Survey: Charter Operators Are Sales Slackers

At a time when they can ill afford to miss out on any available business, charter operators are doing a poor job of responding to flight requests, according to a confidential survey conducted by UK-based operator Hangar 8. CEO Dustin Dryden anonymously made 40 flight requests covering four routes to 25 operators (including his own) and was disappointed to discover that he got a response from just over half of these and that only three quotations were effectively chased.

According to Dryden, the worst operators were those receiving requests via the Avinode online portal or from calls made outside normal office hours. “Avinode has been delivering as many as 90,000 inquiries per month over the past 12 months, but our conversion rate is bad,” he said. “This suggests a major lack of process in our sales and marketing departments.

“It is difficult to get straightforward answers from operators, and the quotes can be very different,” added Dryden, pointing out that significant inconsistencies in the terms and conditions offered by operators result in “nasty surprises” for clients. “We respond badly to requests such as kosher food and Russian-speaking crews; is it really too much hassle for us?”

Dryden concluded that size does matter in the charter markets, with larger operators better placed to offer the flexibility that customers need and provide comprehensive operational support with 24/7 staffing. He also urged operators to improve the way they communicate with clients, make better use of software and do everything possible to preserve the loyalty of charter brokers, who still account for some 90 percent of flight requests.