Posts Tagged ‘Air Charter Safety’

What Constitutes Unethical Business Practices in Private Aviation?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

In all ways, Stratos Jet Charters seeks to be open, honest and fair with our clients. As a member of the prestigious Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA), we are committed to promoting higher standards of ethics, professionalism and integrity. We engage in fair business practices, such as honest and fair advertising and clear pricing. A founding tenant of both our organization and ACANA is to provide our clients with the information they need to make informed buying decisions for each and every charter flight.

Because of the recent entry of air charter brokering in the industry, it is not yet fully regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT). This “free” environment has allowed for some air charter organizations to engage in unfair and dishonest business practices to undercut their legitimate competitors. As both an ACANA member, and agent for our clients, Stratos Jets has a responsibility to offer our clients insight into these deceptive business tactics to help them make the best decisions for their individual jet charter needs.

What Constitutes Unethical Business Practices in Private Aviation?

As one ACANA member said, “unethical business practices are the evil twin of best practices.” Unethical business practices can take on many shadowy forms, and are not always easy to identify. The best way to arm yourself against unethical brokers and operators is to commit yourself to only working with ACANA members. ACANA members play a key part in promoting best practices and professionalism and are barred from engaging in unethical business practices. However, if you should choose to work with a non-ACANA member, you need to be aware of the possibility of your charter broker engaging in dishonest and unfair business practices.

An example of a deceptive business practice that we have seen in the industry is “phantom aircraft bidding.” This practice occurs when a charter brokerage offers a firm quote on an aircraft at a price point that is not available in the charter market. After the charter broker “wins the trip” by procuring a contract with the client, he or she will try to “fill the requirement” by contacting several operators and using the client’s signature on the contract as leverage. If the broker can’t offer the aircraft they promised, they will then tell the client that a mechanical, or other event, has occurred to prevent the flight.

Another example of a deceptive business practice occurs when a charter broker offers a “best price guarantee.” Charter brokers who offer this type of pricing do not offer clients an “apples-to-apples” choice; but instead rely on taking advantage of a client’s inexperience or lack of knowledge to offer an aircraft from an operator with a poor safety history. These brokers will provide an aircraft with an unacceptably low-level of insurance to operate the flight, or an aircraft that has not been approved for aircraft charter operations.

Other examples of unethical business practices that are currently prohibited by ACANA include:

- Creating confusion in the consumer’s mind as to whether a service provider is an air carrier or a broker, such as creating marketing materials that imply a broker is an operator
- Engaging in speculative pricing that is not based on actual aircraft availability in an effort to undercut the legitimate pricing of competitors
- Engaging in behavior or other unlawful activity that results in enforcement action from the FAA or Department of Transportation
- Transacting business with operators that are not properly certified (135 or ICAO equivalent)

At Stratos Jets, we would never put profit over the safety and integrity of your charter flight experience. We understand the real costs of private aviation and relate these to our clients. Our air charter agents are among the most knowledgeable in the industry and are available 24 hours a day to answer and explain any questions you may have regarding your charter flight.

Stratos Jets only works with fully registered Part 135 and Part 121 Air Carriers, verified through independent agencies such as WYVERN and ARG/US. Stratos Jets’ In-house Safety Due Diligence program carefully screens all aircraft operators to ensure that every flight flown for our clients is on the safest, most well maintained aircraft under the command of two highly trained pilots. This ensures that your charter experience will be among the safest in the industry, as well as of the highest quality.

As an ACANA member, Stratos Jets’ goal is to inform the public about the requirements and expectations of a safe, effectual charter experience. We believe that the more knowledgeable our clients are, the better our industry, regulations, and services will be. We hope to be a contributor in helping ACANA shape the regulatory landscape of FAA and DOT regulations to continually improve the charter marketplace for the benefit of our clients.

Tags: ACANA, air carrier, Air Charter Safety, aircraft broker, Charter a Jet, charter aircraft, charter broker, jet charter, private charter regulations, private jet
Posted in Private Jet Charters and Aircraft Rentals | Comments Off

Stratos Jets Certified as Wyvern Broker

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

What is the single most important factor in choosing your air charter service provider? Is it the safety and reputation of the air carrier, or is it the overall price and value of the charter flight? As an air charter consumer, you never have to choose between safety and service, provided that you make informed, educated decisions each time you fly. At Stratos Jet Charters, our job as air charter agents is to connect you to the safest, most reputable aircraft operators with the longest track record for providing excellent service at fair market price.

