Private jet operator Flexjet needs 350 pilots to fly the 50 new aircraft

Fractional aircraft ownership company and private jet travel provider Flexjet plans to hire 350 pilots to fly the 50 new jets it will add to its fleet this year. The company said this growth is a response to the demand for private jet travel that began earlier in the pandemic and hasn’t waned since.

According to the most recent TSA checkpoint travel numbers reported on April 7, the number of screened passengers is 89 percent of what it was in 2019. At the same time, demand for business jet travel in the U.S. (reflected in the number of bizjet departures) has grown by 30 percent compared to March 2019, and is 28 percent greater than March of last year, according to aviation data company WingX.

With this trend in mind, Flexjet is investing in people and aircraft, primarily to support the three- to five-year contracts its clients have committed to.

“We want Flexjet to be a career destination for pilots not only for the long-term earning potential but also for schedule, quality of life, and modern equipment,” Flexjet COO Megan Wolf said.

To support its recruitment efforts, Flexjet plans to offer first-year pilots $128,000 as starting total compensation, productivity-based bonuses, and other benefits, such as guaranteed upgrades to captain, which the company said is possible within just over a year. Pilots might also find Flexjet’s home-based crewing attractive, with the option to pick from 100 domiciles (10 times more than most commercial airline carriers), and the chance to move their domicile as often as they choose.

More than 800 pilots currently fly for Flexjet across 200 aircraft, including the Embraer Phenom 300, Legacy 450 and Praetor 500, the Bombardier Challenger 350, and the Gulfstream G450 and G650.

“No other company can match the innovation of our Domestic Red Label and International Large Cabin programs, which uniquely empower pilots to select the right program. We think of the pilot as an individual, not a number,” Wolf said.

In 2015, Flexjet introduced Red Label by Flexjet, which features the youngest fleet in the industry with an average age of six years, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft, and the LXi Cabin Collection interiors. There are more than 40 different interior designs across its fleet.

Beyond technical qualifications, the company—which is known for its TV commercials that celebrate its pilots—said it wants pilots who are the right fit.

“When we are looking for candidates that best fit into our company, we look for characteristics that align with the two other principles: Making decisions with a long-term approach to relationships and having a fanatical attention to detail,” said Bob Sullivan, chief administrative officer of Flexjet parent company OneSky.

Interested pilots can visit the company’s website for more details. Flexjet’s recruitment team will also be traveling the country to interview prospects at various industry trade shows and events. flyingmag.com