AirOptions Blog

Gus Lira, Vice-President of Jetoptions has advised us that the Federal Aviation Administration is increasing the safety of winter flying by prohibiting takeoffs with “polished frost” — frost buffed to make it smooth — on the wings, stabilizers and control surfaces of several classes of aircraft. The new rules are effective on January 30, 2010. There are 57 operators flying 188 aircraft affected by the rule changes. The FAA already prohibits major and regional air carriers from operating with polished frost.

For the second time in less than a year and a half, a technical glitch sent air travel in the U.S. into chaos. On Thursday, a computer failure disrupted travel for hours, affecting thousands of travelers and travel-industry workers. The situation has renewed calls for the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent such problems. Jetoptions read about it here: The Wall Street Journal (11/20)

Gus Lira, Vice President of Operations at JetOptions tells us that business jet flight activity was up in September, a good sign for the business jet market. Business jet activity is a key indicator of the market.

Takeoffs and landings, considered a “cycle,” were 18 percent higher in September than in March, when they hit a low, according to a just-released report from UBS Securities.

September’s increase was the fifth uptick in the past six months, the report said. They still, however, were 9 percent lower than a year ago, and 27 percent lower from their peak in mid-2007.

Activity for short-range aircraft, which declined the most in the downturn, showed the largest increase, according to UBS.

But don’t get ready to pop the champagne cork yet.

“We still think the business jet market is characterized by significant oversupply, weak pricing and tight financing,” the report said. “While our key indicators point to a market that is stabilizing at lower levels, we still see risk of an extended downturn.”

JetOptions has learned that private air charter service NetJets. says it will lay off up to 495 pilots nationwide because of a decrease in demand.
NetJets, which caters to companies and business executives, made the announcement last week. Chairman and CEO David Sokol said the decision was based on a comprehensive analysis of current and projected flight demand.
The layoffs will take effect Jan. 15. The company employs more than 3,000 pilots worldwide, with most of them in the U.S.
Spokesman Ted Lowen said about 100 of the furloughed pilots are from central Ohio.

The International Air Transport Association has asked that regulators and other officials work with the aviation industry to streamline security procedures. “It is time to eliminate ineffective and costly duplication of aviation security procedures. They are costly for airlines and a hassle for our passengers but do nothing to improve security. Harmonization, efficiency and cost effectiveness are the key to keeping aviation secure,” said Guenther Matschnigg of the IATA. Airoptions learned about it here: Travel Agent (11/11)

As of this morning, Airoptions has learned that British Airways and Iberia have agreed to merge to create the world’s third largest airline by revenue.The merger is expected to be completed in late 2010.

The new group would have 419 aircraft and fly to 205 destinations.

Virgin Atlantic reacted by warning of a heighted stranglehold of take off and landing slots at Heathrow “The BA/Iberia merger will increase BA’s dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter,” the rival said.

“It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale.

“Regulators in Europe and the US need to be alert to BA’s growing dominance through proposals such as its monster monopoly with American Airlines, proposals which will not be in the consumer interest.”

At the National Business Travel Association’s convention that AirOptions attended, industry insiders discussed the affects of the economic downturn and offered predictions for when spending on business travel would return to pre-recession levels. Some say they expect the turnaround to start next year, while others say it will be a matter of years. “We want to be optimistic about some of the upward trends we’re seeing,” said Sabre Holdings chairman and CEO Sam Gilliland, “although what we could be experiencing is just bumping along the bottom. Considering where we’ve been, bouncing along the bottom isn’t such a bad thing, frankly. We are beginning to be encouraged.” BTNOnline.com (9/7)

Airoptions can report that the Centers for Disease Control said the U.S. will no longer prevent people with HIV/AIDS from receiving a visa or entering the U.S. The change will take effect early next year, according to the CDC. HIV/AIDS has been on the list of communicable diseases that prevent people from entering the U.S. since 1987.

Business travelers are increasingly turning overnight work trips into one long day of travel to save money as well as time. Some travelers are even taking the one-day jaunts on trans-Atlantic trips. Richard Job of the Flight Centre, said he’s talked to executives who fly from Vancouver, B.C., to London and back in the same day. “That’s something new to them in the last six to 12 months,” Job said. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (11/4)

Corporate aviation has been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn. But the charter field may do relatively well, according to industry insider Gus Lira Vice President of Jetoptions, as business jet travelers seek less costly alternatives to fractional jet shares and ownership of whole aircraft. If you or your company are among those taking a fresh look at charter, it’s time to consider how to find the best provider for your needs from the more than 2,500 in operation.The first step is to understand your mission and what it requires. This is vital because charter operators employ more than 300 makes and models of business aircraft, each with a different purpose, according to the National Business Aviation Association’s Aircraft Charter Consumer Guide (available at www.nbaa.org).

Questions you should ask yourself before speaking with an operator include: What are the origin and destination points for my flight? Is my travel domestic or international? How many people will be traveling? Do I need an on-board lavatory, sleeping quarters, a telephone or services such as catering?

Answering these questions will help you narrow the choice of operators. One that specializes in large-cabin business jets would not be the best choice if you need to travel only 500 miles, for example.