VistaJet buys Skyjet Europe

[notapilot]

VistaJet buys Skyjet Intl

Anyone else see the bizarre coincidence of timing of Flexjets new rebranding campaign and the selloff of Skyjet Intl? Will Skyjet USA and Flexjet be next? VistaJet just made over $1 billion in aircraft orders from Bombardier. Looks like a great company with big vision. This can be the push Flexjet needs to grow.

http://www.vistajet.com/

“The bulk order and the purchase of Bombardier Skyjet International are in line with our plans to be the leader in this industry and accelerate our global expansion,” said Thomas Flohr, Chairman of VistaJet.

According to Bing Chen, CEO, this is a significant milestone for ourcompany, heralding in a new era as VistaJet expands its business model worldwide. “Our success is greatly helped by the popularity, reliability and proven performance of our Bombardier business aircraft, and as our business continues to expand globally, we are confident that our relationship with Bombardier will continue to grow and produce exceptional results.”

 

[Ref]

I dont think this is going to affect us here in the US. It seems this deal is between the two companies in Europe, but who really knows. It seems anything can happen these days.

 

[notapilot]

Another piece of the puzzle.

In 1997: Lufthansa Designates Frederick Reid Airline's President and Chief Operating Officer; American Named Head of Newly Formed Board

In 2001-2004: Reid appointed to COO and president of Delta Airlines. Reid joined Delta in 1998 as chief marketing officer and in May 2001 assumed president and COO duties, including route planning, strategic alliances, global sales and marketing.

In 2005: Lufthansa-Netjet model formed: http://www.lufthansa.com/cdautils/me...dia_326005.pdf

In 2006: Branson plans to start service of Virgin America a US airline where he appointed Reid as CEO.

In 2007: Due to pressure from the DOT, Cush replaces Reid as CEO of Virgin America. Reid is still kept on the board of directors as an advisor to Branson.

In 2008: When tentatively approving Virgin America last month, DOT took the company up on its January offer to remove Reid from the board or the company "if absolutely necessary." In March, DOT said Reid has "longstanding association with foreign investors [that] raised concerns about who would control the new carrier" (ATWOnline, March 21).

In 2008: Reid tapped to lead Bombardier Flexjet.

Some combination of a Virgin Flexjet or Vista Flexjet relationship is not a far off idea. I will take Branson you can have Buffett, both being very successful businessmen. We need to be very open to Reid. Reid is not at Flexjet for what Bombardier is able to offer him. He is not here for the Bombardier money or advancement. It doesn't make sense any other way. This can be an exciting time for us.

 

[CX880]

500TT requirement to fly the Lear XRs. 1000TT to fly the Global Express or the Challenger. sigh.....

 

[FraxJockey]

There is a contractual obligation that prevents this...sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[CX880]

http://www.vistajet.com/en/about_careers.php?career=2

 

[FraxJockey]

For there to be any Flexjet / Vistajet connection, the pilots have to meet the FLEXJET minimums...this is all in a theoretical sense since this is all conjecture. The Flexjet mins are closer to the a/c commander mins.

Vistajet mins are quite low though.

 

[Hung Start]

"Crew members must live in Europe within one hour of an airport with scheduled airline service"


Things are looking up already!!!!


Hung

 

[Freight Dog]

That pesky JAR license....

 

[notapilot]

For there to be any Flexjet / Vistajet connection, the pilots have to meet the FLEXJET minimums...this is all in a theoretical sense since this is all conjecture. The Flexjet mins are closer to the a/c commander mins.

Vistajet mins are quite low though.

Not true if they are operated as two seperate companies which they would have to be anyway, US/INTL.

 

[notapilot]

There is a contractual obligation that prevents this...sorry to burst your bubble.

You're not bursting bubbles. I am merely pointing out a futrue possibility. All contractual obligations can easily be met with a new parent company.

 

[EdAtTheAirport]

And yet another piece:

They haven't found Steve Fossett, but have found water on Mars. It's gonna get creepy around here.

