There’s a shortage of pilots in the aviation world and this is starting to impact many of the larger operators of business jets. Executive AirShare has announced an across-the-board increase of salaries for pilots to meet the growing demand for their fractional aircraft ownership and jet cards. The average increase is 25%.
The new salaries are between 18 to 30 percent more for pilots-in-command (PICs) and seconds-in-command (SICs) joining the company. In conjunction with the salary increase, PIC migration to a more favorable 8-On/6-Off scheduling cycle is expected help the company meet its goal of hiring 25 pilots in the next six months.
“We’re not immune to the pilot shortage that permeates the entire aviation industry,” Executive AirShare Chief Operating Officer Harry Mitchel says. “We’re looking for skilled pilots who deliver excellent customer service and consistent, high-quality experiences every day. We’re confident that a more competitive compensation package, including salary, schedule and lifestyle will allow Executive AirShare to continue identifying top pilots to service our growing base of family-oriented shareowners.”
Beginning April 2, 2018, pilots who join Executive AirShare as SICs will start at $56,000. As of July 2, 2018, PIC salaries change to the new pay scale, meaning a PIC for the popular Embraer Phenom 300 will begin at $100,000, a 25-percent increase over the previous salary.
“Our crew members set us apart in the private travel segment,” says John Owen, Executive AirShare’s chief financial officer and interim president. “This highly competitive salary scale recognizes their value to us and our customers. And the ability for our pilot bases to be co-located with a majority of our customer bases is an asset for our pilots’ quality of life.”
Executive AirShare serves the Central U.S. and Great Lakes regions, operating a fleet of Bombardier Learjet 45XR, Embraer Phenom 300 and Phenom 100, Cessna Citation CJ2+, and Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft.
Their jet card type product is called the EMBARK membership and is rather unique in that it counts days of use rather than hours. The entry level product gives you 10 days of use per year and you can then fly as many hours as the day allows.