Keeping the Best: How to Retain Private Jet Pilots and Flight Attendants

If you’ve spent any time around private aviation lately, you already know: pilots and flight attendants are the new unicorns. They’re rare, in high demand, and everyone’s chasing the same talent. With airline hiring at full throttle and corporate operators battling for every résumé, keeping “A-team” crew is no small feat.

But here’s the twist: retaining pilots and flight attendants isn’t only about paychecks. It’s about management style, lifestyle, and the way you structure your flight department.

The Pilot Shortage: A Real and Growing Problem

This isn’t just an industry myth. Major aviation think tanks and business aviation groups have been warning about pilot shortages for years, and those predictions are now playing out in real time. Airlines are hiring aggressively, pulling pilots from corporate flight departments at record rates. Flight attendants aren’t far behind, especially those with VIP service experience.

In other words: if you’ve got a good crew, you’d better find a way to keep them.

The Flight Department Spectrum

1. The Pilot-Managed Department

This is the smallest of the small — one or two pilots trying to do it all: flying, maintenance oversight, scheduling, logistics, catering, owner communication.

It sounds efficient, but it’s a recipe for burnout. Pilots in this setup are tethered to their phones, unable to plan a weekend without fear of being called back for a trip. Nobody wants to be at a wedding, raising a glass, and then have their boss call saying, “Wheels up in two hours.” That’s how you lose good people fast.

2. The Management Company Model

Then there’s the big-box management company. They’ll promise you revenue when your aircraft isn’t flying for you — charter trips, lease-back arrangements, you name it. On paper, it looks like free money.

Here’s the catch: charter hours don’t pay enough to cover the wear and tear, let alone the long-term depreciation. Add in messy charter passengers, crews who don’t have the same loyalty to your aircraft, and the fact that many of these companies control your maintenance (with little incentive to save you money), and suddenly your “revenue” is swallowed by seven-figure repair bills.

3. The Boutique Part 91 Department (My Favorite)

The model I believe strikes the perfect balance is a small, dedicated Part 91 operation — no chartering, no leasing, just pure focus on managing the asset and the travel experience.

Here’s why it works:

• Lower overhead – You’re not paying full-time salaries for multiple pilots who might sit idle during downtime.

• Flexibility – With a vetted team of contract pilots, the department can scale up or down as needed.

• Crew happiness – Pilots love having the option to say “no” to a trip when they’re unavailable, knowing backups are in place. That flexibility alone goes a long way toward retention.

• Owner experience – With travel logistics, passenger needs, and maintenance handled by a small, specialized team, the owner gets the highest level of attention without the distractions of charter obligations.

It’s lean, it’s efficient, and — most importantly — it keeps crews happy. And happy crews stick around.

Why This Matters

At the end of the day, aircraft aren’t just machines — they’re assets. Protecting that asset doesn’t just mean buying the best hangar space or replacing parts on time. It also means protecting your investment in people. A talented, stable crew makes the difference between an aircraft that feels like a stressful liability and one that truly delivers value.

Retaining great pilots and flight attendants isn’t about golden handcuffs; it’s about building a structure that respects their time, keeps them engaged, and gives them room to thrive. The right management style makes that possible.

And if you’re wondering what that looks like in practice — well, that’s where companies like mine come in.