Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Anvantair Santo talks about taking marketshare

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
A very tasteful interview given by Mr. Santo. Thanks for the heads-up JJ... pretty sure that I would have otherwise missed it!
 
Wait until the market comes back. Glad to see someone doing well...but I think you will find ops normal when the market rebounds.
 
I would personally choose the Avanti over just about any light jet- fast, lots of room inside, and economical, but then again I know a little about airplanes and I'm just a pilot who could never afford it in the first place. It isn't easy getting past stereotypes, misinformation, lies, peer pressure to fly on jets, etc.... If the customers can be convinced to try the product I think it will sell itself well. It is just tricky to get them to try in the first place. I have no idea if it will do as well or better when everything is going well for the ecomony, but good luck.
 
well it comes down to what you wanna do with it. In this economy he wasnt lying when he said people want value. Even rich people. A P180 from BOS to TEB compared to beechjet you wouldnt even notice a diffrence in time, but you would notice a diffrence in price. But going from bostom to LA you would want a jet. It depends on the mission. And some people are just so wealthy they dont care. One of my last flights I flew a very famous actor who said he would never ever fly on a prop again, and we flew him from teb-pit....economicly that woulda worked well in a prop, but he didnt care. The mission.
 
Lot's of people fly props and say, "I'll never do THAT again". But then they fly a Piaggio and reconsider. I've even had owners guests get onboard on a dark ramp and when we arrive are shocked on the lighted ramp that they just flew a prop.

Point is, I'm not worried about people who say they'll never fly props, cause eventually one of their friends are gonna give them a ride on us and then we got 'em.
 
A P180 from BOS to TEB compared to beechjet you wouldnt even notice a diffrence in time, but you would notice a diffrence in price.
You will most certainly a difference in time when compared to a LR40/45, 60, or Hawker800. The P180, NYC to FLA is typically scheduled at 350-370 (on flightaware) versus the others scheduled at 440+. That's 20% difference which translates to 20% more in per NM price for the P180.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VNR172
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VNR160
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/EJA878P
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/LXJ443

370 kts on anything over 2 hours is SLOW.
 
It will also boil down to the service provided by the frac.

Personally, think the Avanti is a cool airplane but like the ceo said, it is a 'niche" market that serves a small group of flyers. People equate jets with "modern" regardless of the truth. Everyone has their reasons for airplanes. I spoke to one owner that said he chose the G200 because of the cargo capacity of the airplane! I think as we ALL grow, the choices offered will drive the market as much as the cost. Also remember that there is the "ego" factor.
 
The market to buy "cheap" aircraft like the Piaggio or the Phenom 100 is much larger than the market focused on "expensive" aircraft like Gulfstreams or Challengers. Avantair is positioned very well in the lower segment of the market which is very large. That said, many people who formerly bought in the mid-range (i.e., Lear 45s, Citation XLS and Hawkers) either have less resources now (thanks to Obama and his upcoming tax increases) or have reconsidered their previous excesses and want something cheaper. The good thing about the Piaggio is that you don't sacrifice too much on performance or comfort vs. the mid-range aircraft on short-to-medium haul flights. The P180 is just as comfortable as the Hawker 800XP. I agree that it is a little slower on the NY-FL route, but the comfort and quiet interior probably make the extra time more tolerable. Plus, the P180 has excellent ramp presence and that really appeals to some people... IMO, Avantair is very well positioned during the recession as well as for the rebound.

I really hope the CEO at Avantair focuses hard on maintaining/improving customer service to accomodate this growth - I agree that customer service will be critical for both growth and current client retention.

Beyond Avantair, both Executive Airshares (Phenom 100) and even Flight Options (Phenom 300) should also be well positioned in terms of solid products in this recession. The Phenom 300 at FLOPS will arrive in December and it should be pretty competitive against the Beechjet, CJ3, Lear 40XR and the Citation Ultra/Encore/XL. See this link:

http://www.flightoptions.com/phenom-300-comparison.html

Unfortunately, FLOPS has a tarnished customer service reputation that will need a lot of fixing to ensure success (in addition to unfair labor practices with its pilots). Still, I would think the Phenom 100/300 should sell well into the eventual market rebound.
 
Last edited:

Latest resources

Back
Top