Contract Pilot billing Etiquette

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Pilot-To-Be

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Hi all,

I have a Citation trip tomorrow evening leaving at 5pm and returning around 10am Saturday morning.

What would common etiquette be for billing in this example. 1 day? 1.5 days? How do you typically handle an evening departure with morning return? Thanks
 
Not a contract pilot, but have dealt with similar issues. As with nearly everything in aviation: It depends.

Have you worked with this client before? Do you like them and want more work for them? Do you like overnight trips like this? Would a trip like this normally interfere with your average 1-day trip on either the first or second days? Is this a last-minute trip and you didn't have any others on either day? What if this client wants you to do an identical trip next time, and wants to pay you the same, but you have another trip you could take next time that would interfere?

Is it single pilot? If not, is the other pilot contract and if so what are they charging for?

You could bill it as 2 days with a discount. Just realize that, whatever you do, you're setting an expectation for the next time as well.
 
Pilot-To-Be said:
Hi all,

I have a Citation trip tomorrow evening leaving at 5pm and returning around 10am Saturday morning.

What would common etiquette be for billing in this example. 1 day? 1.5 days? How do you typically handle an evening departure with morning return? Thanks
Click to expand...

2 Days.
 
There's a pretty easy test for this - If you accept this trip, can you reasonably accept any other trips on either day? No, of course not. Therefore, it's blocking off 2 days of your schedule, so it's a 2-billing-day trip. Plus expenses like a hotel room, of course.
 
Just me, but wouldn't this have been negotiated with the operator/client beforehand?
 
As others have said, industry standard would be two days.

Operators that would expect or otherwise try to pay less are out there and generally best to avoid.
 
I'm in the 2 day camp.

I once had a contract gig that was something like 4pm out 11pm back. They were a few hours late and I didn't get back until 2am. I billed a 2nd day and they paid it. The only time I don't bill an extra day is when the boss lets me relocate the plane in advance of a trip to make it convenient for me. For example, moving the plane to my local airfield (also the airfield from where the trip starts) when the trip will start at 5am the next morning.
 
Tell us where you are & what you’re charging so we can ‘help’ with that
 
I hire freelances techs every week.

In our case with this timeline, paying two days is assumed...on both our end and the tech's end.

Our guys leave home, dedicate their day to their efforts...we don't let money get in the way of progress.

I am solidly in the bill for two days camp.
 
I'm on the other side of this equation and I would fully expect 2 days to be charged to and paid by me. Any pilot that thinks otherwise doesn't value their time and skills (or doesn't have the resume to be in that cockpit anyway) and any company hiring a contract pilot that thinks different is cheap (and dumb).
 
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