What are the pros and cons about a charter jet job and a commercial airline?

Question

I dont know what I would rather do. I think the charter gig would be more fun and less corperate. However i believe a commercial airline gig would be better pay and all around more "secure" (if secure is even a word i can use in the job market) I would love to here some feed back from both sides. Thanks!

Answer 1

Charter can be hit or miss.  There are probably 10 operators on my field alone, and I'd probably only work for 3 of them.  If you don't have a lot of strings attached, it can be fun to travel the globe at a moments notice.  It's rewarding to do all your own trip planning, file your own flight plans, book your own hotels and eat meals on the company card.  The flying is often new and refreshing, with lots of empty legs and new destinations.

But there are downsides... getting called out to fly in the middle of the night or on your girlfriends birthday.  Never being able to make plans because your schedule is virtually non-existant.  Sitting in a hotel for 4 straight days waiting for a return trip to book... etc.

But if you can find a charter operator that doesn't bend the regs, flies good equipement and treats it's employees with respect, you'll most likely have a much higher job satisfaction than your colleagues flying the heavy iron.  

The good thing is if you start in charter, you can easily make the transition to the airline life, whereas many airline pilots have a hard time making the switch to charter, with all the additional duties and responsibilities.

Answer 2

Which charter company and which airline. Huge part of the equation. I've been in corporate or charter all my career. Many airline friends have done great and many chose the wrong airline like Pan Am or Eastern. Many that you might choose now will be toast in five years. Others  you'd do well to join. Are you a good enough economist to make a decision is the question.

Sames true in executive aviation whether charter or corporate. Had a few airplanes sold out from under me but overall I've had a career most of my airline pals envy. They would have loved to have flown to the fifty one countries on six continents as i have. But there are plenty of business jet jockeys who gave up flying all together because they couldn't stand how things went for them. So you might as well toss a coin. Myself, I always went with my gut. It never failed me.