SANTA ANA, Calif. - With John Wayne Airport’s new General Improvement plan being decided on, smaller general aviation planes could be struggling to find space.

But for pilots like Amelia Kucharski, a former flight instructor on her way to becoming a commercial airline pilot, a new pathway toward achieving her career goals has opened up... flying for jet company, JetSuiteX.

“I thought my next step in my aviation career was to go to the regionals, and then I found JetSuiteX. If I went to the regionals that would have meant me being away from home the majority of the time I was working,” said Kucharski.

These flights, in some cases, can cost just a small premium to commercial flights.

JetSuiteX operates out of John Wayne and passengers can skip the long security lines and fly out of a private terminal.

For pilots, the most popular option to log the hours it takes to become a commercial airline pilot used to be flying for a regional carrier.

But these companies give pilots the opportunity to log those hours -- and in the case of JetSuiteX -- with a less demanding schedule and in a less congested environment.

“I’m home a lot more. The quality of life is so much better, and really the work life balance is ideal,” said Kucharski.

And the company is also hiring a mix of younger and older pilots -- seemingly helping an aviation industry that is estimated to need 100,000 pilots over the next 20 years.

“We actually look at a more diverse group of pilot candidates, both at the beginning of their career and those who are near the end of their career, and try to improve our diversity by working with people from under-served communities that maybe wouldn’t normally be picked up by a major carrier or even a regional airline,” said JetSuiteX VP of Corporate Soul Kevin Horan.

“It really is the perfect combination between regionals and here,” said Kucharski.

Adding new routes and changing the way pilots can reach a commercial level.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story and video report referred to JetSuiteX as a flight-based operator. The error has been corrected in the article, and the video has been removed. (August 11, 2020)