The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading professional organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more successful.

The association represents more than 11,000 companies and professionals and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including trade shows and the informative webinar series, the NBAA News Hour.

On February 16, 2022, Jamie Walker, Jet Linx President and CEO, was invited to speak at the NBAA News Hour’s Thought Leadership Edition. This regularly occurring webinar series is an interactive platform that allows participants to get answers to their pressing operational, legal and related industry questions from people in the know. These webinars touch on considerations including crew scheduling, catering, aircraft cleaning and maintenance, airport and airspace operations, medical advice and more.

Walker spoke alongside moderator Jay Mesinger, President and CEO of Mesinger Jet Sales; Sheryl Barden, President and CEO of Aviation Personnel International; Todd Duncan, Chairman at Duncan Aviation, and Ed Bolen, President and CEO of NBAA.

Walker and other members of the panel focused on lessons learned from 2021 and examined trends that would define 2022, including expectations on aircraft supply, how increased flight hours will affect maintenance scheduling, the impact on hiring and benefits and how all the different pressures in the market may affect lift fulfillment.

When the panel discussed the norms of pilot hiring and benefits in 2022, Walker outlined need for creativity and clarity. “We need to create a clear vision for crewmembers to see long-term opportunities in business aviation. Jet Linx took an aggressive approach in 2017 and became the first Part 135 operator to create a pathway program with a Part 121 air carrier. While that might seem counterintuitive to offer a pathway away from private aviation, we believe by being a better steward, we can attract more talent to business aviation by offering a more clear, linear pathway for crewmembers.”

The Destination 225° program was created in partnership with Southwest Airlines® and provides capable candidates with a career path from private aviation (Part 135) with Jet Linx to the commercial airlines (Part 121). This unique career lifecycle solution has already placed more than a dozen pilots in Jet Linx cockpits, with more young aviators to come.

When asked how Jet Linx has managed flight crews to keep up with a large increase in demand, Walker explained that crews now undergo reviews twice annually not only to discuss compensation, but to ensure an appropriate work life balance.

With a pilot shortage still in play, Jet Linx has had to put forth creative solutions. “We’ve become more aggressive with our rest and duty protocols due to the increase in demand. We want to make sure our flight crews are well rested, are feeling valued and most importantly, that they’re safe to fly,” Walker said.

When the panel discussed industry response to the ongoing pilot shortage in the midst of the increased demand for private jets, Walker explained that Jet Linx suspended Jet Card sales to gain control of the demand on the business, which not only relieved pressure on crewmembers but also had a cooling operational ripple effect on other departments at the company.

“It’s a balancing act for us. We want our Jet Card Members to have the same flight experience as before the pandemic, and we want our team members to feel valued in the culture we’ve created. While the pandemic has created many challenges for this industry, we also feel that it’s an opportunity for the entire industry to improve in many ways,” Walker added.

Walker applauded efforts by the FAA to crack down on illegal charter, which has been a black mark on the safety record of private aviation, as an opportunity for improvement on an industry-wide level. Not only is illegal charter an unsafe practice, it also damages the reputation of the industry and of legitimate operators that don’t cut corners. While Walker understood the temptation for smaller operators to service illegal charter flights, he explained that they also have an opportunity right now to merge with larger operators.

“We foresee a lot of consolidation and have identified a number of smaller operations that share our same dedication to safety and service. We believe that both Jet Linx and many other operators can benefit by working together or merging to address the surge in enthusiasm we’ve seen for private aviation in the last few years,” Walker said.

If you’d like to view a complete replay of the NBAA Thought Leadership webinar featuring Jamie Walker, please click here. To learn more about Jet Linx private aviation services and private aviation careers, visit Jetlinx.com.