Charter Alerts
Announcing Four Heavy/Ultra Long Range Jets Now Available for Charter in the U.S. and Europe
Legacy 600
- Cabin Attendant available upon request
- 12 passengers plus cabin attendant seat
- ARGUS Gold
- 6.5 hours nonstop range
Gulfstream G500
- 18 passenger cabin
- 2006 DOM refurbished 2016
- ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman
Gulfstream V
- 12 passenger cabin
- 1997 DOM refurbished inside & out 2018
- ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, IS-BAO Registered
Falcon 8X
- 14 passenger cabin
- 2016 date of manufacture
- IS-BAO Registered, Wyvern Registered
Sources: Charter operator fleet updates Air Charter Alerts by FlightList PRO, are the latest announcements in the private air charter industry about operators, brokers and charter aircraft, and geared towards active participants in the industry. Leading air charter brokers and travel professionals use FlightList PRO’s full-market resources, economical rates and marketing opportunities to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line.
Boeing Business Jet New To Charter Market
New for Spring 2020 to the U.S. charter market, one of only five BBJ's available for charter in North America and the only one based in Florida.
The newly available BBJ features an 18-passenger configuration with comfortable layout for worldwide travel. The custom interior includes a master bedroom with a large bed, shower with exclusive steam feature, conference group seating, lounge area and three lavatories. It features new custom paint and an updated interior.
Connected, Streaming Worldwide
Currently its the only BBJ with GoGo 2Ku worldwide high-speed internet connectivity. All cabin monitors have Apple TV for streaming and Sling TV for live TV (broadcast channels). The galley is equipped with a wine chiller, two microwaves, oven and a De’Longhi coffee/espresso maker.
With top ratings of WYVERN Wingman, ARGUS Platinum, and IS-BAO Registered, the BBJ is managed by charter operator Silver Air and based at West Palm Beach, FL (PBI). Silver Air manages and operates light to large-cabin jets from Gulfstream, Dassault, Bombardier, Embraer, Cessna, and Hawker/Beech.
All 5 BBJ's for charter in the US along with 12 other VIP airliners are available in FlightList PRO which includes all 7,058 FAA Part-135 aircraft and 1,679 charter operators in a multi-search platform at $99 month to month.
Sources: Company news release, FlightList PRO platform
Air Charter Alerts by FlightList PRO, are the latest announcements in the private air charter industry about operators, brokers and charter aircraft, and geared towards active participants in the industry.
Leading air charter brokers and travel professionals use FlightList PRO’s full-market resources, economical rates and marketing opportunities to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line.
New Aircraft to the Charter Market
The following charter aircraft were announced this week; new additions to operator fleets and currently available for charter.
Discovery Jets continues the growth of its fleet by the introduction of a Hawker 1000A, available for on-demand charter exclusively marketed by AirX America on a floating base model.
The aircraft is manufactured in 1995 and offers a 2020 refurbished interior with complimentary domestic WiFi, hot galley, microwave oven, bluetooth sound system, privacy cabin door and is pet friendly.
In addition to the Hawker 1000A, Discovery Jets also floats a Citation X and Challenger 300 for point to point charters.
All 511 floating fleet aircraft from 48 operators are in the
Floating Fleet search in FlightList PRO.
Modesto Jet Center has added a Nextant 400XT to its Part 135 air charter fleet. The light business jet seats eight passengers and is popular for its roomy comfort designed for plenty of head and shoulder room in the cabin.
The aircraft has a 530-mph cruising speed and an IFR range of 2,005 nautical miles with four passengers. With both comfort and performance, this aircraft is an ideal choice for trips up and down the coast, to Mexico and throughout the United States.
Modesto Jet also operates four Pilatus PC-12 and two King Air turboprops based MOD.
The Colorado based 2007 Pilatus PC-12 executive turboprop is now available for charter and operated by Mayo Aviation from Denver-Centennial Airport. Mayo carries ratings from all four 3rd-party audit organizations; ARGUS, WYVERN, ACSF and IS-BAO.
The PC-12 joins Mayo's colorado-based fleet of 14 turboprops, light, midsize and heavy jets.
There are currently three Pilatus PC-12's for charter based in the Denver-Front Range area, and six in Colorado.
Sources: Company news releases, FlightList PRO platform
FlightList PRO; supporting the Air Charter Industry. Leading air charter brokers, operators and travel professionals take advantage of free and low cost full-market support from FlightList PRO to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line. More about FlightList PRO here.
New Charter Aircraft Available: The 2020 Phenom 300E
A brand new 2020 Phenom 300E has been added to Summit Aviation, Inc's fleet. As part of a floating fleet, it will be available at special point-to-point, one-way pricing.