 

[notapilot]

Interview with Reid:

Q: To what extent is Richard Branson involved with the airline? Do you call him?

A: I see him mostly socially. He's always dreamt of seeing a Virgin-branded airline operating in the United States. But Richard is also very smart, and he understands that the only way to do that in the United States is through a trademark license, nothing more, nothing less than a trademark license that the U.S. investors contracted with the Virgin Group.
So Richard is an idea guy. Richard is a creative guy. But he's not on the board. I saw him three times face to face last year, and spoke to him twice on the telephone. In total, five times. The conversation is usually like, "Well, how are things going?" I say, "Great." He says, "Are you ever going to get that airline started or not?" and I say, "One of these days," He says, "Do you need anything and are you comfortable?" I say, "I'm great." He does not get involved in the financials or the governance.

Q: Do you work for him?

A: No. I was hired by a management company called Virgin USA in April 2004. Virgin USA is a company that looks for new business opportunities for the Virgin Group.

 

[notapilot]

Virgin Group to Start Online Site for Charter Flights
By Tracy Alloway and Hugo Miller

June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Virgin Group Ltd. , owned by U.K. billionaire Richard Branson, will expand its aviation operations with an online service to match travelers with private-plane charter operators in the U.S. Virgin Charter will begin in the U. S. fall season, Brooke Hammerling, a spokeswoman for the company in New York, said today. The business, to be based in the U.S., will run a Web site that lets people book private planes for flights and view customer ratings and safety audits.
The new business will compete with established providers such as Manchester, New Hampshire-based OneSky Jets. Branson is adding Virgin Charter as the Federal Aviation Administration forecasts a 3.2 percent annual rise over 10 years for general aviation, which includes private charters and air-taxi services. “We all expect private aviation to grow enormously over the next 10 years and this diversites the risk” associated with the Virgin America Inc. low-cost carrier Branson is also helping to start, said Darryl Jenkins, an aviation consultant in Marshall, Virginia.
Virgin America, which won flight permission from the U.S. Transportation Department on May 18, expects to begin flights by the middle of this summer, Chief Executive Offiicer Fred Reid has said. The Burlingame, California-based carrier plans to begin with New York-San Francisco flights.
Virgin Charter is being added as long security checks and the threat of terrorism hamper commercial air travel and boost the popularity of private jets. The new company is contacting private-jet operators. The company's customer base will include athletes, entertainers, business travelers and private clients, he said. Virgin Charter also plans to offer helicopters and jumbo jets for hire.
“In the U.S., corporate jets fly empty about half of the time,” he said. “It's incredibly inefficient.”

 

[notapilot]

Virgin Charter CEO Scott Duffy says the company will help. He says 40% of all private jet flights in the U.S. annually have no passengers aboard, as planes turn "empty legs" rather than sit idle on the tarmac waiting for return trips.
"This is the No. 1 thing we think we can reduce through our scheduler, which will create greater efficiency," he said.
The industry is currently dominated by two companies: NetJets, a purveyor of fractional ownership, and Marquis Jets, which allows members to buy flight time by the hour.

Richard Branson, "The kinds of people who fly on private planes might want to go to the moon one day." http://www.newsday.com/services/new...h/la-fi-spaceship29-2008jul29,0,2202547.story

Branson getting involved with fractionals would be a smart way for Virgin Group to profit from the losses of high dollar airline passengers and also get a base of customers for Virgin Galactic. Since his peer Buffett already finds great success in Netjets, why not try it out for himself.

This of course is all speculation. The future should be bright at Flexjet if Bombardier allows Reid to do what he wants or if we are eventually sold off to a more aggressive buyer.

 

[notapilot]

More supporting evidence of the possibility some on here dismissed.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/30/316669/flexjet-evaluates-european-re-launch.html

 

[ArtVandalay]

I've been hearing the rumor that Virgin charter will buyout Flexjet for a few months now. You never know and, with Reid's tight friendship with Branson, well, you never know.

 

[notapilot]

Bump. Guess I wasn't too far off almost 2 years ago.