Barrel Roll 135

I'm getting out of the military and my ultimate goal is to live in my hometown area of Omaha, NE. Will I have a better quality of life commuting with the airlines or with NetJets? I know this also depends a lot on this new contract that is coming up.

As a side note, I also hear that non-reving isn't what it used to be and that you can actually earn points on your hotels and air miles at NetJets (unlike the contracts you are on at the airlines). Any advice?

Slice

It's easier to commute with the airlines because you can't jumpseat as a NJA pilot. I've read the will go back to home basing if the new contract gets signed. If Omaha is on the list, that would be easiest because of your guaranteed ticket. Two totally different types of flying, btw. I earn hotel points as a UPS pilot at most places.

illinipilot

Omaha is on the list. 11 days left before we find out.

Barrel Roll 135

Different in what ways? Schedules? Airfields?

jtf560

At NJA you will fly almost anywhere and almost any time. You will know what days you will work on the 7 and 7 and 18 day schedules, but you won't know what you will actually do until you do it (things change all the time, but once they brief you what time you'll start the next day, they cannot make it any earlier). Things change all the time here. Some days you will fly a lot, some days you will sit in an fbo or hotel all day and fly nowhere. Some people hate not knowing what they will be doing and prefer the schedules they can get at the airlines. Some people hate sitting around at the fbos. I look at it like this- I'm getting paid to watch TV, movies on my laptop, surf the internet, read, or take a nap and I much prefer that to what most people have to do to get paid.

At NJA you will load the airplane yourself (some help from fbo workers, but mostly you). You will most likely do all the safety briefings and serve some drinks (most aircraft here don't have a flight attendant). You will clean the airplane after the pax leave. You will need good customer service skills to do this job well. There are a lot of pilots who feel they are above these things and that kind of person won't work out well at fractional flying.

The pay is pretty good at NJA and the amount of time off is pretty good also, but both are less than what is possible at the majors with good seniority and as long as your major doesn't go bankrupt or out of business all together. Currently this is one of the more stable jobs in aviation, but nothing is truly stable in aviation. Very few are leaving NJA for the airlines and I have no plans to do that, but the fractionals are definitely not for everyone. Most likely by the beginning of December anyone working for NJA will have the choice of being based in Omaha so you would not be a commuter if you work here. You will almost always be airlined by the company to and from the airplane you fly, but it will be on your work time and not your time off. Hope this helps.