned with the bottom line they can't see the forest for the trees, or stepping over dollars for dimes.

For me, the problem really isn't the hotels we stay in, the airplanes we fly, or the benifits we receive. It's quite simply the pay.

A first year FO at Netjets or Flex, makes more money then a first year captain at Flyexclusive. That bothers me, and honestly, makes me feel undervalued as a FE new hire. I understand that we're a young company, but this is simply wrong.

i assume you’re talking total comp? Pay scales show first year FO at netjets at 89k, and a first year captain at Flyexclusive at 115k.

This guy is spot on, apparently they are not interested in keeping pilots like Netjets is. If they were they would open their eyes and make the changes and see what its like to keep pilots around for more than a year.

WUP: per diem $69 dom, $85 int’l; 1 company paid door dash per day; $50 second leg, $100 every leg after

A first year captain at FE is making 140-150k pretty easily, NOT counting 401k match, per diem, insurance they pay for, just straight pay. $115,000 in salary and with the hour bonus most CAs are making an extra $2-3k per month, work a couple extra days and make $1,000 per day plus a likely $3-400 per day because most of your extra days will also put you into bonus hours. I dont believe Flex is close to that on 1st year FO pay. Where the difference comes in is a 3rd or 4th year CA at FE and a 1-2 year CA at FLEX, thats where FLEX starts to accelerate past.

When people want to dismiss FE, they compare them to FLEX and NJ, but they seem to forget (or dont want to bring up) other 135 operators such as WUP, XO, Redwing, etc. etc. I was interviewed by another 135 operator and QOL and PAY was WAY worse than what FE offers. Its like trying to compare Alaska or Jet BLue to American, Delta or United. They are not FLEX or NJ, I think the one area that needs improvement to keep pilots around is the pay scale after 4-5years.

Since when do we include working days off in pay calculations?
Are we supposed to work all the time to make a living? People need time off. They need time to spend with family and recharge their batteries. I hate it when working days off is EVER mentioned in the context of pay.

You are incorrect about the Netjets part.. If you have any doubts about this statement for the Netjets part, anyway, I encourage you to reach out to our 6 Alumni who are new hires at NetJets, especially the ones stuck on the Phenom. I, too, was shocked that they were making less than I thought they would be. They all have great things to say, but money is not one of them.. Don’t get me wrong.. Anybody who has followed me on here since 2008 knows I love me some NetJets and have high 2 digits friends there, both new hires and those with 25 years there (before it became a decent place to work in 2005, with their Industry-leading contract). Your statement lacks also perspective in that you will be upgrading and building PIC jet time here at FE most likely within the year. I remember when UPS, FDX, and SWA were dismissed like Allegiant is today, and their pilots were leaving to go to the “Majors” in droves only to regret it after September 11, 2001.

Netjets is a fantastic Company with unmatched benefits, a great pilot group, an excellent, hard-earned CBA, and I regularly advise pilots to go there (No, I don’t get a referral, LOL).. But it is not for everyone, especially the like me who wanted a quick upgrade. If this is not important to you, then I absolutely encourage you to reach out to our Alumni over there and get it from the horses mouth.

Bottom Line: Perspective will show you that, as a relatively new Company (in comparison to NJ and Flex), we have a lot of catching up to do and that catching up takes time just like it did for Southwest, who wasn’t paying what United did and their Captains were making UAL F/O pay. Netjets was paying less than FlightOptions, which was the go-to, quality operator of the late 1990’s/early 2000’s. This is nothing new. The one thing that I didn’t hear you mention about our 7.6 year-old Company in your comment was any comparisons to XO, WUP, or other peers, also all older than we are. I would consider it a compliment for a 7.6 year-old Company even being mentioned in the same breath as Netjets or Flex. But that’s just me..

Missed the point, I said its EASY for a first year CA at FE make $140-150k and provided how. Most pilots (at all companies) typically pick up extra shifts for extra money. When I start at a company, I want to know what my bottom line figure will be at the end of the year. Without working ANY extra days, you are still likely to make $130-140K.