Pros
Free snacks.
Good coworkers.
Well maintained aircraft.
Cons
The interview process does not accurately reflect the working environment. There is a pervasive culture of fear surrounding management, driven largely by excessive micromanagement from senior leadership. In my personal experience, the CEO is directly involved in operational decisions at a level that undermines professional autonomy, including instructing pilots on how to avoid placing an aircraft AOG.
The company requires an unusually long training contract of 18 months. Despite this commitment, there is minimal investment in employees. During training, company-provided meals were canceled for several months as a cost-saving measure. Additionally, trip support frequently seeks to avoid covering crew meals during long duty days, at times extending turn times on the ground to require crews to source meals on their own.
Per diem payments have been late on multiple occasions. There is little to no acknowledgment or appreciation for employees who go above and beyond expectations. Transparency is extremely limited, both internally with employees and externally with clients.
Employees are expected to remain available on Slack at all times, effectively being on call 24/7. However, communication is largely one-sided, as concerns or requests from employees are often ignored unless they are deemed high priority.
Compensation and career progression are also problematic. Pilots who enter the “PIC Bridge Program” are placed on a salaried pay structure of approximately $105,000, with no annual pay increases until an upgrade occurs, regardless of how long that upgrade may take.
There is effectively no company culture. While the aircraft are generally safe and maintenance is adequate, many planes operate with inoperative screens, broken seats, and damaged window shades, which detracts from the premium customer experience clients are paying for.
Overall, this is a typical Part 135 operation with significant disparities between aircraft types—some remaining on standby far more than others. The schedule is 8 days on / 6 days off, with compensation that is notably below industry standards. Management appears to take pilots for granted due to a large pool of applicants, prioritizing quantity over quality.
Since the corporate merger, the management structure has significantly degraded the work environment. There are many larger operators that offer better compensation, stronger cultures, and greater transparency without the corporate façade present here. I would strongly encourage prospective employees to explore those alternatives.
