Private Jet Charter News

CNN Mistakenly Reports Near Miss

United 747 Nearly “Collides” with Golden Gate Bridge
In one of the more over-blown video reports regarding low flying aircraft, an anchor in Atlanta for CNN emphasizes how “close” the UAL 747 comes to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Watch the video
According to the FAA, The agency had received no complaints about the flyovers performed Oct. 9 and 10 as part of San Francisco’s annual Fleet Week, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. In the video, the jet makes a wide turn before flying low over the bridge. Kenitzer said the aircraft was well above the span, and blamed the angle at which videos were shot for making it appear closer than it actually was.  He said flight restrictions were in place in the area and that an air traffic controller was directing the plane’s altitude. United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said the company was showcasing one of its 747s to celebrate its longstanding partnership with San Francisco. “The fly-by was conducted as part of a well-publicized air show and with the utmost consideration to the safety of the public and the aircraft,” McCarthy said. CNN later aired this segment explaining their misinterpretation of the video.  Watch the video.  Why does every low-flying aircraft automatically draw comparisons to what happened on Sept 11, 2001?  CNN could have easily shown this same video depicting the same sensational visuals and yet explain that although the aircraft APPEARS to come very close to striking the bridge that it was really just a visual trick caused by the angle, distance, and depth perception from where the video was filmed.  CNN gets to roll great footage and yet educate their viewers about the real story.  Two phone calls, one to the FAA, and one to United Airlines PR department would have gotten the complete picture.  Instead, the rush to post/display/report sensational images resulted in much ado about nothing.  Perhaps that was the idea after all – ratings, hits, and blogs.

Thousands of airline flights cancelled due to dangerous ash plume

Earlier this week a volcano under an Icelandic Glacier erupted and spewed thousands of tons of ash into the atmosphere causing the cancellations of thousands of flights across the globe.  Currently all airspace in Great Britain Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Netherlands, is completely closed to all aircraft while airspace was partially closed in France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway, and Ireland.  US airlines are cancelling flights to/from Europe stranding thousands of passengers. It is simply too dangerous to fly.

Volcanic ash clouds are a serious hazard to aviation, reducing visibility, damaging flight controls and ultimately causing jet engines to fail.  Encounters between aircraft and volcanic ash can happen because ash clouds are difficult to distinguish from ordinary clouds, both visually and on radar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  Ash clouds can also drift great distances from their source. The eruption in Iceland sent a huge plume of ash moving across the Atlantic, disrupting air traffic across Western Europe.

According to Boeing, flying through an ash cloud should be avoided by all means. The aircraft manufacturer says experience has shown costly damage can occur to aircraft surfaces, windshields and power plants, while ventilation, hydraulic, electronic and air data systems can also be contaminated. Critically, it says the ingestion of volcanic ash by engines may cause serious deterioration of engine performance due to erosion of moving parts and partial or complete blocking of fuel nozzles.  One former pilot said, “it’s like throwing a bucket of beach sand into the engine”.  But it is actually much worse, while the sand would pit and gouge the critically balanced surfaces of a high performance jet engine, eventually the sand would work its way through the system.  But the ash is much more insidious.  Volcanic ash contains particles, whose melting point is below that of an engine’s internal temperature. During flight these particles will immediately melt if they go through an engine. Going through the turbine, the melted materials rapidly cool down, stick on the turbine vanes, and disturb the flow of high-pressure combustion gases.  In the worst case this disorder of the flow may completely stall the engine, causing a complete shutdown of not only the propulsion systems, but electrical, environmental, and oxygen/pressurization systems.

