This one will be short, sweet, and to the point. The opposite of my usual musings. But, as we’ve been getting more inquiries and seen some trends emerge with respect to questions asked and information needed, it seems as good a time as any to revisit some frequently asked questions and things to look out for. FAQs+, if you will.
Before I get to those, and for anyone that’s currently searching for a private aviation solution, a little housekeeping:
- Urgency is good, impatience is not. This is true for all parties involved. Find a partner that shares your sense of urgency but isn’t impatient.
- Understand the problem you’re solving for. If you don’t, your (eventual) partner can’t and your solution will likely be less than ideal in meeting your needs.
- Similarly to understanding the problem being solved, understand what a successful partnership looks like. Whether it’s on-time flights, lowest roundtrip rates, lowest one-way rates, empty legs you can grab when convenient, or the client experience; know what will make you walk away saying “they were the right choice”.
Anyway, on to the FAQs:
- How is your Jet Card different? Jet Cards, simply put, are a membership that allows you to prepay for hours at a fixed rate, typically in a specific aircraft type. Silverhawk’s Jet Card details rates by aircraft type and benefits based on the amount of investment but allow our clients to select an aircraft at each booking so you never get more (or less) than you need for the trip at hand.
- Blackout dates and peak days? Because blackout and peak days may be defined differently at each operator (often impacts to availability, pricing, or cancellation policy), understand what they are and when they apply. Silvehrawk, for instance, does not have blackout or peak days. Simply put, the rates you get are always the rates you get.
- What is the cancellation policy? This will vary by operator but is typically a graduating, percentage based fee based of the quoted trip at 96, 72, 48, and 24 hours out from the scheduled departure. Ask intentionally and read carefully when reviewing program information. We post ours very plainly in our jet card information along with our rates.
- Do funds expire? Expiration is often confused with the “lock” or “fixed rate” period associated with the card, but it’s different. Make certain that your funds never expire, even if they’re unused in the initial “lock” or “fixed rate” period.
- Are funds refundable? Most cards are not refundable. Some cards are. There’s no right or wrong here, but I am a bigger fan of cards that have options for the client to pick what’s best for them (like Silverhawk 😉).
Until next time.
Mark
