What do I like about Private Aviation?
The very first time I got in touch with Private Aviation was when I was 19 years old.
I was working as ground staff at the local airport and at that time there was a shortage in ramp agents.
Every noun and then the ground staff had to take over and meet the airplanes at arrival and organise with them the services needed such as fuel, deicing, catering, water service, boarding etc…
There were a couple of Private Jets who often landed at that airport.
I used to find it very complicated and therefore I wasn’t happy when my supervisor asked me to assist the Private Jet.
How funny!!
For sure I wasn’t ready for the business aviation, yet.
Life before
Then my life experience build for me my 10-years career in commercial aviation.
The uniform, the company standards, the manuals…. Everything was planned to build up a specific role and create borders and limitation.
Say this, smile now, don’t show your personality, wear this lipstick, the shoes you bought are not standard, don’t personalise the flight, don’t talk to passengers for too long, stay strictly inside the guidelines you received, do what I tell you to do in the moment I say it.
If you don’t do all of the above, I’ll report you to the manager.
I felt like I was an actor.
With the uniform on, I was playing a role in the airplane, which was my theatre.
The cabin full of passengers was my audience.
I totally understand the need to put such a strict rules, especially when the department is so big or you have multiple nationalities involved.
Just the time to get used to the aircraft, the environment and the guidelines and the job became quickly boring and automatic.
You need no brain, you must switch off your passion, personality and character and simply adhere to the instructions.
I reached a point where I could do my job with my eyes closed, so automatic it was.
And it became void and often not fulfilling: I was hungry again!
Life after
When I arrived in Private Aviation, I came into a completely different world.
Are there standard and guidelines? Yes of course.
Is there a uniform and procedures? Certainly.
After all, we are still flying on an aircraft.
Men is still not meant to fly and we must adhere to safety and security procedures in order to make the flight and the environment safe for us and for the customers.
But for the rest…. It’s MY flight, it’s MY service, they are MY customers and this is MY Private Jet.
I like to move things around in the cabin and galley to make it more cozy and efficient.
Every flight is a mission, therefore I study the best way to make it a successful one.
I decide what they eat, when, on which plate, on which table.
If I want to order delicatessen from my cuisine, I can do that.
I personalise the cabin according to the flight specifics and the customers’ profile.
I chose the flower arrangement, the magazines, the music, the intensity of the lights, the decorations, even my uniform.
Put a bit of yourself in every detail
The customisation of the flight is one of the MOST IMPORTANT aspect in Private Aviation.
It is highly recommended that you talk to your customers as much as you can, because form each conversation you can learn more of what they like and how you can surpass their expectations.
Nothing is boring, and nothing is automatic nor given for granted unless you organise yourself.
You need to stay focus and concentrate at all times, because every flight is really different form one another.
I also had the chance to develop my skills in a very unexpected (for me) way: thanks to the Corporate world, I started to practise art and I realised I can be good at it.
In conclusion, what I really appreciate about working in Private Aviation is the chance to show who you are, your background, your personality.
This evolution has started with this job, and it’s constantly progressing.