Charging fees for carry-on baggage newest revenue scheme

Spirit Airlines, one of the first airlines to charge for checked baggage has again shifted the paradigm with a new policy that charges passengers for carry-on baggage.  Spirit calls itself an ultra-low cost airline, but this move screams of desperation and ultra-low class.  Spirit states that fliers are carrying more bags aboard and cramming more into those bags in an attempt to sidestep checked baggage fees.  The result of which is delayed boarding and departure times, jammed overhead storage areas, and short tempers.  Spirit hopes that the carry-on baggage fees will limit the amount of overhead baggage and reduce boarding time leading to better on-time performance, addressing a problem of their own creation, ironically, when checked baggage fees appeared.  Spirit’s Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie offered this limp explanation: “In addition to lowering fares even further, this will reduce the number of carry-on bags, which will improve inflight safety and efficiency by speeding up the boarding and deplaning process, all of which ultimately improve the overall customer experience. Bring less; pay less. It’s simple.”

In other words, Spirit is now charging you an extra fee to leave on time.

2010 Shines Hope On Private Jet Travel

The holidays are over, and 2010 has arrived. With the coming of the New Year optimism and cheerful outlooks abound.  While the charter jet industry is still smarting from the PR punishment it took in 2009, some significant signs point to a much better 2010 and 2011.

The economy seems to be stabilizing after a very tumultuous year of highs and lows.  While it is not back to pre-2008-burst levels, at the moment it appears to have settled down quite a bit.  Travel budgets can be planned, staffing levels have stabilized, and corporate travel is increasing again.  Let’s face it, sales still have to be made, and clients still need to be visited – and there is no more efficient way to do that than aboard a private jet.CASE STUDY

Private air travel has been on the uptick month over month since June 2009 and all indications point to a continuance of that trend in 2010.  As we move further into the year some in the industry project flight levels and private jet demand to rebound significantly.

Let’s not forget the leisure factor as record cold temperatures settle in across most of the US.  Many clients prefer the ease and simplicity of travel via private jet charter as opposed to the odious and often delayed/cancelled commercial flights during the winter travel season.  There are few security hassles simply because you know everyone on your plane.  Imagine how easy and pleasant flying would be when you are able to pull up next to your plane, flash a photo ID, board and depart within 5 minutes.  Certainly, taking a private jet on the family trip to Disney, Aspen, The Superbowl, or the Olympic Winter Games is going to be more expensive that commercial travel, but sometime you just can’t put a price on quality time with your family.
 
And that is precisely what private aviation is all about – diminishing unproductive and wasteful time at commercial airports and aboard airliners, while increasing productivity and quality time in the air. 

1968 to The Donald: “We want the jet back!”

Recently, Donald Trump has placed his private jet for sale.  Until now, he has been winging his way around the world in a vintage Boeing 727-100. Circa 1968!  He has decided that an upgrade is in order, and who can blame him?  With the pool of gently used corporate jets growing with each bank failure and fractional sell-off, now is the right time to pick up a good deal.  The jet, registered abroad, is expected to fetch between, ahem,  $4M and $8M.  As shown below, the rich velvet and mint condition Naugahyde ought to be worth that much alone.  Yes, Mr. Trump, time for a new ride.

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Another Online Charter Agency Fails

In a classic example of the failure of the “One Size Fits All” philosophy, Virgin Charter has ceased active operations.  According to a company statement, “…due to the severe decline in corporate travel, Virgin Charter was unable to generate sufficient sales to underpin its business plan and has taken the difficult decision to close its doors.”

Richard Branson’s Virgin USA launched Virgin Charter in mid-2007.  Their model allowed charter users to make all arrangements via Virgins Web Site.  The business model was to charter aircraft owners/operators a fee based on a percentage of sales, but the buyer did not pay to use Virgin Charter
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We’ve recently seen the demise of two of the larger names in the charter business, Jets.com (formerly Charter Auction) and now Virgin.  Market conditions are certainly a major factor in the nationwide slowdown for charter agents and operators; however the business model that loudly proclaims to allow users to book charter jet solely online misses the point of private aviation.
 
Anyone can cruise the web to find accurate pricing for a private jet charter from New York to Aspen or Menlo Park to Las Vegas, but few will ultimately click to purchase an item with a $20,000 ticket price. The consumer wants to know details and speak to someone knowledgeable that can act as a consultant for him.  The online booking model works great for the airlines, because it’s all about filling seats, flying profitable routes at maximum capacity, rigid timelines and schedules, and keeping costs at an absolute minimum, while minimizing consumer flexibility.

