Restoring Private Aviation Charter Customers Confidence After An Incident
Anyone who operates a Part 135 aircraft for charter clearly knows the stricter regulations as opposed to operating a Part 91 aircraft. Therefore, statistically there are many more incidents with Part 91 aircraft. However, incidents with Part 135 aircraft do occur. Restoring private aviation charter customers confidence after an incident is vital.
Just two days ago a 2004 Hawker 800XP (N6NR) Part 91 aircraft suffered a nose landing gear failure. The aircraft was flying from Fort Lauderdale-Executive Airport, FL (FXE) to Minneapolis-Flying Cloud Airport (FCM). It was diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MN (MSP), better suited for such an emergency. The flight crew reported the malfunction about thirty minutes prior.
A standard NTSB Class 4 investigation (shortest duration) is underway. There were two crew and four passengers. No injuries were reported.
The most recent serious Part 135 incident was the crash of a 2004 Bombardier Challenger 604 (N823KD) in February 2024. The aircraft traveling from Ohio State University Airport, OH (OSU) to Naples Municipal Airport, FL (APF), crashed on approach, killing both pilots on board. All other crew and passengers survived.
The pilots reported engine failure and attempted a landing on a highway but crashed into a concrete sound barrier wall. Flight data indicated oil pressure loss on both engines. This aircraft was operated by Ace Aviation Services, DBA Hop-A-Jet.
Following this fatal crash Hop-A-Jet remains under close watch by the FAA, NTSB, and public scrutiny. This obviously was a severe blow to their reputation and public confidence in the company. Their ultimate longevity may depend on the final findings of the ongoing investigation.
Hop-A-Jet has not posted to their social media accounts since the accident.
One of the last Instagram posts was showing their booth at the NBAA Miami-Opa Locka Reginal Forum Jan 31, 2024. A show that Chris and I attended.
As mentioned above there are definitely more Part 91 crashes. Maintenance and pilot experience are factors.
A Part 91 aircraft only requires annual inspections with owners keeping records. The Part 135 aircraft require more pilot training (including classes every 6 months) and 100-hour inspection/maintenance schedules. Additionally, Part 135 requires detailed recordkeeping, including maintenance records, flight data, and passenger information retention.
So, if your charter has an incident, here are some ways to restore your reputation:
Consider a rebranding, a new logo, and/or renewed focus on safety and quality. How many people remember the ValuJet Flight 592 crash ?
ValuJet became AirTran Airlines, which ultimately was acquired by Southwest in 2011. When we board a Southwest jet, we don’t think of ValuJet.
Restoring customer confidence after an incident requires a multifaceted approach:
- Option #1: Address the incident transparently, then implement corrective measures and engage with customers via social media.
- Option #2: Re-position your brand to rebuild trust and ensure long-term customer loyalty.
- Option #3: Create a new brand as ValuJet did. It may be the best route especially if the incident involved loss of life or significant property losses.
Regardless of which option you choose, do it with the help of an expert. As you know we are big fans of the Aviation Marketing Experts out of Orlando. These guys have been doing this for 45 years, so you can trust them.
Any thoughts, comments or story suggestions, reach out to us at: AircraftGuys@gmail.com.
On to the next adventure.
Restoring Private Aviation Charter Customers Confidence After An Incident
Northern Jet Orlando Its All About People And Safety
As promised Chris and I returned to Orlando Executive Airport to see our friends at Northern Jet. This time we brought a video crew from Aviation Marketing Experts. We had the opportunity to see a couple of aircraft up close. We learned, for Northern Jet Orlando its all about people and safety.
Here’s a link to the first video on YouTube.
The video crew sat down for an interview with Ricky Guagliardo, Sales Manager, in their spacious top floor conference room.
Conference Room With Panoramic View
What is so impressive about Northern Jet is the fact that they have their own private terminal. And it’s not just a terminal, it was previously the Sheltair Aviation Services FBO location. It’s unusual for a private jet charter company to have their own private terminal. Most use a shared FBO location.