Stratos Jets recently became one of the few certified Wyvern Brokers in the Wyvern Pilot & Aircraft Safety Survey (PASS) program. Wyvern, Ltd. is the global leader in aviation safety auditing, consulting and information services. Wyvern specializes in performing on-site, safety audits on charter operators, and has conducted more than 1,700 safety audits worldwide, using the most experienced and highly-trained auditors in the industry.

During a Wyvern on-site safety audit, also known as a “safety evaluation,” Part 135 air charter operators are measured against “The Wyvern Standard” — a globally recognized seal of aviation safety. The Wyvern Standard is a set of safety measurement criterion that far exceed government regulations for safe flight operations and aircraft maintenance.

The information that is collected and analyzed during a Wyvern safety audit is compiled and maintained in a database that is accessible to Wyvern Brokers, like Stratos Jets, through the PASS Report program. For Stratos Jets, the PASS report system enables our agents to generate individual safety reports, called PASS reports, on both Wyvern-recommended and non-recommended aircraft operators.

Each PASS report contains invaluable safety information regarding the aircraft operator, aircraft and flight crew of individual charter flights. The pilot experience check, for example, verifies that the flight crew of any given charter flight is fully certified, properly type-rated, has met the necessary flight time requirements and has current medical and training records.

Stratos Jets has the ability to provide third party audits on all Part 135 Jet Charters, who are fully registered Part 135 and Part 121 carriers. Although any charter broker can access the PASS report system, only Wyvern Brokers like Stratos Jets, have the ability to run a PASS report on each and every charter flight, providing our clients with a greater sense of safety assurance.

Stratos Jets has long been a leader in promoting safety and best practices in the air charter industry. We developed the Stratos Jets’ Approved Vendor Program (AVP) to form an exclusive network of Part 135 aircraft operators that meet our safety standards, which are considered the strictest and most stringent standards in the industry. We have furthered these efforts by requiring all of our approved vendors to pass a Wyvern PASS Report or ARG/US third-party safety audit before induction into our program.

Additionally, Stratos Jets is a long-standing member of the prestigious Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting best practices and professionalism to air charter service providers. Wyvern has pledged its full support to ACANA, as do we at Stratos Jets. Our goal is to help ACANA further its mission of educating air charter consumers about the benefits of working with reliable and ethical service providers like Wyvern Brokers.

At Stratos Jets, we are very proud of our recent certification as a Wyvern Broker. One of the major benefits of our Wyvern Broker certifcation is that it will make it easier for our air charter agency to verify that every charter flight meets our safety standards, along with those established by the Wyvern Standard. We hope that our Wyvern Broker certification serves as further proof of our commitment to safety, best practices and transparency.

Contact Stratos Jets:

1.888.478.7286

info@stratosjets.com

www.stratosjets.com

Tags: ACANA, Air Charter, Air Charter FAA Part 135, Air Charter Safety, Business Jet Charters, charter flights, jet charter broker, Jet Charter Safety, Private Jet Rentals, Wyvern
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“Old, Bold” Pilots

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Air charter operators in full compliance with FAR part 135 regulations

There is an old saying among pilots that started back in the days of US fighter pilots in World War II. The saying goes that there are “Old Pilots”, and then there are “Bold Pilots”, but there aren’t any “Old, Bold” ones – because the bold pilots were the ones who didn’t last long.

Although the aircraft they command are certainly different in purpose and safety, the same admonition holds true for today’s private jet pilots. The basic premise of this philosophy is that we should always accept a bit of inconvenience for the sake of safety.

With cold weather conditions on the horizon, the best pilots know that it’s always wise to take the safe approach when flying in bad weather, even if it means waiting for conditions to improve. When your personal safety is at stake, especially during harsh winter conditions, the conservative approach is always the best one.

When traveling in unpredictable winter weather conditions such as snow and ice, you should always ask your pilots about your alternatives. Your Stratos Jets agent will also be glad to make any changes to accommodate your travel needs at any point, such as changing ground transportation services when an alternative airport is being used, even when you are inflight.

Of course this may sometimes result in additional travel costs regarding your itinerary, but our first mission is to protect the safety of our clients. At Stratos Jet Charters, your safety is our chief concern for every decision we make and action that we take. This can mean the difference between a delay in reaching your destination vs. never reaching your destination at all.

One potentially unforeseen expense can result from de-icing your aircraft, an absolutely critical and necessary step when snow and ice are present. This can take extra time and cause possible delays, but your safe arrival at your destination is our ever present and constant goal. When you work with Stratos Jets to arrange your private jet charter flight, we will never, ever take chances with your personal safety.

