Our favourite flights this year
The PrivateFly flight advisors are a dedicated team, with a passion for aviation and customer service. Each customer and every single flight is looked after 24/7, making sure no detail is missed.
And in private aviation, no two flights are the same. So here are some of the members of our Flight Team talking about a favourite flight they handled this year – and what made it so special.
Arthur Montibert – Product Manager
Arthur manages PrivateFly’s relationships with our aircraft operator network. Before joining PrivateFly, he was an Air Traffic Control training pilot for the French DGAC and Operations agent for FBOs in the South of France. He is a fully trained commercial pilot.
In September a travel agent called us to arrange a very last minute flight for a group of 90 people who were supposed to travel on a commercial airline flight from Milan to Paris. Their flight had just been cancelled due to the Air France pilots’ strike.
They were on the point of booking train tickets but we arranged a group charter in a Fokker 100, flying the whole group together in the afternoon. This was actually less expensive than the train and of course much quicker. So we saved them 10 hours of travel, 200 euros per passenger and a long journey across Europe!
Julien Molinet – Senior Flight Advisor
Before joining PrivateFly, Julien worked as a flight attendant for Air France. He has an International Business Masters Degree with SKEMA Business School (Lille) and speaks French, English and German.
It can be very rewarding to help clients who need a medevac flight, as we can provide help at a difficult time. One flight I arranged earlier this year was for an elderly French client, who needed to be moved urgently to hospital in Paris from her home in the South of France. She would require some specialist care, and oxygen during the journey.
I was in regular contact with her personal assistant, providing quotes on an air ambulance aircraft, and the flight was booked within minutes.We also organised the ground ambulance transport between her home, the airport and the hospital in Paris. The flight and transfer went very smoothly and the client was grateful when we arranged the swift return of her medical card to the hospital, which she had left on the aircraft.
A few weeks later, thankfully the client was well enough to return home, but still needed medical attention. So within 10 minutes I had organised for the same aircraft and crew to fly her back home from Paris. Both the client and her personal assistant were very pleased with our service and I was happy to have been able to help at a stressful time.
Sam Roxon – Flight Advisor
Sam is our Canadian and North American jet charter expert. He has studied Aviation Management at Georgian College and has a background in aviation maintenance. He has pilot’s license and flies a Cessna 172, and has recently received his glider license.
I arranged a flight for a US representative on a multi-leg journey from New York Teterboro airport to two other cities within the US.
Dealing with the politician’s assistant, it was identified that the lowest price was a major priority. The itinerary was also challenging, as the schedule would be very tight indeed, in order for the representative to make it to one of his events on time.
I recommended a Learjet 35 – one of the smallest jets capable of performing the flight non-stop, and in a cost-effective manner.
There were also a number of detailed security considerations which added some challenges to the flight – and of course privacy was a major concern, as it is for many of our clients. But the flight flew without a hitch and made it with time to spare at both destinations, resulting in a very happy client.
Mehdi Dialmy – Head of Flight Team
Mehdi leads PrivateFly’s 24-hour Flight Team, making sure every flight runs smoothly. He speaks English, French and Arabic and has a Masters degree in Aerospace Management from the Toulouse Business School.
While the majority of our clients fly for business purposes, I always enjoy arranging flights for special occasions, as I know how much it means to the client. One memorable flight this year was for a UK-based entrepreneur, celebrating his 40th birthday with 11 friends. He wanted to visit 3 different US cities in 4 days.
The client was originally interested in using a Falcon 900LX but I recommended a Global Express, which would offer more space for the larger group and be able to complete all the flights, without a fuel stop.
There were very specific catering requirements: We agreed menus for lunch and dinner in advance, with Crystal champagne – and arranged for a birthday cake to be waiting for him at the airport’s FBO on the day of his birthday.
To complete the VIP celebration, we arranged for cars to take him to the aircraft steps, including 3 Royce Rolls Phantoms waiting for the whole group when they arrived in Las Vegas.
It was very satisfying to make sure every detail was taken care of, for such a special occasion.
Matt Barber – Flight Advisor
Before joining PrivateFly’s Flight Team, Matt studied for a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. His passions lie in aviation, entrepreneurship and business.
At PrivateFly, we are used to working to very short timescales, but this flight was a more unusual ‘go now’ request – from one of our yacht broker partners.
Their yacht in Sicily was in urgent need of some maintenance, including a specific barrel of oil that was situated further north in mainland Italy, and the owner was due to arrive that evening. There were no passengers involved, but we promptly found a SA26 Merlin turboprop aircraft to transport the barrel to Sicily and the yacht was in working order in time for the owner’s arrival.
Oleksiy Lazko – Flight Advisor
Oleksiy joined the team after completing a Masters in Aerospace Engineering. He is an aspiring pilot and a native Russian/Ukrainian speaker. His focus is on the Russian speaking market, where PrivateFly is now rapidly expanding.
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As we are integrated with the software systems used by aircraft operators, I could immediately see which aircraft were on the ground in Brussels. I found the client the best possible price on a Cessna Mustang – the most popular small jet in Europe and perfect for his short trip. He was in the air early in the morning – and after a quick turnaround in Strasbourg, back in Brussels 3 hours later – making it to his lunch meeting.
Need a flight?
The PrivateFly Flight Team are available 24 hours and would be delighted to help with your next private jet or helicopter flight. contact us or call +44 1747 642 777.
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