Private aviation is different, and we should embrace that difference, not try to turn flying by chartered jet into a JetBlue experience.  This business is about providing personal relationships, flexibility, safety, security, and industry knowledge to those fortunate individuals who are in a position to consider a private jet alternative for their travel.  As the owner of a boutique private jet charter agency, I am saddened to learn of the demise of Virgin Charter, but at the same time – you can’t make consumers conform to your business model.  After all, if anyone could have made online private jet charter successful, Virgin’s and Branson’s reputation and brand-name recognition should have made them the one.

Crew on wayward jet said that they lost track of time while using personal laptops in the cockpit

I purposely waited to blog about Northwest Flight 188 overflying it’s destination until more information had come to light, but now that the NTSB has announced some details of their investigation, I wish to comment.  I’m not 100% sure I believe the laptop story.  I’m a pilot and can tell you from experience that despite conversations in the cockpit, navigating the aircraft, and other distractions inside or outside of the airplane, when ATC calls your tail or flight number, your attention is immediately refocused.  It is rare that ATC would have to call the aircraft more than twice to get the pilot’s attention.  Listen to the ATC feeds found here for an hour and count how many times the controller has to repeat an instruction more than twice – it almost never happens!  I find it hard to believe that both pilots could have been so engrossed as to have missed over an hour’s worth of radio calls and communication requests.
 
Flying any aircraft is complex and is surrounded by inherent risks.  Obviously as the aircraft becomes more sophisticated the potential of a systems breakdown increases.  At 500mph and 35000’ it would only take a few seconds of distraction during a critical period to miss the opportunity to keep the aircraft from entering an unsafe situation.  The outcome of this story could have been much worse.  Imagine if their distraction lasted longer, and the jet ran out of fuel.  Or if there had been severe weather such as the Air France jet from Brazil experienced a few months back.  Imagine how differently the “Miracle on the Hudson” might have ended if Capt. Sullenberger and First Officer Skiles were not ready to immediately analyze the situation, communicate the problem, and quickly determine the best resolution for a successful ditching.  If they had to spend any extra time bringing their focus back to the cockpit to regain situational awareness, hundreds of people might have died.  The airline industry, FAA, DOT, and NTSB do a great job of monitoring, self-monitoring, training, and reacting to help increase passenger safety.

I believe that FAA acted appropriately in this situation by revoking the licenses of two pilots who demonstrated a total deriliction of their duties to their passengers. 

Manufacturer of new anti-jet-lag drug sponsors private jet trip

Pharmaceutical companies are always looking for two things - people to participate in their clinical trials and new ways to market their products. It appears as though the manufacturers of a new medication to treat jet-lag may have accomplished both by treating participants to a free Gulfstream private jet ride to Paris. Cephalon, an international biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of many unique products including central nervous system disorders makes a drug called Nuvigil. Ads started appearing over the summer in New York newspapers with the following question: Want to fly to France and get paid $2,500 for your trouble? The testing included 3 days in Paris for a study on the effects of jet lag. The only catch was that you don’t get to see the sights of Paris. Recently, a dozen strangers were jetted to Paris in a private Gulfstream jet. Once at a Paris testing facility participants were given Armodafinil. Their alertness and other functions were measured repeatedly during the three-day stay. Participants had a great time and enjoyed their cross-continental jet travel.  I’d have to think that a free, pampered flight in a luxurious Gulfstream Jet might tend to skew the results a bit, though.

Airline Creates All-Business London/New York Service

BA1 lifted off from London City Airport today beginning that airline’s attempt to create a successful all-luxury airline service between London and New York.  Sounds vaguely familiar?  That’s because several other airlines have tried, and failed, to create the same service.  Eos, MAXjet, and Silverjet all served the luxury market for a short time during great economic prosperity before ultimately failing. Why does BA think it will be any more successful now when the world economy is sputtering and they themselves are planning to cut routes and ground 9% of their fleet this winter due to “declining advanced bookings”?
 
