Tim Rees, Flight Director of Jet Members, offers some valuable advice around loyalty within the private aviation industry:
“As a person who appreciates loyalty and building relationships, I always feel staggered when a company ‘chances’ the opportunity to charge significantly more than I should pay for a product I’m happy with. Being creatures of habit, it’s easier for us to accept the status quo instead of challenging the position, and personally, I hate it.
Take your TV Package or Car Insurance for example. If you shop around and you compare your current rate to what you initially paid, regardless of your wealth, you’ll most likely benefit financially by switching, despite your loyalty.
Sadly, as with many industries, Private Jet Charter can be the same – there may be some early tempting offer and then slowly but surely the prices start increasing and ancillary charges creeping in, if left unchallenged. Using a broker should enable you to leverage your requirements with many different operators, but still consider the percentages they may be adding to the flight.”
How can you keep your loyalty rewarding to you?
“Generally, a good relationship with a selection of brokers / operators will give you a competitive position, however, be wary of casting the supplier net too wide, as you want to retain a good working relationship with everyone, even if they receive a certain proportion of business.
Also consider that going to a multitude of suppliers may induce a race to the bottom with only the cheapest, and potentially inappropriate, options being provided, which could affect the service received and even the possibility of failure to meet expectations."
Loyalty - do you buy the airline brand of the aircraft?
“Private Jets are regarded by some as a symbol of status and the brand / airline can be an important part of this, but unless you’re steadfast to the brand, your loyalty may be costing you a significant amount each year, when alternative operators, perhaps with newer / bigger models, may be more cost effective.
For instance, when the Ultra Long Range Global 7500 launched, certain providers were full of fanfare and marketing bluff, but when you actually compared the wanted charter price, it was as high as using a VIP Airliner, which is in a category above, so be wary of being sucked into the fanfare of a specific brand – it can cost a lot.”
Loyalty Schemes – do points mean prizes?
“Some providers will have loyalty schemes and this was more prevalent 15 years ago, but many of these will have a low reward return on spend, and there may be restrictions on who can claim and apply for the points – so ultimately you could still be better off to tender the request to a selection of preferred suppliers, and after all, the point of the loyalty scheme is to softly retain the client to the brand.”
Consider that your reward could be larger at the end than any initial discount rate.
“Speaking specifically about the programs Jet Members provide, when compared to other traditional fixed hourly programs, savings which can be as large as 20%, or put another way, on a 25 hour package that’s 5 free hours earned, something few would offer as an introductory offer, stretching perhaps only to a free hour, or two maximum."
Are you getting the maximum and could we help?
“We don’t want to blindly bang on about our services claiming that not only can we reduce the cost of your flying, but improve the offers sent to you, simply because we may not yet know your specific flying requirements. However, I would appeal to anyone who may have felt (or, indeed, knows of someone that felt) that their loyalty is not quite paying off, just to open a conversation with us, for a bespoke review & quote comparison.”
“With over 14 years of experience in the air transport industry, I am committed to delivering exceptional client service, innovative solutions, and value-added benefits to our members and partners across the globe.”
Tim Rees, Director, Jet Members.
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