One of now seven Phenom 300s in Summit's fleet, this aircraft is decked out with a luxurious Bossa Nova interior. The charter company is confident that this stylish and comfortable interior along with their complimentary onboard Wi-Fi makes this Phenom 300E "our most impressive Phenom option yet."
Wheels Up Memberships Available From Costco
Costco Wholesale is now offering annual memberships to private flight membership program Wheels Up on Costco.com. Offered at $17,500.00 for an annual Core membership, the purchaser is awarded a bonus $3,500 Costco Cash Card E-Voucher, and a $4,000 flight credit.
Core Membership regular price for individuals is $17,500 annually and corporations $29,500 annually (annual dues starting second year are then $8,500 for individuals and $14,500 for corporations), plus a fixed hourly price for each hour flown - the cost per hour of getting on the King Air is $4,695 per hour, light jets are $5,795 per hour, midsize jets including the Citation Excel/XLS is $7,695 per hour and Super-midsize jets including their Citation X is $9,295 per hour according to a report from the private aviation industry resource.
By comparison charter rates for the King Air 350 average around $2,000 per hour in the US including fees and surcharges, and charter rates for light jets average around $4,600 per hour, the Citation Excel/XLS average $3,850 per hour round-trip and around $6,000 per hour one-way, according to Rick Colson, president of New Flight Charters, a nationwide leader with a best price guarantee on every flight. The Wheels Up program may be advantageous for those who (1) are frequent users - more than 150 hours per year to bring the total costs per hour down, and who (2) usually fly one-way flights or round trips over many days, according to Colson. "A membership fee does not mean better hourly rates or reliability in the current market. Look at your historical or expected usage and compare costs as a whole or trip by trip," he says.
FlightList PRO announces the new comprehensive Charter Broker Directory for the US, Europe and Worldwide.
Of note on a comparison basis, the King Air 350i requires 18% more flight time than light jets for the same trip, therefore flight costs increase 18% to $5,068 on trip cost comparison basis to light jets. Costco is offering the lower-level Wheels Up Connect Membership at $1,994.99. Featured are market rate pay-as-you-go private flight bookings, potential shared flight opportunities and Wheels Up Signature Events. The Wheels Up fleet includes King Air 350i turboprops, Citation Excel/XLS midsize jets, and Citation X super-midsize jets, plus access to a variety of light, midsize, super-mid and heavy jets, Costco offers the Wheels Up memberships in their section for Holiday, Gifts & Tickets > Hotels & Tourist Attractions. - First published in 2015, last updated 11/15/20 to reflect Wheels Up price adjustments - Prior Charter Alerts for Wheels Up Wheels Up Gets $115 Million Investment From T.Rowe Price, Others Citation Emergency, Door Opens in Flight – Live ATC recording Wheels Up Takes Delivery of "Pink Plane In Time for October
March Business Aviation Flight Activity Down 32%, April Forecast Down 67%
ARGUS INTERNATIONAL INC. RELEASES MARCH BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY, AND APRIL FORECAST
AS COVID-19 CASES, AND ASSOCIATED STAY AT HOME ORDERS, INCREASE,
BUSINESS AVIATION SINKS. MARCH 2020 FLIGHT ACTIVITY INCLUDING CHARTER FALLS 31.7% FROM 2019 AS CRISIS WORSENS. ARGUS CEO NOTES “BUSINESS AVIATION’S AGILITY WILL BE CRUCIAL IN RECOVERY FROM HISTORIC DECLINES.”
MARCH FLIGHT ACTIVITY SUMMARY
As COVID-19 cases, and associated stay at home orders increase business aviation sinks. March flight activity saw an overall 31.7% decrease in business aircraft activity data for March 1 – 31, 2020 vs. March 1 - 31, 2019 (YOY).
The tables below reflect business aircraft activity data for March 1-31, 2020 vs. March 1-31 (y/y), 2019 and March 1-31, 2020 vs. February 1-29, 2020 (m/m) respectively.
The March ARGUS TRAQ Pak report is aircraft flight number, specific arrival, and departure information on all IFR flights including jet charter in the US, including Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Canada.
YEAR-OVER-YEAR FLIGHT ACTIVITY
ARGUS TRAQPak’s review of year over year flight activity (March 2020 vs. March 2019) indicates that March 2020 recorded a significant decline of 31.7%. The results by operational category were all red with Part 91 activity posting the largest yearly decrease, down 36.8% from 2019. Fractional activity saw 18 straight months of gains come to halt as the segment recorded an activity drop of 30.2%, while Part 135 flight activity recorded a decline of 25.0%. The aircraft categories were also red for the month, with large jets recording the largest yearly drop, down 37.6%. Mid-size jets and turboprops each recorded a decline of 31.8%, while light jets saw activity losses of 27.4% from March 2019.