I see several shortcomings with their service.  First, choosing the Airbus A318, an aircraft that does not possess the range for transoceanic flights (East to West, against the prevailing headwinds) seems a dubious way to start off.  BA sugarcoats this by departing from London City Airport, which will allow very short check-in and boarding times, but has a short runway “forcing a stop in Shannon, Ireland for fuel and to clear customs.”  To be clear, it is not just the short runway at London City causing a needed stop - the A318 simply cannot fly the distance without refueling.  Next, and to me, the elephant in the room is the fact that BA is attempting to supply a private aviation product aboard a commercial airliner, flown by a commercial airline, along commercial routes, and into commercial hub airports. 

Ultimately, no matter how flat, wide, or comfy the seats are, despite the nearly endless on-board entertainment options, and the ability to connect to the internet, BA’s luxury service is still airline travel.  Travel that is subject to adverse weather, airport congestion, equipment malfunctions, and delayed departure/arrival times.  Does it matter how quickly and painlessly London City Airport makes the check-in process if the aircraft has not yet arrived from New York on the East-bound leg?
 
BA should know better and leave the luxury private aviation segment to private aviation.  You just can’t put a shine on a sneaker.

NHL Season Suffers No Disruptions

US and Canada Settle Air Dispute

Following a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced an agreement in principal that would allow Air Canada Jetz to honor its contracts.  Until this meeting it looked as though 6 major sports teams in Canada would have to find alternative transportation while in the states as the USDOT was preventing them from flying to consecutive cites in the US without first returning to Canada.  While few details have been made public, the airline is now allowed to fly teams to their scheduled cities, and vice-versa for U.S. based operators flying team within Canada. 

I guess each government got five for fighting and then went back to business.

NHL Impacted by Fight Between USDOT and CTA

The punches are flying already and the season hasn’t even started yet.  Last week Air Canada Jetz charter service, which has contracts. with 7 pro sports teams, filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of a USDOT order that Air Canada cancel its season-long contract.

The underlying problem is that Air Canada has been contracted to fly Canadian sports teams between cities in the United States without first returning to Canada.  This would be a violation of Cabotage, the commonly used moniker defining the law and treaty that prohibits foreign airlines from picking up passengers in the U.S. and flying them between U.S. destinations.  An example would be Air Canada flying their jet to Boston to pick up the Red Sox then flying to New York for series against the Yankees, then flying the Sox back to Boston.  Similarly, U.S. airlines are banned from doing the same in foreign countries.  The rules are designed to ensure that U.S. flights are flown by U.S. carriers.  So, the USDOT issued an order for Air Canada to cancel some of its contracts.

The Canadian Transportation Agency retaliated by banning flights by U.S. carriers that require multiple stops within Canada forcing a U.S. charter carrier, owning contracts with 10 NHL teams this season, to arrange for a Canadian charter to make intra-Canada flights last weekend for the Florida Panthers, rather than carry the NHL team itself.

The interesting thing about this fracas is that for years, the USDOT has allowed Canadian carriers to fly sports teams on intra-U.S. flights if the teams ultimately would return to Canada. The entire season of flights was considered one charter with the final destination being a city in Canada.  And, U.S. airlines ferrying American teams were permitted to fly within Canada.  So, everyone was happy.
 
But then the Air Line Pilots Association union, two U.S. aviation trade groups and a U.S. charter carrier began calling for a penalty last year because Air Canada won DOT-approved contracts to fly two American sports teams - the NHL’s Bruins and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The pilots want to ensure that U.S. flights are operated by U.S. pilots. In an order to Air Canada’s Washington lawyer, the USDOT said it had discovered that the airline previously carried individuals on Bruins and Bucks charters who were transported solely within the U.S. and never carried across the border during the season, contrary to the DOT’s agreement with the airline and issued the stop order.

