Last week proved interesting for those air charter schlocks who patiently wait for BCA to arrive in the mail. Many emailed RSVPair HQ and yammered about the article "Lighting the Darker Side of Air Charter" in Business and Commercial Aviation. (A McGraw Hill Publication that corporate aviation buffs follow like the Oracle at Delphi.) The interesting thing about the article and related stories are not so much about the news itself, but about the flap in the air charter community over just what is going to happen with the UberBrokers, the DOT and strange certificate sharing games that are not clear cut to the end user of the "for hire" services.

The facts in the story that are still unfolding seem to point the finger at many parties. The most interesting thing is that the incident prompted Blue Star Jets to overhaul how they do safety analysis on each trip. This ofcourse is great news for Wyvern since they no doubt can dip into a massive trip flow and show off their adherence to best practices.

On the other hand,.... crass and jaded entities roll eyes quietly yet noticeably when an UberBroker claims they've found Jesus and that they are going "to get on top of this boogie man asap."

The biggest problem with perception vs. reality is that perception is what sells, and what businesses tend to focus on when building sales. As a consumer, you hope the story is authentic, but ultimately you don't buy the story because it is actually authentic. For example, buying a fraction of a jet is smart and saves money is always a good giggles test.

The reality is that when you are an air charter broker you are constantly squeezed by your client to add value (i.e. get me the best plane for the lowest price) and when you are focused on selling charters, it is hard to also be the safety police - after all, your job is to sell charters.

Either way this development will theoretically force the safety discussion into the process of each Blue Star trip and at a very minimum increases the exposure and awareness of safety information around Part 135 flying. Whether you are a Wyvern or Blue Star Jets fan or detractor, this development will certainly raise the ante for anyone in the business and force the safety discussion out into the light.

This post was made by Adam Webster who is still trying to fit in as much tennis before the climate in Montreal changes for the worse on Oct 1st.