After recently sharing expertise on NBAA News Hour’s Thought Leadership Edition, Jamie Walker, Jet Linx President and CEO, was interviewed on another major broadcast with AviationPros. On May 13, 2022, Walker joined AviationPros’ Editorial Director Joe Petrie for a discussion on the private aviation company’s recent opening of a new private jet terminal at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and the acquisition of Southern Jet at Boca Raton Airport.

The AviationPros Podcast features the leading minds across the aviation industry discussing the most pressing industry issues. Each episode highlights best practices and innovation ranging from airport operations, ground support processes, business and general aviation trends. Producing content in numerous formats that reaches more than 700,000 viewers monthly, AviationPros is a leading source of information for Executives, Operations, Sales and Management professionals within the aviation industry seeking insights to run a profitable business.

During the podcast, Walker explained the value that Jet Linx has brought to the marketplace in Southern Florida. He noted that while Florida is a hotbed for private aviation, much of the activity comes from local operators that don’t have the same operational capabilities as a national operator such as Jet Linx.

“We have a unique value proposition because we’re able to offer local service coupled with our national infrastructure, buying power and Five-Star service. This has made it possible to make some gains on the Aircraft Management side. When it comes to Jet Cards, our value proposition is strengthened by our ability to reduce deadhead flights and offer a much better hourly rate than some local competitors,” Walker explained.

When asked about how Jet Linx had been received in the South Florida market, Walker said that it has been an interesting process due to delays caused by the pandemic. Initially, Jet Linx planned to enter Florida in early 2020, but the pandemic moved the timeline further back and by 2021 the private aviation market had heated up to the point where Jet Linx had to pause the sale of Jet Cards.

“The short answer is that we’ve been received very well, but we’ve had to temper how many new Jet Card clients we can sign up because we need to make sure we can service them according to our own high standards. We’re currently developing a plan to add more Jet Card clients in the near future,” Walker said.

In a follow-up, Petrie agreed that Florida is a competitive market for private aviation and that makes it difficult to operate from a labor standpoint. When asked how Jet Linx addressed labor shortages while providing the proper service levels, Walker explained that like all companies, Jet Linx is looking to distinguish itself in a competitive labor market .

“It’s the culture of our company that we’ve been building for 23 years. We remain competitive with compensation and benefits programs, but when all else is equal, our culture tips the scales in our advantage when it comes to winning talent,” Walker said.

Want to hear more? The full episode of the AviationPros Podcast can be accessed here.