Comments Off on Discover new insights in our NodeTalks sessions in Las Vegas.
Our specialists in charter sales, flight operations, and payment workflows are lined up to share their bite-sized presentations that will get your inspiration flowing in Las Vegas. Remember to reserve your seat today to ensure a great spot and secure a special gift on arrival.
”I’m excited to bring our team of payment specialists to this year’s NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. We’ll be sharing data and trends in the payment sphere that we know will benefit our customers. We want to inspire operators and brokers to try new solutions that can make their lives a lot easier. There is so much happening in digital payments that our industry can learn from.” says Brenton Melville, Business Development Manager.
Here are all the topics on the NodeTalks schedule in booth C7226:
Why integrated payments matter We go through the challenges and trends related to payments that you need to know to keep your air charter payments and communications flowing.
The future of online booking Be inspired to improve your customer’s experience with a smoother online booking solution that keeps track of quotes, contracts and payments – all in one place.
In addition to our NodeTalks, our team is always ready to serve you insights about the latest market trends and insights. Ask us about our reports with demand and charter rate trends based on our Avinode data.
Comments Off on Get ready for fall season with our charter demand indications.
By Harry Clarke – Head of Insights and Analytics
European demand trends are changing
The chart above outlines how far in advance buyers have been sourcing charter, broken down into groupings of days in advance. We see a significant change between the first half of 2022 and 2023. In 2022, about 25% of requests were for trips greater than 30 days in advance. The equivalent in 2023 was about 35%.
That change meant that in summer 2023, demand accumulated earlier. In August and September so far, we have seen an increase in the amount of last-minute demand, compared to 2022.
Year-over-year difference in cumulative demand, 7-day average, for trips within Europe.
This chart shows the forward demand trends for the fall months in the European market, along with the completed figures for July and August.
You can see the impact of the change in sourcing behaviour in this chart. All the departure months initially started performing well versus last year before steadily decreasing – because a higher proportion of sourcing happened early in 2023, compared to 2022. August did recover slightly in the late market, ending 14% down.
What will happen in the Fall?
We have continued to see demand accumulate earlier than 2021 and 2022. We expect future months to follow similar trends and end 5 to 15% down. Some trends over the next 12 weeks, starting mid-september, include:
Demand between the UK and France, up 20% vs. 2022. It is clear the Rugby World Cup is driving this, with increased demand to and from venue cities like Marseille and Paris.
Domestic flights in Spain, up 17%. Departures from Spain are up 6%.
Departures from Germany, down 22%. Demand to Spain is resilient but domestics, and international demand to the UK, France, and Italy are all down on last year.
Looking at demand between Europe and the Middle East for only the next 9 weeks (so that the figures aren’t clouded by the Qatar World Cup last year) – overall demand is flat. Strong demand between the UK, Dubai and Saudi Arabia is compensating for less demand elsewhere.
Distribution of how far in advance trips were sourced by sourced month, for US buyers.
Sourcing behavior in the US shows a similar trend to Europe with much higher advance sourcing during the first half of 2023 than in 2022. Even in August 2023, the figure was 4 percentage points higher than in 2022.
Year-over-year difference in cumulative demand, 7-day average, for US domestic trips.
The impact is shown in the build-up of demand for future months in the US – with demand for September and October at around 20% above 2022 early on, before decreasing closer to departure. I expect September to finish similarly to August, which closed at 6% down. October looks more positive and could finish better than September. November will decrease from its high position, which is caused by very early demand for this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations.
Looking more granularly, for the next 12 weeks from mid-September:
Demand from the Western states is up 6%, driven by flights to and from Las Vegas. From across the US, demand into Vegas is up 25%. This is concentrated around the F1 Grand Prix weekend. The demand increase is highest from California, but Florida, New Jersey and Illinois are also contributing.
Demand between New Jersey and Florida is down around 20%. Miami and Orlando are the arrivals driving this, with more robust demand to West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
Notable increase in demand to and from Atlanta – so far about 35% up on 2022 for this period.
Demand into Las Vegas, by, day, from within the USA: October and November. Note the big demand spike for the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix on the right-hand side. Green = demand so far this year, red = final demand last year and black = last year demand at the same number of days before departure.
For travel within Latin America, demand in Avinode is so far up 16% for the next 12 weeks, with the domestic Mexican market contributing the most to this increase. Cross-border traffic between Mexico and the US is down around 10%. In the Caribbean, the star performer is the Dominican Republic, with demand from the US up 33%.
Transatlantic travel is flat. Elsewhere in the world, demand from Asia is notable, with trips to the US and Europe up around 25%. Ranking the top 50 countries for departures over the next 12 weeks, those displaying the highest percentage growth versus last year are China (up 200%) and Japan (49%).
Curious about other recent trends in business aviation?
Our Avinode data makes decision-making a lot easier! Visit our Business IQ webshop to browse our reports on demand, charter rates, or custom reports.
