Professional Pilot, July 2020

ture For some operators a smaller boutique style ISP may be the best and most fl exible solution When things go wrong overseas If things go sideways on an international trip the fi rst step is to contact your local handler and ISP Preferably youll have a dedicated team or team member available to assist you and theyll have your trip and profi le at their fi ngertips From time to time we hear of self handled fl ight departments contacting ISPs at the last minute to take over and solve issues the operator ran into on the day of operation In some cases operators may be leaving the next day and want a new ISP to take over adds Pierce While we are happy to assist its important to be realistic in terms of each individual service that needs to be changed particularly in terms of short notice permit changes Fuller points out that a good ISP will work to keep you out of problems before they materialize The key is to avoid potential problems in advance by being aware of airport and or noise curfews permit and airport slot fl exibility and by having geopolitical awareness he says Some countries may be best not to overfl y due to potential security concerns and some international airports are best avoided if you think you may need fl exibility to change schedule and leave on very short notice While its great to be able to call someone for a rescue if things go wrong the best option is not to put yourself in the position of having to be rescued in the fi rst place Always discuss with your ISP ahead of your trip what youre trying to accomplish This way they can help steer you clear of potential issues and limitations Cost considerations There are of course costs to using ISPs as opposed to managing it all on your own Certain private operators and charter providers are more focused on cost and are willing to take some of the trip planning in house However you also need to consider your mission profi les your passenger needs and risk tolerance for things not going well The reason why companies use business aviation is so they can reduce worry about mission success If a CEO has to wonder whether an international 16 PROFESSIONAL PILOT July 2020 trip will go smoothly this defeats the purpose of having an in house fl ight department Using ISPs for trip planning and support has the benefi t of allowing you to run a smaller fl ight department as you can rely on 24 7 outside support On the other hand having to deal with lot of different outside vendors and accounts payable adds challenges to a corporate structure While ISPs may add 15 or so to the services for which they provide credit youll get a clear presentation of all trip costs Pierce adds There are so many large and small fees involved with an international trip that if youre self managing it can be diffi cult to audit and comprehend all the different 3rd party invoices And setting up overseas credit on your own can be a challenge When traveling the world prices you pay do not always equate to perceived level of service You might pay 10000 or 12000 for ground handing in Western Europe and not have a particularly good experience says Kurshildgen On the other hand you may pay 2000 for a perceived higher level of handling service in Costa Rica When things start to go wrong you want someone who understands your mission and can ensure the success of your trip However although we usually get what we pay for it may be possible to haggle on ISP pricing at times Its easier to do this with a bigger company on account of their large physical infrastructure and personnel and particularly if you prove youll bring volume notes Kang CSL Cabo San Lucas Mexico is one of the easier international destinations to operate to It has full support and handling capabilities Depending on the nature of your trip however even such straightforward destinations can present challenges Smaller ISPs may not have the same options in terms of price negotiation Summary Its relatively easy these days to put together an international trip using online fl ight planning software and establishing individual arrangements with ground handlers Challenges however come into play when you need to change schedule and begin moving arrangements around Once you start making changes you have to plan on how to mitigate potential challenges says LeDuc Things dont always go to plan and they can start to unravel The CEO may be late for the departure catering may not show up curfews may kick in there could be parking issues at the next stop and there may be slot time permit and other issues to contend with It can all start to snowball Youre dealing with all these different moving pieces that need approvals from different authorities Kang concludes In choosing trip support options it comes down to what you have in house what youre willing to do to get the service levels you want and how much tolerance you have for things to go wrong on the day of operation Editor at Large Grant McLaren has written for Pro Pilot for over 40 years and specializes in corporate fl ight department coverage Photo courtesy CSL Intl Airport