Why Airline Improvements Would Benefit BizAv

We’ve been here before. For some reason, Fourth of July travel feels like the Groundhog Day movie. Flight cancellations and unfulfilled expectations are repeated every year. If it’s not the weather, then heavy demand finds a way to disrupt Commercial air travel.

I had thought that with the decrease in travel during the pandemic the airlines would finally get their act together – wishful thinking.

Only recently, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby hopped on a private jet from Teterboro to Denver to beat thousands of cancellations due to inclement weather on the U.S. East Coast. On the same day that he traveled, 750 United flights were canceled, as reported by Associated Press.

While I’m not here to discuss if it was the right or wrong decision by Kirby – although he did publicly regret and apologize to customers and employees for the move – it does bring some irony to the debate about how the scheduled airlines’ broken infrastructure provides an opportunity for private jet travel.

The truth is that the current state of the commercial airline industry is riddled with challenges stemming from increased demand and subsequent operational difficulties. Overcrowded terminals, lengthy delays, flight cancellations and unruly passengers have become commonplace during the summer months.

In fact, this broken infrastructure, while posing a natural opportunity for private jet travel due to this industry’s flexibility, comfort, and time efficiency throughout its processes, is also affecting the operations from a parking and slot availability perspective.

For instance, one of the main international markets for Icarus Jet is Greece during the summer, and after a wingtip collision in Mykonos between two airliners the General Aviation traffic was blamed for the congestion, hence parking availability is scarce and even reduced to specific hours of the day in major airports like Athens.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has identified several factors that contribute to delays in the National Airspace System, including weather conditions, airport volume, runway availability, equipment issues, and staffing challenges. Although flight cancellations have decreased compared to previous years, they still possess the potential to disrupt travel plans.

Additionally, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was anticipating a record number of passengers passing through security checkpoints this summer, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in Summer 2019. This surge in commercial travelers could further strain the aviation system.

According to a survey conducted by Allianz Partners, travelers in the US were projected to spend $214bn on vacations this summer, representing a significant increase compared to previous years. With the anticipation of a higher volume of commercial travelers, the likelihood of delays rises, providing an additional incentive to consider private jet travel as an alternative.

Private Aviation & Airline Interconnected Infrastructure

As the CEO of a private jet provider, I could talk all day about how the industry offers a more streamlined and efficient travel experience. Yet the bottom line is that private aviation wins if commercial aviation gets its act together.

While operating within the broader aviation industry and usually independently of each other, they do serve the overall travel ecosystem. Synchronicity between both realms is beneficial for passengers at a global scale as both industries share infrastructure, contribute to the economy, drive innovation, and adhere to common regulations.

While on some occasions there are passengers that may opt for a combination of commercial and private flights to reach their destinations, due – perhaps – to the remoteness of a certain location, the interconnected infrastructure between both aviation segments is something that happens daily, for better or worse.

The reality is that scheduled airline airports also have private terminals and FBOs that serve private jet passengers, who are expecting swift ground movement to their private lounges upon landing. The problem is that heavy commercial traffic frustrates that possibility, hence operating from crowded international airports, especially during summer, is not advisable.

Furthermore, both commercial and private aircraft operate within the same airspace and are subject to air traffic control regulations and systems. Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of both commercial and private flights, ensuring safe and efficient operations. This interconnection is crucial for maintaining overall airspace management and safety.

Do you see where I’m going here? It’s in private aviation’s best interest that its commercial counterpart finds a way to smoothen its operations and provide a decent service.

While there are many dedicated private jet terminals, private aircraft will continue to utilize terminals that also receive heavy commercial airline traffic, further challenging private jet providers to go above and beyond to secure slots well ahead of time to provide a seamless experience for those opting to fly private.

Under that scenario, the broken infrastructure poses a challenge instead of an opportunity.

Private Aviation’s Challenges

It is now time to address the elephant in the room… United Airlines’ CEO’s decision to fly private shouldn’t come as a surprise as the private aviation industry especially serves those C-Suite executives wanting to fly diligently from Point A to Point B in the least amount of time.

Naturally, his timing did not help his cause from a leadership and corporate image perspective. Yet his choice serves as a perfect opportunity to highlight how private aviation attracts unfair press these days…

As an example, the media narrative even found a way to address Kirby’s decision as a threat to the environment, which is a hot ticket because private jets often fly with a relatively low number of passengers to their destinations.

Therefore, apart from trying to maximize and continue finding ways to work around broken infrastructure, private aviation providers also need to convince the public about their environmental efforts.

These efforts are being led by the manufacturers and the advances in more efficient fuels, while activists vandalize aircraft, worth tens of millions of dollars, on the ground. And this also raises the need to address the publicly available flight tracking systems that jeopardize the confidentiality of top executives and private aircraft owners.

The external factors can be tackled by a firm narrative from our industry, and by discussing these topics openly. The same must be accomplished by the airlines who need to stop pointing fingers claiming that the fault of their inefficiencies is due to a lack of air traffic control staffing.

The scheduled airlines have much more on their plate and should know better than to play the blame game.

More information from www.icharusjet.com

AUTHOR BIO

Pilot, President, and Founder of Icarus Jet, a leading global trip support and aircraft management company, Kevin Singh has flown globally as a chief pilot and captain on private jets like the Hawker 800A and 850XP, the Bombardier Challenger 600 series and Global 6000 series jets.