Comments Off on NodeTalks: The future of online booking in air charter
In this video from our recent NodeTalk presentations at EBACE 2023, Anna explains the background and insights that motivates us to build an upgraded online booking solution:
“Back in the day when Avinode was founded, we made a big impact by bringing the sourcing aspect of business aviation online. Today, we see that purchasing patterns are increasingly online, and we can see in our data that this is also true for buying private air charter. We’re now building a solution to make this process a lot easier for operators and brokers.”
About Anna
Anna is Lead Product Manager of Avinode Group and based in Gothenburg, Sweden. With a background in different tech scale-ups she knows exactly what is needed to expand our product team and create a strong company culture. Her free time is the perfect mix of family life, wine and dine, concerts and tattoos.
Comments Off on A payment process that charter companies rely on
In what way is trust an issue for our members?
Trusting new partners can be tricky in this industry since doing business with a new broker or operator means you have no prior relationship or built-up trust to lean on. Operators and brokers all care about building long-lasting relationships but there’s not always time for that. Charter trips are both high-value and time-sensitive. We know that 32% of charter trips in 2022 were booked within 72 hours of departure. That’s why we need to make sure that everyone involved in booking a trip can rely on the process.
How do you help our customers reduce friction in their payment processes?
I work closely with finance teams and business owners to help manage their payment workflows. We all know that even between legitimate and trustworthy companies there can be hickups in the process of booking and paying for a trip. There can be an issue with the aircraft or an issue when processing a payment. It feels really great when I can be there for them and help them through such issues, and make the process smoother.
How does our workflow increase trust between members?
To be honest, you don’t need to worry about trusting a partner anymore. That’s what we are here for! One of the big benefits is that our members all go through the same vetting process, making sure that they only deal with legitimate companies with a good track record.
With our solution, they get processes and the technology that protects them from issues with fraud, chargebacks, and slow payments. We’re also a dedicated team that guides our members through some of those tricky moments, like processing a refund, which makes a difference also for the end customer.
Helping to make some of those key interactions with the end customers easier and with less friction, is where I think we build trust in the business aviation industry.
What are some of the results our customers can see?
Although the number of members and transactions in Paynode has grown rapidly recently, we can see that the number of refunds and disputes we process is at a consistently low level. It feels great to know that our solution works and helps our members avoid issues.
How we’re building a serious network
Since we have a payment solution integrated in our Avinode Group offer, successfully completing the vetting process is a prerequisite for all new members of our payment solution.
This process is a regulatory and legal requirement any time a new bank account, money transfer process or card processing account is set up. It is one of many steps we take, together with our payment solution providers, to ensure against money laundering, the funding of terrorism, fraud, and the illegal transfer of funds.
Comments Off on The marketing internship that raised the bar for the future
What made you apply for an internship with Avinode Group?
I applied for this position since I’ve always been interested in marketing and the tech sphere. I’ve mostly heard about B2C marketing and wanted to learn about B2B marketing since it’s not something they ever talk about in school.
I was also interested in the aviation industry and what it is like working in an international company where everyone comes from so many different cultures and work backgrounds.
Why did you want to try marketing?
I’m studying for a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and marketing is a part of it, but I wanted to see if there is a difference between theory and practice. No shock there – there is a big difference!
What have been your main tasks in the marketing team?
I was tasked with creating a new social media plan, which was exciting to me and a dream come true given that I’ve always been interested in how companies work with social media. One of my tasks was also to define and build a structure for the company brand guidelines. It has been very interesting, and I often broke my own rules. Working here has given me a better idea of what I want to do in the future.
What has been most challenging?
I have a new-found respect for graphic designers! I never thought I’d need to think so much about color codes and file formats, or the weight of a downloadable file. I thought “How can it be too heavy when it’s in the cloud”. I have come out of this with a new-found confidence and new knowledge, and as a bonus, I’m now an expert at hosting Zoom meetings.
So, what did you think about the Avinode Group work culture?
At first, I was surprised – this is not what I thought the corporate world would be like. My idea of office work was that it would be the typical 9 to 5 job where I would be the intern serving coffee and doing admin work. Instead, I’ve been able to set my own working hours, working from home or the office, and I’ve been allowed to take initiative and create my own projects. I’ve felt very welcomed and was treated as an equal, even without any previous experience.
Would you recommend being an intern at Avinode Group?
Definitely! I really enjoyed working in the marketing team but I can definitely see that as an intern in any department of the company, you would have the same freedom and support as I’ve experienced. I now have much higher expectations for my next job or internship.
I hope anyone who gets a chance to work here jumps at the opportunity.
Interested in an internship?
Reach out to us to learn more about our internship opportunities! We’re happy to answer all your questions, and why not stop by for a visit and a fika at the Gothenburg HQ?
