Apr 3, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Flexjet Supports Pilots’ Effort to Decertify Teamsters Local 1108 as Their Union

Flexjet LLC, a leading provider of fractional jet ownership and the only provider to offer Red Label by Flexjet, today announced support of its pilots’ right to change their union representation.

Flexjet has been notified by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that its pilots filed an application with the NMB to hold an election to decertify the Teamsters Local 1108 as their union. This comes a little more than two years after the pilots very narrowly approved representation.

“As in the past, we respect our pilots’ legal right to choose representation,” said Flexjet CEO Mike Silvestro. “Over the course of the past two years, I consistently have heard from our pilots that the union has overpromised and under-delivered. We trust our pilots’ judgement as professionals and, today, we congratulate them on this decision.”

Despite opposition by the union, Flexjet created Red Label, an industry-disrupting program that has become a catalyst for unprecedented growth within the Company. The program created a bond between Flexjet pilots and their employer that led to their demand for change. In addition to offering customers the best aircraft in the industry, Red Label gives pilots the ability to participate in an industry-first environment with features including:

  • Crews dedicated to a single aircraft: Modeled after the US military, Red Label gives Flexjet pilots a unique pride-of-ownership with the aircraft not seen in the business aviation industry.
  • The ability to self-schedule: Flexjet pilots set their own schedules with their team and manage the aircraft in conjunction with the Company.
  • Industry-leading compensation: Red Label offers a 25 percent or greater pay rate when compared to similar equipment in competitive programs and includes a significant bonus program designed to reward superior performance and dedication as opposed to the traditional seniority model.

“When given the opportunity to work together, free of any outside influence, the partnership forged between the Company and our pilots is one that will ensure our mutual success and long-term viability,” Silvestro said. “We have proven that, when we connect mutual goals to performance, we can create profitable programs that are shared with the pilots through a performance bonus of up to 50 percent of their annual salary.”

Silvestro concluded, “This is a historic moment in the timeline of our Company and our industry as a whole. We applaud the pilots’ move and we do not take their confidence in our leadership lightly. We respect that pilots play a fundamental role in our continued success and actions such as this can only enhance our ability to maintain our position as an industry leader.”

The Company has complete confidence that the pilots will make the best decision for Flexjet’s collective future as they consider a move back to a direct relationship with the Company.

About Flexjet

Flexjet first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing. Flexjet’s fractional aircraft program is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 19 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating and is IS-BAO compliant. Flexjet’s fractional program fields an exclusive array of business aircraft—some of the youngest in the fractional jet industry, with an average age of approximately six years. In 2015, Flexjet introduced Red Label by Flexjet, which features the youngest fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 25 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Learjet 75LXi, Challenger 350, the Embraer Legacy 450, Global Express, the Gulfstream G450, G500 and G650, and the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets. In addition, the overall jet collection includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Bombardier Challenger 300. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Twitter @Flexjet and on Instagram @FlexjetLLC.