Flying Private? Questions You Need to Know

Even if you’re an occasional consumer of private aviation, you probably know that there are hundreds of acronyms and terms used within the industry. Curious private jet consumers and those new to private aviation can make smart decisions understanding key terms and knowing the right questions to ask. When you are seeking Aircraft Management or Jet Card services, knowing certain private aviation metrics will help you to choose the best private jet operator for your specific needs. Whatever you’d like to know about a potential aviation organization – their safety, efficiency, capacity or cost effectiveness – begins with understanding key questions.

Useful Questions to Gauge a Private Aviation Provider

By understanding how private aviation metrics translate to your private jet experience, you can glean a better idea of what kind of service to expect from a given operator. The questions below are simple and straightforward ways to gauge the performance of a private jet operator.

1. What are your safety standards or credentials?
2. How large is your fleet and what is the average lead time?
3. What is your primary service area?
4. Do you collect clients’ post-flight feedback, such as survey scores?
5. What type of guarantees do you offer?

Safety Standards and Credentials

Safety is the foundational principle at Jet Linx and is a guiding framework for all decisions made at the Company. Jet Linx invests heavily into its Safety Management System (SMS) and stands as a leader in safety across the industry, participating in panels, summits and hosting our own company-wide Annual Safety Summit where all revenue flights are paused, and the entire Company ceases operations to focus on safety.

Jet Linx also works with third-party auditors to ensure that safety practices improve daily, with measures that go far above and beyond standard FAA requirements. We are an International Business Aviation Council (IS-BAO) Stage 3 registered and ARGUS Platinum Elite safety rated operator, hold Wyvern Wingman status, and our pilots are all CAE SimuFlite or FlightSafety International trained. Less than 1% of all operators worldwide can claim the same safety credentials.

Going a step further, Jet Linx also takes active measures to measure and mitigate pilot fatigue. Jet Linx uses advanced software to track Crew Duty Time and ensure that flight crews are always operating at peak capacity. Pilot fatigue can be a serious problem that can lead to numerous performance issues, but Jet Linx employs strategic measures to ensure that pilots are well-rested, or if unable to safely operate an aircraft, a replacement team will be standing by.

Fleet Size and Lead Time

An operator with a large fleet may look nice on paper, but there are other performance factors to consider. A large fleet of aircraft does not necessarily mean that a passenger will have immediate access, or that the aircraft type will be appropriate for a given mission profile. Lead time can be a telling metric because it indicates how quickly an operator can make aircraft available – which also provides a glimpse into how the overall fleet is managed. Shorter lead times – no matter the fleet size – may be preferable to an operator with a larger number of aircraft. And a large fleet without jet diversity can lead to inefficient or overly expensive missions.

Lead time for Jet Linx Jet Card clients can be as low as 48 hours. With more than 100 aircraft in service of more than 30 types, the Jet Linx private jet fleet provides flexibility to serve all type of mission profiles. The Flight Coordination and Fleet Optimization departments work to ensure that all Jet Card clients receive the proper aircraft for their unique mission profile, ensuring the most efficient and appropriate jet is paired with our safety and service for the best possible flight experience.

Primary Service Area

A jet operators Primary Service Area sheds light on both its operational abilities and program limitations. Not all operators have the capacity to service flights outside of certain regions or countries. With a large national fleet powered by a national infrastructure, Jet Linx’s primary service area includes the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. With the capability to service international flights as well, Jet Linx maintains the operational capacity required to safely transport passengers to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America, Central America and Australia. The Jet Linx Flight Coordination team provides the resources to fly clients to more than 180 countries – with access to more than 5,000 airports in the U.S. alone. Remote airports – whether for business or leisure travel – are all well within our reach.

Client Satisfaction Data

There is perhaps no greater indication of company performance in any industry than client satisfaction. In private aviation, it is important to understand how your feedback will be captured and acted upon. Operators that are dedicated to delivering the best service will have related data to show their success. Jet Linx tracks client satisfaction through our Operations Service Alert (OSA) program that allows team members from across all trip-related departments to discuss both negative and positive trip outcomes, and how to further improve service in the future.

Through our exclusive partnership with Forbes Travel Guide, all Jet Linx team members have successfully completed initial training in luxury service standards and continue to participate in ongoing service excellence trainings. This ensures a great level of consistency across the entire company, no matter which Base location is being used. Jet Linx tracks Annual Luxury Service Audit Results for our Base locations and proprietary pre-, in-, and post- flight service standards to measure our customer experience performance. Annual client survey results are also used to improve service on an ongoing basis.

Guarantees of Service

Before entering into any service agreement, one wants to understand what the service provider guarantees – and what they do not. Unlike charter companies or other smaller operators, Jet Linx offers the size and scale to ensure three guarantees for all Jet Card clients: guaranteed aircraft availability, guaranteed fixed hourly rates and a guaranteed highest standard of safety. Jet Linx knows how powerful private aviation can be to individuals and organizations, and our program guarantees access to aircraft when clients need it. Whether you need a Light Jet, Midsize Jet, Super Midsize Jet or Heavy Jet, Jet Linx manages a large variety of aircraft to match your unique mission profile. No matter the circumstances, our team members create solutions to serve Jet Card Members and get you where you want to be, when you want to be there.

Jet Linx also sets competitive, guaranteed hourly rates that can be up to 50% lower than charter and other national Jet Card companies. Jet Linx charges clients for Round Trip rate based on occupied flight time only, which is often half the rate charged by national fractional ownership or jet card programs, and also offers incredibly low One-Way rates. Quoted costs are transparent and predictable, as there are no hidden fees often associated with charter flights.

Most important, Jet Linx guarantees the highest standard of safety on all flights. A robust Safety Management System (SMS) and third-party audit designations such as ARGUS Platinum Elite, IS-BAO Stage 3 and Wyvern Wingman place Jet Linx in the top one percent of over 1,000 U.S.-based private jet operators. Daily flight risk assessments, a voluntary self-reporting program, annual Safety Summit, integrated flight following, and an Emergency Response Program form the foundation of safety assurance procedures at Jet Linx.

The Jet Linx Jet Card program offers more flexibility, strength, reliability and safety than other national Jet Card programs or smaller, local charter jet operators. Contact us today to learn more about our Five-Star private aviation services.