Putting a Cap on Corporate Jet Maintenance Costs

All corporate jet owners have two things in common. First, they love the convenience, safety, and security that their airplanes provide. Second, they hate dealing with unexpected maintenance bills.

That’s why Bombardier introduced business aviation’s first cost-per-flight-hour airframe maintenance coverage program, Smart Parts, some 35 years ago.

“The program was originally introduced with our Challenger 601 to provide owners with the ability to accurately budget for both scheduled and AOG inspections and maintenance,” explains Guillaume Landrivon, Bombardier’s Vice President, Smart Services and Programs. “It was very well received by our customers, and today, some 1,600 Bombardier aircraft with over 10 million flight hours are enrolled in our Smart Services programs.”

In the same way that Bombardier has continually upgraded the performance and reliability of its Learjet, Challenger, and Global families of aircraft, the company has consistently invested in enhancing its Smart Services offerings to meet changing customer demands.

“The latest addition to our far-reaching cost-per-flight-hour coverage portfolio is Smart Services Elite,” Landrivon says. “With Smart Services Elite, customers enjoy cost protection for a wide range of components and services, including five areas of coverage that are offered as options on our Smart Parts Plus and Smart Parts Preferred programs.

“With those options now included in Smart Services Elite, customers enjoy bundled coverage for landing gear overhaul, cabin systems components, APUs for all Global models, scheduled labor with corrosion coverage on new aircraft deliveries, and coverage for the cost of unscheduled labor,” he explains. “With Smart Services Elite customers have the peace of mind knowing that all their airframe maintenance costs are handled by one easy program at a predictable price.”

Landrivon also stressed that with Smart Services Elite, almost the entire aircraft’s systems are covered excluding the engines, providing complete peace of mind.

One Bill to Cover Them All

While every owner/operator of a Bombardier business jet has unique needs, Landrivon says that throughout the company’s many years of interaction with members of its Customer Advisory Boards, one request remained common: owners wanted one-stop billing – a service the team is currently working to implement.

“Our customers are very busy people, so instead of receiving multiple invoices, which is time-consuming and confusing, they asked for a one bill approach for all the services Bombardier delivers,” he says. “One simple bill at one guaranteed fixed price per flight hour.”

“That’s what Smart Services Elite provides,” Landrivon continues. “It’s an efficient program that has an easy-to-understand bill covering all the essential services, including cost coverage for parts, labor, mobile repair teams, landing gear, avionics, technical publications, technical support, and shipping. We are also working on adding third-party service invoices to the one-stop billing process as well.

“Customers choosing Smart Services Elite like that their cost per flight hour is also fixed for the duration of their contract,” he adds. “So, they know today how much they will pay for each flight hour with no surprises.” In today’s world, cost predictability is a huge benefit.

While that’s a big help for budget planning, Landrivon says that customers opting for Bombardier’s Smart Services Elite will have the added benefit of knowing that annual increases in all the costs-per-flight hour will be locked in at 2.95 percent per year, regardless of the actual inflation rate.

“Smart Services Elite is aimed at customers who want to ensure that they have an easy, predictable, flexible, and consistent maintenance experience with their Bombardier aircraft,” he says. “Whether it is applied to a factory-new, in-service or a Bombardier Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Learjet, Challenger, or Global business jet, it is the best way to eliminate unexpected airframe maintenance expenses.”

Landrivon adds that there are no program buy-in fees for a Bombardier CPO or in-service aircraft. And as an added benefit, the company also provides airframe corrosion rectification coverage and coverage for unserviceable components on newly delivered business aircraft and CPO business jets.

Minimizing Costs While Maximizing Uptime

While the core of Smart Services Elite can be traced to providing Bombardier aircraft operators with a predictable way to control maintenance and operational costs, it also offers other tangible benefits.

One of the most notable is the highly personalized level of services that operators will receive throughout Bombardier’s worldwide service network.

“No matter where they are in the world, our Smart Services Elite customers have a factory-owned BAS hotline to acquire parts, whether it’s for routine maintenance or an AOG situation,” Landrivon explains. “We are also implementing the same approach whenever they need to receive support from our Mobile Repair Teams or from our entire Bombardier service network. Their aircraft availability is our number-one priority.”

“Our Smart Service Elite customers have the added confidence of knowing that all parts will be Bombardier parts,” he continues, “and all maintenance and inspections will be carried out by highly-skilled technicians who thoroughly understand your Bombardier aircraft. Our facilities offer comprehensive capabilities and deliver the highest quality service by the industry’s most highly trained technicians on Bombardier aircraft.

Lower Cost When You Fly, Enhanced Peace of Mind

The Smart Services Elite program provides the opportunity to help create a higher market value for your aircraft, Landrivon says.

“We find that aircraft that are under our Smart Services programs spend less time on the market and tend to resell at a higher price,” he explains. “Of course, the price difference may vary depending on the aircraft’s model and age, and the impact on resale value will be higher when a major inspection is imminent, as it will have been provisioned for in the Smart Services coverage.”

He also says that appraisers, brokers, prospective buyers, bankers and lenders are all interested in the benefits this coverage provides.

“Banks want to know that their investment in that aircraft will be protected and because owners are paying a monthly fee for maintenance, they are encouraged to keep the aircraft in pristine condition,” Landrivon continues. “In fact, we’ve heard that many lenders are now requiring that the aircraft be enrolled in a Smart Services program in order to receive financing. That’s a testament to the value it brings.”

“To that end, we are ensuring that the Smart Services Elite program can be included in the final price of the aircraft,” he says. “It’s just one more way we make the experience easier and more enjoyable for all our customers.”

With over three decades of providing industry-leading cost-per-flight-hour coverage programs like Smart Services Elite, Bombardier is continually strengthening its commitment to making its family of business aircraft easier to buy, fly, and sell.