Plane Conversations

Every time I do something outside my normal routine, I learn something new (or at my age, get reminded of something that I forgot). This is true of my most recent trip to the British Virgin Islands on business. We were delivering an aircraft to the island of Tortola for BVI Airline, an up and coming company delivering air carrier services amongst the BVI. We also were returning on another aircraft which was due for some major inspections.  The inspections were  to be accomplished through our capable maintenance staff at Corporate Flight Management. We also, in a whirlwind fashion, dropped into San Juan to conclude some business with another carrier. The trip was a three day turn around on BAE Jetstream 32s.  Given the time constraints and amount to be accomplished, it was a trip that could only have occurred on private aircraft.

Here are a couple of lessons learned or remembered.

Pre- plan your communication needs.

Technology and services are a great boon to travelers – if you know what your capabilities are. I have a new service and a new plan and for my telecommunications and found out I was pretty much in the dark.  It wasn’t that I couldn’t communicate, it was just that I didn’t know my plan well enough to know how much it was going to cost me – an important consideration to my CFO soul. As I downloaded email and text to my phone –I wondered, “how much this was going to cost me?” People around me had a lot of suggestions and ideas as to what it might cost. I found out later just how wrong they were via my monthly statement. I could have avoided that if I had called my provider, told them my itinerary, and found out what were my best options. Next time!

Know what time it is.

I traveled from Central Savings Time to Atlantic Time. My new cell phone did a wonderful job of changing with the time zones. I knew exactly what time it was – or so I thought. My business associates and I scheduled a breakfast meeting at 7:30 AM. But what wasn’t discussed was time was relative on the Islands. When they said 7:30, they meant Eastern Time.  I thought they meant Atlantic Time.  I wish I had known about the use of time zones because I sure could have used that extra hour of sleep! Turns out other members of our entourage were an hour late. Next time…… we will synchronize our watches, always a good practice.

The business trip was a great success and new business for the company was developed. As we went through the various customs offices, I was reminded of how wonderful it was to travel through non- airline means. Through the whole trip we went through only one metal detector and we didn’t have to stand in line for it!  The trip schedule was our choice.  The time on the aircraft was pleasant because the travelers were co-workers, and we were able to plan our next meeting en route. Additionally, the time together was useful as new ideas for travel processes for our customers.  Since we experienced what our customers experienced while traveling international destinations, we got a better perspective on process improvements.  These discussions occurred simply because we had both time and opportunity.  Without planning the conversations, we informally discussed various ways we could improve on what we do as a company simply because we had the time and the privacy to do so.

What did I really learn and remember when I stepped outside my routine? The value of private business travel is worth the price.

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As I write this I am returning from a two day trip to the Caribbean.

Our company works with small airlines leasing aircraft, providing maintenance support services, parts support and training. We do much of our business outside of the US.  

I had the opportunity to catch a ride on one of our leased aircraft going to Tortola, BVI to swap out for another aircraft coming back to Tennessee for scheduled maintenance.

The aircraft we flew down and back were Jetstream 32 – 19 passenger turboprops, one type in a group of regional airline aircraft that will continue to work for small airlines around the world for years to come.  

BVI Airways  started a few months ago providing point to point service between Tortola  and St. Maarten and Antigua. They also do charter flights to the other islands. The airline was started by three US pilots who have worked in the regional airline and air charter industry for most of their aviation careers. They saw an opportunity to fill an unmet demand for travel between Islands and took the leap of faith to start a small airline far from home. If you are going to start an airline it may as well be in a nice place like Tortola.

BVI Airways has an excellent business plan that allows them to be flexible with their routes as travel needs change with seasonality and times of the year when the islands have special events like carnival and homecomings.

After a short 14 hour visit to Tortola we flew up to San Juan PR and met with a startup airline, Lebar Air, that will be providing both scheduled and on demand charter service out of San Juan to the Dominican Republic and other islands within a 250 mile radius of San Juan. They share a similar business plan as BVI Airways but serve a different niche market of travelers.  

As I think about these two operations and other operators we have gotten to know in the Caribbean, including operators in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I see a group of small airlines that are meeting demand for point to point intra-island and inter- island travel which the major airlines and their commuter feeders don’t meet.These airlines are a cross between a scheduled airline and on demand charter operator with a nimble flexibility the big airlines cannot match. When you ride on these small airlines, the feel is much more like a charter flight where the pilots are talking to you and helping you with your luggage before you board. Islanders are used to this type of service and take small aircraft flights as a routine way of life.   

 From the perspective of the operators we work with, the economic outlook for Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands is good. Like the US, they have waded through the recession, but the allure of the islands continues to spur development of new hotels and resorts and all the support businesses that go with it. With new resort development and tourism growth come jobs and economic growth for the entire region. As more travelers come to the Caribbean from Europe, North America and South America the demand for inter-island air travel will grow.

These small airlines that meet the market demand are poised to prosper as they provide a very critical transportation component to the regions economic development.

I am a little jealous of these operators because they have a captive audience of travelers. You can’t just get in your car and drive from Tortola to Antigua like you could from Nashville to Atlanta.

The only complaint about the trip south was the lack of time to enjoy the white beaches and blue water. I think I could easily get used to the speed of island living.

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