NetJets Pilots Turn Out In Hundreds for Info Picket

The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) hosted the "largest informational picket in NetJets history" on May 6th, taking issue with the company's handling of the NetJets Brand.

The picket took place during the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders' Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 800 off-duty NetJets pilots & family stood up to represent the 3,000+ pilots that work for the operator. NetJets Aviation is a subsidiary of Berkshire, making them a prime pressure point for a pilot base that feels unheard by their immediate executives. Those present felt that NetJets management has done little to address a "sustained pilot labor crisis", leaving pilots feeling overworked and underappreciated. Even now, NetJets pilot pay trails not just the legacies and ULCC's, but the regionals, too. SkyWest pay edges out NetJets' throughout pilot's careers, with the latter only eclipsing Skywest pay once an airman reaches 26 years with the company.

"The NetJets pilots and our families will not stand idly by and watch the continued erosion of our brand's reputation as a career destination carrier," said NJASAP President Captain Pedro Leroux. "Quite the contrary, for however long it takes, we will pursue a competitive package of wages, benefits and working conditions that positions the brand to attract and to retain the pilot talent required to support the world's most complex and dynamic flying environment."

Leroux pointed out that pilots aren't the only ones who feel that NetJets has graduated to a higher level of cachet in the aviation industry, quoting Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger when he said "You can argue it is worth as much as any airline now." 

"NJASAP agrees – in the same way we unreservedly agree with a statement in the 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report that emphasizes the importance of recruiting and retaining qualified, competent personnel," Leroux added. The way he and his peers at the NJASAP see it, the firm's continued apathy towards onboarding additional, talented, capable aviators will continue to have negative implications for the conglomerate and its subsidiaries.

FMI: www.genuineqs.com