There's a reason upgrades happen a lot faster, and it's not growth. Still a good deal if you just want to get Turbine PIC time and move on, not a good deal if you're looking for a permanent home.

Haha, I would agree, first three days of indoctrination are all about hew "much better you are" for being there, not a bad company just did not practice what whey preached and with12 year upgrade most other companies look a lot more attractive.NJA was not a bad place to work, but now that I have moved my ability to go t a major has changed!

If someone were lucky enough to have to choose between the two, in 2022, which one shines brighter?

Depends on what you want. If flying for a fractional is just a stepping stone to a Major Airline then FlexJet is probably better, but a Part 121 Regional Airline is best.
For a career destination then NetJets is the choice hands down. You will make Captain faster at Flex (assuming you're a "Team Player") but long term you can't beat NetJets. A big factor is having Berkshire-Hathaway backing them. And having a Union Contract that can't be changed on a whim is huge too.

From what I understand Flexjet has made some improvements, and are working on others, that have changed the view of many. Pay has increased, benefits are outstanding, and upgrade time is fast on the Phenom.
Being unionized definitely has its advantages….but I think that “changing rules on a whim” is a little overblown. Yes they can but unless its dire circumstances they wont just wake up and decide to change things. There is a big demand for pilots and Flexjet cant afford to make missteps like that. They do things differently and it works for them.
They are both good companies and one really needs to understand what they personally want out of the job and pick what represents those needs.
My personal opinion, right now, is that Netjets is the better long term choice if your looking at 20 plus years. The advantages of Flexjet for 15 years or less are there as well.
Honesty you couldn't go wrong with either company.
From my understanding “Team Player” has nothing to do with upgrade at Flexjet. Its seniority based on the 3 Small/Midsized types. The Gulfstreams and Globals are NOT seniority based. I guess thats good/bad. They are merit based but there is opportunities to fly in those fleets much quicker than usual if that is what someone desires.

Upgrades outside of Globals and Gulfstreams are seniority based, so as long as you've got a number that must make you a "Team Player".

Now getting into a large cabin is definitely a game of who you know, there's no denying it - management even comes out and says as much. I'm not interested in the kind of flying they do in that program so it doesn't bother me at all that my lack of desire to network with the ILC guys is hampering my ability to get on with them. I do know one of the new Global captains has been on property right at 11 months and after putting in a bunch of work to networking got his slot.

I have really enjoyed my time at Flexjet, but definitely recognize the benefits and possibilities that getting on with Netjets would've provided. At this point, arguing between the two is trying to pick between the two best jobs in the sector IMHO. If you're looking at staying on the 135/91k side of the industry both are better than 98% of the remaining jobs out there. Again just my .02$.

Glad to hear they don't do the team player thing with the smaller jets. The bigger jets I can understand because recovering a trip is much harder if you write up a minor item that can't be MEL'd. I think I was the guy at NetJets whose photo was on the Mx Controllers dartboard. I even had a call from the Phenom CP once asking why I wrote up the Lav Privacy door so much. I told him I thought it was because I was one of the few who bothered to check it. Also, I had a medical thing going on where I couldn't accept a flight longer than 2 hours with an inop Lav or a inop privacy door when pax were on board. I think later they finally got the doors working a lot better. Twice I had to go back in flight and rescue a pax who couldn't get out of the lav due to the door being jammed.

I someone get offers from both companies I can't see anyone going to Flex over NetJets unless they're really eager to be a PIC or hate labor unions.

I know two people who recently have chosen Flexjet over Netjets when they had offers from both. Neither are averse to labor unions, both were with unionized companies for years. Neither took the job for the quick upgrade either as they are not chasing PIC time.
I have been gleaning as much information as I can about Flexjet as I have many friends who are applying for and interested in both Flexjet and Netjets. For most it will be who they can get an interview from and who offers the job. Again its up to the individual and everyone has their reasons, but if you didn't know that upgrades at Flexjet are seniority based I think there are other things that have changed that you may not be aware of. Its my understanding that Flexjet has come a long way in the whole package that they offer for pilots during the last couple years. I think Netjets is a big reason for these changes.
Kinda snarky of you to imply that a "bigger jet" Flexjet pilot would not write up a minor item because they are "team players". So a pilot who is flying a Global at Netjets would write it up because they got there based upon their seniority number? Funny how you follow up your statement with a story of how you wrote up items so often. Point taken.

I guess you could say that it's still a stepping stone for me to get to a major, currently at a regional couple hundred short of upgrade. Everything sounds better than life at current regional/reserve as a new captain...

Definitely not opposed at making it a long term destination if life is good.

The Global pilots that got the Intl trips to Europe/Asia tended to be the ones the company perceived as being "reliable". At least that was my impression while I was at NetJets. I'm sure any significant Mx items would be written up regardless. And yes, my info on Flexjet is mostly from 5 years ago plus what I've read on these boards over the past few years. I'm really glad they changed for the better. And I agree reducing pay/benefits would be suicidal in this hiring market and could even bring in a union. But if a recession hits and it's bad enough to reduce private jet flying it would be nice having that union contract.

I'd be interested in hearing why someone choose FlexJet over NetJets, excluding the PIC time advantage and dislike of unions. The pay is getting a lot closer, but the 401k, insurance, etc. don't seem to be nearly as good. Correct me if I'm wrong.