Who Exactly is the Aviation Community?
In my 19 January article, I argued that automobiles are economically more efficient than buses because they allow for more options in the quality of interactions that a passenger can choose as opposed to a scheduled service route alternative.
On the Contrary
In this article, I will argue the opposite point that people isolated in cars decreases the quantity of interactions that can often expose opportunities and more options. Therefore, by eliminating these random interactions, the communities that support their social needs are in fact weakened.
Ironically, the point of contradicting myself is to validate the strengths and uncover the weaknesses of a business strategy for the Private Aviation Community.
For example:
We can validate that idea that highly-optioned, point-to-point travel is a key advantage of Private Aviation. We also notice the curious absence of the “community” of our clients in our calculus. The assumption is that community is static whereas aviation is dynamic.
The paradigm shift is that aviation is static and community is dynamic
Jane Jacobs wrote extensively on the three following pillars of community:
1. Communities provide the resources that families cannot provide for themselves.
2. Communities consist of convenient and responsive commercial transactions.
3. Communities capture the speaking relationships among neighbors, acquaintances, and friends.
Strategy Revisions:
The strategic opportunity for Private Aviation is to look deep into communities that we serve. What resources can Private Aviation provide that families cannot provide for themselves? How can Private Aviation make all commercial transactions more convenient and responsive? Finally, how can Private Aviation empower the speaking relationships among neighbors, acquaintances, and friends?
Expanding the market for Private Aviation may be as simple as expanding the definition of Aviation Community far beyond where the competition is contracting theirs.
It’s All About the Baby Boomers!
There are 77 million of them and, according to an online article on Barron’s website, Baby Boomers are being ignored by marketers. What’s more, they are being ignored by marketers when they are the group who has driven 45% of all consumer spending for the last 60 years. In the next few years, it is estimated that number will grow to 52%.
No Spirit At Spirit
Realizing that everything you own will fit into your car will change your perspective in a hurry. Is that what it’s going to take for Spirit, Delta and other carriers putting profits before humanity?
User Fees for General Aviation are off the table – for now.
A February 1 press release issued by the National Business Aviation Association says: “When it comes to the long-standing battle over user fees, it appears that today, we have reached an important and welcome milestone,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
Aging Aircraft of US Airlines: Safety Issue or Just a Service Issue?
Few people expect luxury while flying, but these days, even the basics seem to be in bad shape. It’s not uncommon to find your tray table broken, the in-flight entertainment system not working and your seat cushion worn — all of which can make you think, how old is this plane anyway?”.
Aviation in Developing Countries: Luxury or Necessity
In the United States, we are blessed with over 5500 public airports that we often take for granted. As I travel to other countries and look at their aviation support infrastructure, I try to imagine the impact that a good infrastructure and air service, even by small regional airlines or charter services, could have on their economic development. In the global economy, if the poorest countries cannot reach the rest of the world and the world cannot reach them, how can we expect them to ever grow and prosper?
A Social Flight?
Flying on a private jet is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. It is comfortable and the treatment the passenger receives from the flight crew is good. Compare this with the anti-social experience of riding the airlines.
Trade In The Market For Social Currencies
Few people realize that Social Media itself is a competitor to commercial air travel. Today, groups of people can integrate and coordinate more tightly, ultimately reducing the need to travel or organizing their travel more efficiently. Meanwhile, business travelers are adopting a host of technologies that keeps them informed and connected virtually.
An iPod, Xanex, Realistic Expectations and the Airlines
While I’ve not had the pleasure of living in any other country in the world other than the United States, I still have an appreciation for the freedoms that we enjoy as if I’ve had to live without them. Do you relish the freedom we have to travel, or are you caught up in the frustration and inconvenience of it?
Nashville Aviators Bring Home Five Haitian Orphans
Even before the deadly 7.0 earthquake, Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, was filled with orphans; estimated at 380,000 children living in orphanages or group homes. Now, the number is so huge, officials for the United Nations Fund cannot even give an accurate number.