Comments Off on GrandView Aviation finds success with Avinode Group
Products actively used:
Who is GrandView Aviation
GrandView Aviation is a robust Part 135 operation known for its commitment to safety and passion for customer service. With a fleet of over 23 aircraft based out of 8 cities, GrandView Aviation is poised to accommodate charter customers with their Wyvern Wingman Safety rating.
Schedaero, a business aviation solution from Avinode Group, began its relationship with GrandView Aviation in 2020(2021) to help them manage their growing fleet more effectively. Schedaero initially assisted GrandView in managing 12 planes and 64 pilots across their organization when they first signed up with the Avinode Group. By the end of 2022, GrandView had expanded its tails and user base managed on Schedaero to 23 individual planes and over 70 pilots operating in different cities nationwide.
The Situation: Managing expansion, maintaining transparency
As GrandView increased its number of trips in 2022 to 2,640, a nearly 8% increase since 2021, they had to add additional pilots and planes to maintain FAA compliance and operational efficiency. With locations spanning the nation and multiple time zones, it’s vital for their day-to-day operations to efficiently manage their crews operating in multiple locations across the country. The increase in trips, planes, and crew creates additional items that need to be properly tracked to maintain efficiency and transparency across the organization. With this expansion, the question came of how to maintain clarity, track crew availability, assign flights easily and quickly, and how all of this will affect their bottom line.
The Solution: Build out and better manage their charter fleet with one streamlined flight operations solution
GrandView Aviation was able to effectively manage its growth and maintain transparency and FAA compliance by:
Improving insight and alignment across the company and teams with a single streamlined solution.
According to Sales Director David Posey, using Schedaero’s open API and ready-made integrations allowed GrandView Aviation to maintain a high-level view of the operation and measure all the important information, not just small pieces spread across multiple platforms while maintaining strategic alignment across the company. The platform also offers a variety of ready-made integrations included in the Schedaero membership. These integrations include but are not limited to Avinode, eAPIS, FlightBridge, Leon Software, Quickbooks, WorldFuel, and much more.
Connecting quoting, selling, and managing flights with a seamless flow.
Teams working in the charter industry understand that speed is essential when converting quotes into trips. In 2022, GrandView Aviation generated 22,799 in the Avinode, up 28% from 2021. When you use Schedaero in conjunction with Avinode, you can generate professional quotes in as little as 30 seconds and then update and assign crew to the trip once the quote is accepted with just a few clicks. GrandView converted 11.6% of their Avinode quotes into scheduled trips in 2022, an increase of almost 8% over 2021.
Maximizing communication from pilots and crew to operators at one of their numerous base locations.
Crew utilizing the Schedaero Crew App can quickly update duty and flight logs on their IOS device from anywhere. Once updated, operators can view it at any one of their bases of operations. The Crew App is specifically designed to help private charter operators and flight departments communicate information to their pilots and crew in one seamless digital workflow.
Increase transparency and crew compliance by utilizing built-in safeguards.
With over 70 pilots to keep track of, automating training and currency items within Schedaero helps GrandView focus on expanding its operations and generating trips. Schedaero allows users to create and assign training and currency to ensure their pilots and crew comply with FAA regulations. Additionally, Schedaero prevents/notifies operators of any potential assignments that exceed duty limits, making it easy to guarantee that your team has sufficient rest between flights.
Track expenses to know exactly where they stand financially.
Each trip incurs expenses ranging from pilot and crew expenses to fuel, fees, etc. With nearly 24,000 (23,939) expense items tracked in Schedaero in 2022, up 26.3% from 2021, GrandView Aviation needed a system capable of tracking everything accordingly and syncing with their accounting software, Sage Intacct. Schedaero’s modern expense reporting features allow crew members to easily transmit expenses in real-time to the accounting team via the Crew App.
Customizing the platform for their individual needs rather than an out-of-the-box approach.
During an interview with David, he explained that Schedaero was “Nothing short of amazing” when discussing the ability to customize Schedaero for their business. He feels that customization and flexibility are crucial as they don’t feel stuck in a cookie-cutter system that doesn’t suit their individual business needs.
A smooth integration with all their business essentials
During their original setup and onboarding, Avinode Group team worked with GrandView to use the Schedaero open API to connect their business essentials, allowing for a more seamless and integrated approach to charter operation.
“Other platforms I have used in the past aren’t quite the same. One of the biggest things I like about Schedaero and working with the partners from Avinode…When it comes to our Scheduling software, I think the software allows us to not only to continue to do business today but allows to plan for many years into the future. One of my biggest satisfactions is the open API that Avinode and Schedaero provide for us to link up with Salesforce and continue with business and get the reporting that we need.”
David Posey, Director of Sales, GrandView Aviation
Ready to start improving your charter efficiency with the Avinode Group?
At Avinode Group, everything our team does is geared towards fixing the finer points of business aviation for you and your customers. Utilizing Avinode, Schedaero and Paynode for your charter operations keeps communication flowing between departments, from quoting to scheduling and collecting payment. Connect with us to learn how Avinode Group solutions can improve your operation.