When considering the potential for travel delays, another factor is the usage of a number of different landing approaches/techniques used by pilots. These depend on the airport runway used and its orientation, current weather conditions, and a number of other components including traffic patterns, traffic volume, the presence of instrument procedures at the airfield, or navigational aids being out of service due to bad weather.

We will save the technical details for future posts, but the general approach categories are the Instrument Approach and the Visual Approach. Instrument Approaches are either precision or non-precision, which both include a number of categories or systems used to land an aircraft. These can be the Direct (Straight In) Approach, The Reversal Procedure, the Circle to Land Approach, the Simultaneous Close Parallel Approach and the Simultaneous Offset Instrument Approach, among others. Some of these, such as the Circle to Land Approach, are more difficult than others.

Sometimes the type of Approach used, the conditions on the ground, and harsh winter weather, can come together to create travel delays, such as when these variables combine to cause a “missed approach”. This happens when pilots have not acquired the visual references that they need to land when they reach the “decision altitude” or height (DH/A) — the specified altitude when the choice to land or circle again for another pass must be initiated.

As you might expect, a “missed” approach has the potential to occur more often during winter weather conditions, because of the increase in fog and poor visibility conditions. These are situations where a “bold” pilot might try to land the plane on the first pass, even if they have not established the required visual reference beyond all doubt at the DA/H.

“Old pilots” will always take the safest, most conservative approach to landing their aircraft. The pilots of every charter flight we arrange are some of the most experienced and skilled in the industry, and will take this more conservative course of action every time.

Stratos Jets will only work with aircraft and operators that are in full compliance with FAR Part 135, and our pilot training and experience requirements. We are one of the few air charter agencies in the industry that provide third party safety audits on all Part 135 Jet Charters from an independent auditor such as Wyvern or ARG/US for every charter flight. This ensures the aircraft operator’s total compliance with our strict aircraft maintenance and crew experience requirements. It also ensures that you and your loved ones fly with “old” and not “bold” pilots, each and every charter flight.

Tags: Air Charter, Air Charter Safety, jet charter, Private Aviation, Private Jet Safety
Posted in Private Jet Charters and Aircraft Rentals | Comments Off

Stratos Jets Highlights the Value of Working with IS-BAO Operators In Light of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Tragedy

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Tragedy struck last week when a Yakovlev (Yak-42) charter jet carrying the professional ice hockey team and staff of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), crashed near Yaroslavl, Russia. The ice hockey team was flying on the Russian airliner to Minsk, Belarus for the start of the KHL 2011-12 season. Shortly after takeoff, the Yak-42 failed to clear the runway, struck a tower mast, and crashed 1.2 miles away from Tunoshna Airport. Out of all 45 passengers onboard the charter aircraft, only one hockey player and one crew member survived. The surviving hockey player, Alexander Galimov, later died from severe burns sustained in the crash.

After the horrific Lokomotiv Yaroslavl accident, it is understandable that you may have some fears or concerns about flying on a private jet aircraft. At Stratos Jet Charters, we believe it is our job as industry experts to provide you with our professional opinion of the crash. Based on several reports, we know that the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK), Russia’s governing aviation authority, has ordered an investigation into the accident. As of today, the Investigative Committee believes that pilot error and mechanical malfunction were the two most likely causes of the accident.

If either is the case, we at Stratos Jets believe that the accident could have been prevented through recurrent pilot training or routine aircraft maintenance, which is required of all US-based operators by federal law. It is in our professional opinion that the accident stemmed from a lack of preventive safety measures, which is a common occurrence with foreign, non-IS-BAO operators.

If you are a frequent follower of Stratos Jets’ blog or newsletters, you may have read some of our past articles that highlight the peak safety levels of private aviation. A majority of these articles are in reference to the stringent safety standards of US-based flight operations. When you travel aboard, it is important for you to understand that most international operators do not follow the same safety regulations as US-based operations. Such was the case with the Yak-42 operator – Yak Service – that operated in accordance with the Interstate Aviation Committee’s body of laws.

Here in the U.S., all of our flight operations — whether private or commercial — are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT). These two federal agencies have established notoriously strict regulations that exceed those of easterly nations, such as Russia. In the U.S., charter operators adhere to the Part 135 section of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), while airlines comply with Part 121 regulations. Each section of the FARs outlines the standards for which aircraft safety - operating, maintenance, and licensing – are measured. Because of the stringency of these requirements, the FAA and DOT have created the safest aircraft operators in the world.

