Kate Sarsfield/LONDON
Online charter reservation company FlightTime.com has formed a strategic partnership with Airbus Industrie and its airliner remarketing division, Asset Management, to place the A319 Corporate Jet (CJ), A310 and A320 in service with large international corporations as executive shuttles.
Airbus has been promoting the A319CJ to the corporate shuttle market for some time. The Toulouse-based consortium has conducted extensive research of more than 200 international corporations, assessing their travel patterns and requirements and predicts this market could account for sales of more than 20 A319CJs within five years.
Boston, Massachusetts-based FlightTime.com has simultaneously linked with PrivatAir of Switzerland to jointly promote their services. The Geneva-based private airline, which owns a growing fleet consisting of a Gulfstream IV-SP, a Boeing 737-300, a 757 and three Boeing Business Jets, is keen to increase its transatlantic operations. Greg Thomas, general counsel at PrivatAir says: "Transatlantic travel has increased as a result of mergers and acquisitions. We are creating a new market sector, effectively going head-to-head with first and business class [airline] travel."
FlightTime.com, is working alongside Airbus and PrivatAir to promote the aircraft, through joint presentations to prospective customers.
FlightTime.com chief executive Jane McBride says: "These informal and non-competitive partnerships enable FlightTime.com to increase the numbers of deluxe-configured aircraft that it can provide to corporations interested in chartering transatlantic flights".
The service is promoted through FlightTime.com's Global Programme, which it says, is intended to help corporations decrease travel costs and accommodate executives' work schedules. McBride concedes: "While Airbus and PrivatAir will supply the aircraft, FlightTime.com will supply the charter management services, such as contracts for ground handling, fuel catering and customer service". She adds: "Corporations can get access to the aircraft either through outright ownership, leasing, or financing".
FlightTime.com, which officially launched its online charter service in Europe last month, is hoping to emulate the Proctor and Gamble model, which in March became its first client, utilising a customised Airbus A320-200, configured with 56 first-class seats and operating four times a week between Cincinnati and Brussels. The company is close to signing another as yet undisclosed corporation to the programme.
FlightTime.com is also taking steps to deliver the service to travellers whose journey's originate in Asia and the Middle East. McBride says: "Charter operators in the two regions are expressing interest in working with us to tap this new market and generate more business. We plan to open marketing and operations offices in Hong Kong or Singapore [for Asia] and possibly Dubai [as a Middle East base] in the next 18 months".
Source: Flight International
