Delivering a perfectly planned BizAv mission involves hours of logistical work before the trip begins. Flight plans, crew visas, weather reports, overflight permits, airport slots, crew schedules… the list goes on and on. And on the day of the mission, everyone is on their toes, ready to quickly respond to any unforeseen deviations.

The ultimate goal is to deliver a safe and flawless client experience, and the ground transportation is an extension of the flight itself. Some brokers and operators consciously stay away from organizing this service, viewing it as a way to potentially lose a client.

We all know that the relationship with a client is in real jeopardy if the customer touch points aren’t consistently meeting expectations. But if you don’t organize ground transportation and your competitor does, you will be at a competitive disadvantage.

Nowadays, there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to provide high-quality door-to-door service anywhere your clients are flying. Organizing the ground transportation for the BizAv community is much more than simply having a chauffeured vehicle show up at the private terminal at the aircraft ETA. Here are some tips to take in consideration:

1) Upfront, all-inclusive price. Clients hate to get approximate quotes only to receive much higher invoices later on with unexpected costs for airport parking, tolls, taxes, gratuities, waiting times, or any other added extras. Always demand guaranteed upfront all-inclusive pricing.

2) Book in seconds. You have many other things to take care of, so obtaining all-inclusive quotes and confirming a vehicle should take seconds. If you have to ask for quotes by email, you’re dependent on how quickly the supplier can respond. Some global providers, Drivania Chauffeurs being one of them, offer a web-based online booking platform, where you can get quotes and book vehicles in just a matter of seconds.

3) Details well in advance.  Forget about having to chase down your supplier to obtain vehicle and chauffeur details the day before the flight takes off. You shouldn’t have to deal with all that stress. Insist that your provider proactively send you vehicle & chauffeur details—with a photograph of the chauffeur—at least 24 hours in advance.

4) 24×7 Customer Support. Making changes to flight itineraries is part of your day-to-day workload. Changes, updates and cancellations are simply part of the industry. So your ground transportation company has to be at least as flexible as you are in handling all these changes as quickly as possible. The ground transportation company should view itself as your partner and understand they are integral for the success of your mission.

5) Service Cancellation. Some chauffeurs require 100% compensation for services cancelled within 24 hours before the scheduled pick-up. Other chauffeurs believe that there is no need to pay for a service that has not incurred any cost for them. If the chauffeur hasn’t left the garage, there’s no damage. Drivania Chauffeurs guarantees a zero-cancellation fee up to 2 hours before any transfer worldwide, and up to 8 hours on any hourly disposition.

6) Flight Tracking & Total Communication. Serving the business aviation community is not like handling a transfer for a commercial aviation client. In order not to incur any unnecessary extra waiting time fees, your ground transportation company must be able to follow your client’s jet, either through the various online platforms available or by remaining in constant communication with the handler, the air charter broker, the aircraft operator and/or the international mission support company.

Every person involved in the mission also needs to be kept informed on how the service is being delivered. Some companies do this via email or SMS, and others allow you to follow the vehicle on an interactive map via an online browser or an app.

7) Invoicing. You need all your suppliers to send you their invoices in a timely manner, so you can settle your own account with your client. Individual chauffeurs are not always quick at issuing invoices—we know this from experience. If your chauffeur company works with the latest technologies and there are no unforeseen extra costs to be added to the initial all-inclusive quote, there is no reason that you shouldn’t receive the invoice immediately after your client steps out of the vehicle and the ground transportation service has successfully concluded.

There are many companies that offer chauffeur services, but not all of them provide a friction-free service designed for the business aviation community that will ensure your clients’ complete satisfaction.

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