Do private jet pilots strike?
EasyJet pilots are striking today, in a row over pay and pensions by Dutch pilots who are members of the VNV union. This action is disrupting the airline’s flights to and from Amsterdam. There are also planned strikes by Scandinavian Airlines and Air France this week.
This is not the first pilot strike in recent times of course. Lufthansa pilots held a strike last summer, and there was a 14-day strike by Air France the year before, both of which had a major impact on airline passengers – over a peak travel period.
See more: Private jet charter during the Air France strike
So it seems Europe’s airline passengers likely to see another summer season of pilot strike misery. (We have already seen recent airline cancellations caused by the industrial action by Air Traffic Control staff in France – not pilot-related of course, but still a pain for passengers).
Do private jet pilots strike in the same way as airline pilots?
The answer is no, in the main.
Job satisfaction is higher for most private jet pilots than airline pilots, as we found when we conducted a survey of pilots from across the aviation spectrum.
Most private charter jets in Europe are aircraft that are privately-owned, and made available for charter when their owners aren’t using them. The pilots of these aircraft are generally handpicked, well-remunerated and have a high status role with their employer. The varied routings of private aviation, and a greater sense of autonomy and operational control also leads to more stimulating flying.
So these pilots are used to dealing with VIPs and senior executives,and their meticulous approach to customer service reflects their positive feelings about their own role.
At PrivateFly we work with all types of private jet operators, from those who manage a single aircraft and its dedicated crew, to big companies with large fleets and crew rosters, operating purely for charter.
And its true to say that the role of a private jet pilot in a larger private jet company, with a large fleet, can be a more commodotised one, albeit still very different to an airline pilot. NetJets, for example, have a strong union culture, and have experienced unrest and strikes before.
Future strikes cannot be ruled out by their crews or others, but job satisfaction for pilots in the private jet sector is generally very high, and the risk of strikes very small.
If your airline flight is cancelled or delayed, we can arrange last minute private jet charter. Download the PrivateFly app for instant quotes on the go, or contact our Flight Team (24 hours) for expert advice and pricing on +44 1747 642 777.
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