MONTH-OVER-MONTH FLIGHT ACTIVITY
March business aviation and charter flight activity posted a substantial month over month decrease to finish down 22.4% from February 2020. Results by operational category were all negative for the month, with Part 91 flight activity posting the largest monthly decrease, down 26.3%.
Fractional activity followed with a decrease of 25.6%, while Part 135 activity slid 15.9%. The aircraft categories were also red for the month, with large jets posting the largest monthly decrease, down 31.9% from February. Mid-size jets followed with a decrease of 23.6%, while lights jets fell 19.7%. The turboprop market recorded a monthly decline of 18.1%.
APRIL FORECAST
Initial predictions by ARGUS analysts for April shows that activity will drop 67.3%, from April 2019, due to the multiple shelter in place orders.
Source: ARGUS International Inc. TRAQPak Aircraft Activity Report for March 2020 released 4/9/2020. FlightList PRO has no affiliation with ARGUS.
FlightList PRO; supporting the Air Charter Industry. Leading air charter brokers, operators and travel professionals take advantage of free and low cost full-market support from FlightList PRO to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line. More about FlightList PRO here.
Garmin Unveils Revolutionary Autoland Automatic Landing System, Available Soon
The future is here, and it is... amazing.
Under tight wraps for eight years, Garmin just announced its new Autoland function, which can take over and land an aircraft completely autonomously. The system is designed to rescue an airplane with an incapacitated pilot or save a pilot when weather conditions present no other safe option. Autoland should soon receive its first FAA approval, with certification expected shortly in the Piper M600 turboprop, followed by the Cirrus Vision Jet. Autoland is currently available to manufacturers equipping their airplanes with the Garmin G3000 avionics and autothrottle. The Garmin Autoland system is part of Garmin’s Autonomi family of automation products, which includes Electronic Stability and Protection and Emergency Descent Mode. The Autoland system is designed to safely fly an airplane from cruising altitude to a suitable runway, then land the airplane, apply brakes, and stop the engine. Autoland can even switch on anti-/deicing systems if necessary.Garmin's stock price jumped 10% on October 30, the day of the announcement.
A demo flight, and Garmin Autoland landing, with the press.
Edward C. Baig of the USA Today took a demo flight in a new $2.75M Cirrus Vision Jet outfitted with the Garmin Autoland automatic landing function which Cirrus has aptly branded Safe Return. He is not a pilot of any type, yet he landed the jet. Well, actually the plane landed itself. He merely pressed a single red button on the roof of the main cabin, and watched and listened to the digital copilot as it navigated, communicated, landed the jet, braked to stop, and shut down the engine. From his article in USA Today:Safe Return has to able to solve two main problems, the most obvious of which is to return everyone to the ground safely. It must also do so without disrupting the flight patterns or risking the safety of all the other planes in nearby airspace.
“When you automatically turn that plane into an autonomous vehicle, the plane starts acting as if the pilot were still doing things,” says Ben Kowalski, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Cirrus Aircraft.
The plane has databases of the terrain and possible obstacles (like mountains and cell towers). It gets real-time weather and wind information. And it knows the weight, how much fuel remains, and all the nearby airports where an emergency landing is possible, including the lengths of all runways.
After determining the proper path based on all these considerations, the system uses text-to-speech software to broadcast its whereabouts to air traffic control.
Kowalski says it goes something like this: “Aircraft 149 Victor Bravo, we have an emergency onboard. The pilot is incapacitated. I’m 15 miles north of White Plains, and I’m going to land at JFK on runway 27.”
There’s no particular challenge to push the button – it’s easily reached by an adult in the cabin. (The plane seats five adults and two children.) But you can only assume that panic will set in during a real crisis in which the pilot has a heart attack, seizure or something else goes wrong.
The system tries its best to calm everyone down by mimicking what, well, a pilot might say: “Safe Return activated, landing in 13 minutes.” A moment later, “Safe Return activated, landing in 12 minutes.” And so on.
His article was published in the USA Today on October 30.
