The Cessna Longitude. Image credit: NetJets
With affluents increasingly drawn to personalized services and unique moments, private aviator NetJets relies on constant customer feedback from its owners to improve everything from aircrafts to the overall onboard experience.
Berkshire Hathaway-owned NetJets personalizes its owner experience before takeoff, assigning every client a personal service number and encouraging its services teams to build relationships with each owner. A commitment to safety – including an in-house metrology team and rigorous pilot training – also contributes to a more luxurious experience for owners.
“NetJets is constantly looking at new ways to enhance the owner experience,” said Patrick Gallagher, president of sales and marketing at NetJets, Columbus, OH. “We are the worldwide leader in private aviation and manage and operate the largest, most diverse private jet fleet in the world.”
In this Q&A, Mr. Gallagher discusses how NetJets emphasizes personalization and prioritizes safety for its owners. Here is the dialogue:
Patrick Gallagher, president of sales and marketing at NetJets. Image courtesy of NetJets
What makes NetJets different from other aviation firms?
NetJets is the world’s first private jet charter and management company.
More than 30 years ago, NetJets pioneered the concept of fractional aircraft ownership. Fractional aircraft ownership offers individuals and businesses all the benefits of whole aircraft ownership at a fraction of the cost.
NetJets has 7,500 owners worldwide and flies to more than 4,000 airports in more than 160 countries. NetJets employs 2,600 pilots with a fleet of over 700 planes, making them available to owners whenever and wherever they need to travel with guaranteed access.
NetJets will collaborate with Cessna on the interior design of the Hemisphere, which is an industry first. Together they will develop a large cabin aircraft that meets the highest safety and performance standards consistent with NetJets owners’ expectations.
How does the NetJets team personalize clients’ flights and overall experience? How does customer feedback get taken into account in new planes and offerings?
Each NetJets flight is carefully customized to each owner’s preferences. Whether that's stocking the cabin with their favorite drinks, snacks and magazines for every flight, caring for their pet – NetJets flew 19,709 pets last year – or creating a special experience for a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion.
NetJets creates many surveys and interviews to gain feedback from owners as well as employees. NetJets also customizes the monuments and cabinets onboard so the customer has a better experience while onboard the aircraft.
NetJets employees will personalize cabins based on owners' needs. Image credit: NetJet
In the cabin, NetJets focuses on many aspects from adjusting the foam densities and contours to enhance the seat comfort, adding textures within the fabrics as well as how the owner interacts with the systems onboard the aircraft.
As NetJets continues to develop their interiors, customers will notice more comfort improvement, materials, textures and new color schemes on our Longitude, Hemisphere and Global 7500.
What role does technology play at NetJets?
As cabin technology continues to develop in both application and sophistication, NetJets constantly looks for new ways to incorporate technology into the cabin and enhance the onboard experience.
For example, the Citation Latitude was the first NetJets fleet equipped with a cabin management system featuring wireless controls via an app. While onboard the Citation Latitude, the window shades, cabin lighting, cabin temperature and onboard audio system can all be controlled via the NetJets Inflight Entertainment app, offering greater convenience and flexibility.
Upon its arrival to the NetJets fleet, the Citation Longitude will feature the same cabin management system along with Bluetooth allowing for wireless audio streaming via the cabin audio system. Additionally, as cabin WiFi technologies develop, NetJets continues to look for opportunities to enhance the onboard connectivity experience.
As such, since last year, NetJets began the process of installing Ka-Band high-speed international WiFi on the Global 6000 fleet in both the U.S. and Europe. This enhancement ensures that NetJets owners can remain connected to all that is important to them, wherever their travels lead.
In light of recent security and safety concerns in aviation, how does NetJets emphasize safety?
NetJets pilots are the most experienced and best-trained pilots in the industry. Even though their minimum hiring requirement is 2,500 hours of total flight time, applicants come to NetJets with an average of more than 10,500 hours of flying experience.
While other companies require annual training, NetJets pilots return twice each year to FlightSafety International, the world’s pre-eminent flight training provider, for ground school, simulator training and proficiency evaluations.
NetJets is proud to be the only private aviation company with a team of full-time, FAA-approved, in-house meteorologists. NetJets was the first private jet operator in the U.S. to achieve Active Conformance status with the FAA’s Safety Management System Voluntary Program.
NetJets is committed to safety and service, combining the latest in-flight technology and the highest safety standards in the industry to ensure the safety of their owners.
What is next for NetJets?
Continued focus on safety and service above all. Continued investment in innovative safety programs and new aircraft.
Continued steady growth, maintaining our dominant position in the industry.