Fractionals is the informal name for companies that operate shared ownership business jets, a service that is rapidly growing. An owner purchases a fraction, typically one-sixteenth or more, of an airplane and is entitled to fly a set amount of hours in that airplane or any of its companions in the fractional fleet. The fractional operator takes care of every aspect of operating the airplane from maintenance, insurance, fuel and crewing. The owner pays all fixed costs for his share of the airplane, plus the direct operating costs for the time he actually occupies the airplane. The fractional operators promise to pick up an owner with as little as four hours advance notice anywhere in the operating area and take him wherever he wants to go.
Is flying for a fractional a good career choice compared to flying for an airline? Well, with brand-new airplanes with the latest avionics, reasonable pay, schedules arranged well in advance and the variety and challenge of flying different passengers to different airports, what’s not to like?