In 2002, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) was formally introduced and made available to the business aviation community at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibit (EBACE). IS-BAO is a code of best practices that helps international flight departments achieve the same level of safety and professionalism. IS-BAO-certification is now recognized as the industry standard for international charter operation. Operators that are IS-BAO-certified are frequently cited as the safest and most professional aircraft operators in the world.

With our deepest condolences, we send our thoughts and prayers to the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl victims and their families. In light of this tragedy, we ask that all passengers traveling on non-US registered aircraft verify that their operator complies with IS-BAO standards. While no aircraft or operator is immune to harm, operators that comply with the strict covenants of the IS-BAO are better able to ensure your personal safety. At Stratos Jets, we will continue to work with out approved vendors, and IS-BAO operators for international requests, to provide you with the high level of safety assurance that you have come to expect from the Stratos Jets’ brand.

Tags: Air Charter Safety, lokomotiv yaroslavl charter jet crash, private jet aircraft, Private Jet Charter, private plane accidents, US air charter safety regulations, YAK-42
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FAA Part 135 Charter Flights and Jet Charter Safety Standards for Air Charter Flights in the United States

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Safety in aviation has come a long way since the days of the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart. There have been incredible advancements in aircraft design, engines, performance, avionics and materials. All of these advancements have collectively reduced the risk of flying. Over the past 100 years, the safety and maintenance procedures have been developed to contribute to the safety of the pilots and passengers. These standards have enabled the creation of a global industry for air travel. For many people, air travel and charter flights have become a necessary activity for business in today’s world. Unfortunately, aviation related accidents and fatalities are a part of life. So what can charter jet flyers do to protect themselves? Let’s take a closer look at the standards set forth by the FAA that regulates safety within in the private air charter industry along with ways that air charter flyers can research the level of experience their pilots may have.
The Federal Aviation Administration has created the Part 135 Regulations to standardize the safety and operations of aircraft charter flights taking place within the United States. The Part 135 Regulations govern non-scheduled flights where money is exchanged in excess of the direct operating costs of the flight. All non-owner flights where a profit is made are regulated by FAR Part 135 and require a Part 135 Certificate. This Part 135 Certificate spells out the specific maintenance requirements, pilot experience and appropriate level of insurance to be carried by the operator when making a profit.

While the Part 135 certification does set the standard safety procedures and pilot licensing requirements of all charter flights flown within the United States, these standards are recognized as the minimum standards required to conduct legal air charter flights. In order to provide jet charter flyers and charter jet consumers with the assurance that the charter jet operator does adequately meet the standards set forth by the FAA, third party companies are available for verification.

There are several third party air charter verification companies that can be hired to ensure safety; however two leading air charter safety verification companies ensure that charter jet operators not only meet the FAA requirements set forth in the Part 135 certification process, but also have increased safety standards of their own. These verification companies research the aircraft maintenance records through an onsite analysis; they review the pilots’ level of experience flying a given aircraft and the flight history of the charter jet certificate holder.

By hiring a third party to provide a detailed analysis for a proposed charter flight, can help to ensure that all of the standards set forth by the FAA are being exceeded and that only the most experienced pilots are in command of your charter flight. When scheduling a charter flight, an air charter agent can help to ensure that the aircraft you will be flying on is well-maintained and that your pilots have exceptional safety records. The knowledge of the charter jet industry along with the familiarity of pilots, crew and their experience that is held by most air charter agents, makes chartering a private jet simple. In addition to providing you with multiple options, air charter agents do the hard work and due diligence to ensure that the aircraft chartered on your behalf is the safest available.

Tags: Air Charter FAA Part 135, Air Charter Safety, Jet Charter Safety, Safety Audit on Private Jets
Posted in Private Jet Charters and Aircraft Rentals | 4 Comments »

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© 2007-2012 Stratos Jet Charters, Inc.
Stratos Jet Charters, Inc. serves as an agent for air charter services on behalf of our clients. All aircrafts and air carriers selected by Stratos Jet Charters are fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation under Part 135 Regulations. Carriers are solely responsible for the air transportation arranged on behalf of Stratos Jet Charters clients. Stratos Jet Charters does not own or operate any aircrafts. Stratos Jet Charters is not a direct or indirect air carrier. All flights chartered through Stratos Jet Charters are operated by Part 135 air carriers.