SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION
THE JOB OF BEING A NETJETS PILOT
NetJets is a good job, and NJASAP is working very hard to make it even better. We look forward to welcoming you to the property, but in the spirit of forthrightness and advocacy, we want to ensure you understand the unique nature of the NetJets opportunity.
Be prepared to work hard.
A NetJets pilot does not walk into the airframe and turn left. Quite the contrary, our duties are far more labor-intensive and extensive in comparison to our Part 121 peers: Many of our duty days exceed 10 hours and many will routinely exceed 12 hours; the duty period may or may not include flight time. While we bid to work a particular schedule, we neither exert control over our day-to-day schedule nor the amount of flight time we will accrue during a tour. In short, operational need determines the daily schedule, which is subject to continual change throughout the day.
Annual compensation will vary significantly from one year to the next.
The NJASAP/NetJets Collective Bargaining Agreement codifies the base wage scale: Year-one pilots will earn a base wage of approximately $70,000. Base wages are supplemented by soft money earned via Flight Duty and Pay Program (FDPP) that pays a premium for every flight hour once a pilot reaches a 10-hour threshold. The accrual clock resets at the beginning of each tour, and the rate is the same regardless of fleet or seat. Soft money is not guaranteed and will vary based on fleet assignment and flight demand.
Fleets are assigned at random.
The determination of which fleet you will be placed in is not within your discretion. The amount of soft or non-guaranteed money you will accrue via FDPP is based on accumulated flight time per tour. While some fleets are very productive, others are not.
Upgrade times are a guestimate – not a promise.
Not too long ago, the upgrade time here at NetJets was approximately 13 years. While the current growth phase has significantly shortened that timeline, approximately 800 pilots are in front of you, making it ill advised to count on a fast upgrade.
The $22M retirement package is aspirational rather than realistic.
While NJASAP has negotiated a lucrative 401(k) Retirement Plan, NJASAP believes the $22M that management has suggested will be waiting on you at the end of your career here is unrealistic based on today's compensation schedule – even with an average rate of return and maximizing all deferral opportunities. It would be a good idea to ask the NetJets representative to share that math with you.
NJASAP ADVOCACY
NJASAP stands by the extraordinary gains in wages, benefits and working conditions it has secured through the power of collective activity that have redefined the NetJets career opportunity. Throughout the past several months, however, we have watched our collective bargaining agreement lose its competitive edge, falling behind those of our peers across the industry.
Why? While many airline management teams are taking bold steps to secure pilot talent, the NetJets Executive Management Team has yet to do the same.
Since NJASAP made the sad, but necessary decision to withdraw from the pilot hiring process last November, we are hearing from disgruntled new hires on an increasing basis. Some of our newest members are expressing considerable frustration, feeling they have been misled – sold a bill of goods. The FDPP money is an unreliable source of income, and more pilots are actively considering better opportunities.
High turnover of pilots to regional or ultra-low-cost-carriers will erode the cohesiveness and camaraderie of our workforce. In the spirit of forthrightness and advocacy, we want to ensure every pilot considering a position here has all the information they require to make an informed decision - one they will not come to regret within a few months' time.