Picture this: There’s a blizzard rolling in. Scores of airlines cancel flights preemptively, days before the snowflakes even begin to spiral down from the sky. You’re left to frantically try to rebook your reservations or find alternative travel arrangements at the last minute.
This is not a hypothetical situation. The March 13, 2017 blizzard caused the cancellation of over 9,000 commercial flights, impacting thousands upon thousands of travelers. Those who acquired private aircraft avoided the last minute stress and scramble, however. As winter weather begins to take shape again, scenarios like this will most likely happen many times across the country.
How can a storm that leads to commercial flight cancellations for thousands days before the storm even hits only slightly inconvenience a fractional jet ownership program like PlaneSense? Read on to learn more about how private flights avoid weather-based flight cancellations.
A Case Study in a Blizzard
Here’s how it went at PlaneSense, Inc.: As we watched the storm develop on weather monitoring system, we quickly began to contact owners who had scheduled flights that may be impacted by the weather conditions. Our Flight Operations Center (FOC) personnel worked with owners to adjust flight schedules and ensure everyone got to their intended destination before the storm hit in earnest, which would have impacted their travel plans.
Even on the day of the storm, our fleet of PC-12 aircraft took off early in the morning to pick up passengers and bring them to their destinations before the blizzard arrived.
Did we fly during the actual blizzard? No, because safety is one of our enduring priorities. Did we get our passengers where they needed to go, unlike the commercial airlines, cancelling flights well before a storm hits to avoid repositioning costs? Absolutely.
Inclement Weather Won’t Stop Private Flight
This is not an uncommon scenario for us. Come rain, hail, hurricane, or snow, PlaneSense makes arrangements to ensure our passengers get to where they need to go. It might mean a slight adjustment of your pickup and arrival times, but that’s a preferable alternative to being stranded or driving long distances by car.
Because our Flight Operations Center is manned 24 hours a day by professionals who keep a close eye on the weather, we can react to storms well in advance and ensure we’ve worked with you to find an appropriate pickup time, and an alternative destination if your preferred airport is closed. That’s flexibility and a personal connection that airlines can’t and won’t provide.
To learn more about how you can fly in the winter and avoid weather-based flight cancellations with less headaches, reach out to us today.