As part of the video production, we got to be onboard with two of the pilots while they readied a flight, on a Citation CJ3, bound for the Bahamas.
Special thanks to pilots:
- PIC: Robert Basile
- SIC: David Chiles
What we learned from our second visit was how important safety is at Northern Jet.
Captain Basile told us he never feels pressured to take off as safety always comes first. Co-Captain David Chiles commented that working for Northern Jet was like being in a family. I did want to mention that the pilots had no advance notice of our visit or that they would be participating in the production. This underscores how genuine they really were.
It’s clear that beyond safety, Northern Jet strives to make the customer experience an extraordinary one.
We have visited many operations on our travels, this one really stands out for so many positive reasons.
We’d like to thank everyone again for granting the video crew such a level of access and for all the hospitality. As we saw, Chris really enjoyed the selection of snacks that are provided on the flights.
Northern Jet Orlando Its All About People And Safety
Our Visit to Orlando Executive Airport To See Private Jet Charter Companies
Chris and I went back to Orlando to check out a couple of area airports. Our friends from Aviation Marketing Experts (Blue Island Digital) are also based there. We have done work for them, including writing for their newsletter. Our visit to Orlando Executive Airport to see private jet charter companies turned out to be quite a surprise.
Our plan was to stop at Stratos Jet Charters but instead we found Northern Jet at their location. As we soon learned, Northern Jet is a recent merger of SpeedBird (Orlando, FL) and Northern Jet Management (Grand Rapids, MI). We also found out that Stratos had moved to the other side of the airport (more on that later).
We were delighted that the Sales Manager, Henrique “Ricky” Guagliardo talked to us. We are always amazed how courteous, even busy, people can be to share their story when they are passionate about it. That was the case with Ricky. Like us, we could tell, he loved his work.
We learned a little about the new company and how in many ways it sounded like a match made in heaven. Both SpeedBird and Northern Jet Management operate their own aircraft. One based in the Southeast and the other in the Midwest. This creates great aircraft positioning. SpeedBird clients are mostly on demand and Northern Jet Management has a strong card membership program.
Great fleet of popular jets:
As Ricky explained, the new company now has a combined fleet of over 40 jets, including:
- Cessna Citation CJ3s
- Learjet 40/45/70/75s
- Citation Xs,
- Challenger 300/350s
- Challenger 605s
And a team of over 200 employees, including 98 pilots.
The Northern Jet customer terminal at Orlando Executive Airport looks like a great experience for travelers. From its “Brews & Bites” area to stylish modern décor, it reminded us of some of the nicest FBO locations we have ever seen.
Northern Jet Orlando Customer Terminal
They even have free decks of personalized Northern Jet “casino quality” playing cards at the counter. Nothing like a hand or two of 5 card stud on your flight.
We liked this visit so much our plan is to return with a video crew and get a tour of one of their fleet. We’ll set that up with Ricky and keep everyone posted.
Now on to Stratos Jet Charters. As mentioned, when we went to their address on Google Maps, that is where we found Northern Jets. Chris checked their website and found there was a new address: 3051 E Livingston St, Suite 401 Orlando, FL 32803. This is the Sheltair FBO building.
We went up to the 4th Floor and found Suite 401. We opened the door to what appeared to be about a 300 sq. ft. two room office. There was no sign but there were 2 men inside. Clearly, they were in the process of moving, as there was no furniture, just a computer in pieces on the floor.
We introduced ourselves and the man proceeded to tell us that they were busy with meetings and couldn’t talk to us. We asked if there might be a time we could come back and the man said he would have to talk to the owner, he motioned toward the other room, so we assumed that was the other person we saw.
We gave him a business card. Yes, we have cards. Haven’t heard back as of yet.
On to the next adventure (Sanford International Airport) …
And as always if you’re in the aircraft business, contact us and maybe we’ll come visit you too !
Our Visit to Orlando Executive Airport To See Private Jet Charter Companies
Our Visit to Opa Locka To See Private Jet Charter Companies
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