With a touch of a button, a passenger can land the airplane. That is groundbreaking, and very different than what the world has known before. Soon, an automatic landing function will be available for new versions of two GA turbine aircraft, enabling an autonomous critical sector of a flight, and is just the beginning. What will tomorrow bring? We have a glimpse, and it is... amazing.Contributor: Rick Colson, a business aviation entrepreneur, industry consultant, pilot, and family man. @rickcolson | LinkedIn | Instagram A video by AVweb/Aviation Consumer: Demo flight and landing the Piper M600 turboprop autonomously with Garmin Autoland. Sources: USA Today, Aviation International News, The Aviation Consumer Air Charter Alerts by FlightList PRO, are the latest announcements in the private air charter industry about operators, brokers and charter aircraft, and geared towards active participants in the industry. Leading air charter brokers and travel professionals use FlightList PRO’s full-market resources, economical rates and marketing opportunities to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line.
Announcing Jets New to Charter Availability; Falcon 7X, Challenger 350, Gulfstream G200, Citation Bravo, Citation CJ1, Phenom 100
- Challenger 350, super-midsize jet, seats 8, Wi-Fi, based KLBE Latrobe, PA Operated by L.J. Aviation, Wyvern Wingman, ACSF
- Citation CJ1, light jet, seats 5, based KAEX Alexandria, LA Operated by Zepp Air, Inc.
- Citation Bravo, light jet, seats 8, based KTRM Thermal, CA Operated by Desert Jet, LLC, ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, IS-BAO
- Phenom 100, light jet, seats 4, based KABE Allentown, PA Operated by 26 North Aviation, Inc. dba Skystream Jet, Wyvern Wingman
- Falcon 7X, ultra long range jet, seats 10, based KVNY Van Nuys, CA Operated by Planet Nine Private Air, LLC dba Planet 9, ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, IS-BAO
- Gulfstream G200, super-midsize jet, seats 9, based KDTO Denton, TX Operated by Scott Aviation, LLC dba Silver Air, ARGUS Platinum
Sources: Charter operator fleet updates Air Charter Alerts by FlightList PRO, are the latest announcements in the private air charter industry about operators, brokers and charter aircraft, and geared towards active participants in the industry. Leading air charter brokers and travel professionals use FlightList PRO’s full-market resources, economical rates and marketing opportunities to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line.
Wheels Up Acquires Charter Operator Travel Management Company/TMC Jets
All 39 floating fleet operators with 435 one-way price aircraft are in FlightList PRO, the largest charter sourcing platform database. Full access is $90 month-to-month. Learn More.
TMC ranked as the 10th most active Part 135 operator in the US according to ARGUS International, flying 19,033 hours in 2018. ARGUS data shows Gama Aviation was the #1 most active Part 135 operator in 2018 flying 91,195 hours. The 26 light jets of TMC compliment Wheels Up's existing fleet which was absent of aircraft in the light jet category. Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter stressed that the acquisition will not alter Gama Aviation’s role in operating Wheels Up’s fleet. “We love our relationship with Gama,” he told AIN. According to Dichter, TMC will operate as a separate subsidiary of Wheels Up and continue to provide the same service to its existing wholesale channel partners. TMC will also continue to be lead by its existing leadership team, including CEO Phil Dodyk. Private equity company TPG Growth bought TMC from its founder Pete Liegl in 2017. TPG also owned a significant stake in XOJET at the time. It sold XOJET to Vista Global in September 2018. TMC owned 68 aircraft when it was sold in 2017 - 36 Hawker 400XPs, 29 Hawker 800XPs, two Challenger 604s and one King Air 200. The company was launched in 2006. “Wheels Up is officially in deal mode,” said Kenny Dichter, Founder and CEO of Wheels Up to Corporate Jet Investor. “Light jets clearly go together with King Airs for entry level users and we now have 119 aircraft. We also get more than 90 great pilots and 125 employees who will stay with the business and keep all of its relationships with channel partners going.” “This acquisition is a foundational piece in our continued brand evolution and mission to provide our members with a total private aviation solution,” said Dichter. “TMC and its light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, which will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet.” TMC will operate as an independent subsidiary of Wheels Up. It will stay in Elkhart, Indiana with Dodyk staying as CEO. Gama Aviation will continue to operate the Wheels Up fleet. “The team at TMC is world-class, and we’re proud of the reputation we’ve earned for being one of the safest and most reliable operators in private aviation,” said Phil Dodyk, CEO of TMC. “By joining Kenny and the Wheels Up team, we’re excited to become part of such a renowned brand and a larger company that is deep with talented leadership, which shares our collective vision of building an industry leader.”Sources: Wheels Up release, AINonline article, Alasdair Whyte of Corporate Jet Investor Air Charter Alerts by FlightList PRO, are the latest announcements in the private air charter industry about operators, brokers and charter aircraft, and geared towards active participants in the industry. Leading air charter brokers and travel professionals use FlightList PRO’s full-market resources, economical rates and marketing opportunities to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line.