As a fan of NHL Hockey (and my Philadelphia Flyers!), and having been in the position of having to deal with Cabotage regularly for the charters we arrange, I am disappointed that this argument has gotten this far.  Many NHL teams are struggling financially.  Small market cites, small fan base, poor TV ratings and revenues all conspire to place financial handcuffs on teams.  Having to now deal with a major travel disruption on the eve of the season will most likely cause irreparable damage to at least one team.  We’ll keep an eye on this and update as things develop.

Emivest also announced the first flight last Friday of the SJ30 scheduled for delivery this fall to actor Morgan Freeman.

Emivest also announced the first flight last Friday of the SJ30 scheduled for delivery this fall to actor Morgan Freeman.  The SJ30 built by Emivest (originally Sino Swearingen) is a new breed of light jet capable of nonstop travel between New York and Los Angeles, the first light jet capable of doing so. 

The aircraft, S/N 010, was flown by Emivest production pilot Bryan Dennison and chief test pilot John Siemens, and is to enter Jet Works Air Center for completion within the next week. Freeman’s SJ30 installation will include a SelCal high-frequency radio package, Garmin 500 avionics with XM weather and an entertainment package that includes XM radio.  And, with the capability of providing sea-level pressure at 41,000’ passengers will arrive fresher and more energized than comparable light jets.

VP of Marketing & Sales Mark Fairchild commented: “We are looking forward to delivering the aircraft to Mr. Freeman, and thus help him in checking his SJ30 purchase off his bucket list.”

The premier event for business aviation, NBAA’s Annual Meeting & Convention brings the business aviation world together each year.

The premier event for business aviation, NBAA’s Annual Meeting & Convention brings the business aviation world together each year. NBAA2009 will be held from October 20 to 22 in Orlando, FL, at the Orange County Convention Center, with a static display of more than 125 aircraft at Orlando Executive Airport. Over 30,000 representatives from every segment of the business aviation industry, from 82 countries around the world, will be present at this one-of-a-kind event.  You can expect to see NetJets, Marquis jet, Sentient, as well as Gulfstream, Hawker-Beechcraft, and Cessna all displaying their wares.

NBAA09 is especially important due to the economic and political climate private aviation has found itself in over the last 12-18 months.  With private aircraft singled out by congress and shareholders as extravagant wastes many corporate flight departments are fighting for their lives.  A main goal of the convention will be to help change public opinion regarding these essential business tools from being labeled as “private jets” to the more applicable and politically-correct “business jet”.

I will be attending the conference and will provide an insider’s perspective into the show and the “state of the union” for general aviation.  Follow me on Twitter (bizjetkev) for special coverage and offers during the convention.

Richard Santulli, chairman and CEO of NetJets Inc., announced late last week that he is stepping down from the private jet company controlled by investor Warren Buffett.

Richard Santulli, chairman and CEO of NetJets Inc., announced late last week that he is stepping down from the private jet company controlled by investor Warren Buffett. “After 25 yeas of working with the most talented group of people I could ever have imagined, who helped build the premier aviation company in the world, I have decided to step down as chairman and CEO of NetJets immediately, in order to spend some more time with my young family and pursue other interests,” Santulli said in a statement.
NetJets had become popular with Wall Street and corporate executives as well as athletes such as tennis star Roger Federer, who has been a spokesman for the company. The company had posted growing revenue for many years, until recently, but often struggled to turn a profit. Berkshire said revenues from flight operations at NetJets had increased by 596% since its purchase, although “profits had been erratic.“The company’s business was hit hard by the recent recession. In its 2008 annual report, Berkshire said NetJets “experienced significant reduction in revenue as general economic conditions worsened.”

Buffett said he had accepted Santulli’s resignation “with reluctance.” He named David Sokol, a close associate considered a possible successor to Buffett at Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway, as an interim replacement for Santulli. Santulli will stay on as a consultant for at least 12 months to assist in the transition, he said.