Five Key Takeaways from CJI Miami Conference
Recently, Fly Louie dispatched our founder and CEO, Julia Takeda, and our Director of Strategic projects, Ryan Rudolph, to the CJI Conference in Miami. Serving as eyes and ears for the more than 300 operators in the Fly Louie Alliance network, Julia and Ryan reported that strong demand, supply chain issues and talent shortages were key themes of the sessions they attended.
With the power of the Alliance behind them, Julia and Ryan were in high demand for breakout conversations about the future of our industry with key executives in attendance. We’re proud to represent the interests and perspectives of the Alliance community of independent operators at industry events, and pleased to share what we learn with our members:
#1 - Consolidation will continue to impact our industry.
Investors remain actively interested in our space and the increased capital will lead to further consolidation. As the big guys capitalize on vertical integration and average fleet sizes grow across our sector, this will create downward pressure on the independent operator.
#2 - Supply chain is a challenge.
The supply chain is a huge problem facing private aviation. This manifests in a few ways, For example:
Parts and raw materials are harder to come by
OEMs are slow to deliver new planes
The FAA is having a harder time working through approvals, due to difficulties hiring and retaining staff
#3 - HR investments are key.
Staffing is a growing issue considering the amount of workers lost to commercial airlines, which is negatively impacting the workforce of private aviation. Investment in the next generation of employees for our industry will be key.
#4 - A new type of flyer is emerging.
Charter rates are, and will continue to be, high. With that, it is important to not make promises that cannot be delivered upon. There is also a growing market of “new to private flying” consumers who are seen as the “frugal wealthy.” Tailoring products and pricing to meet their needs could be key to capturing and retaining that new customer.
#5 - Alliance members can rely on robust support.
Our time at CJI reinforced the critical need of the work we all do together - simulating the efficiencies and scale benefits of the big guys, for one large virtual fleet. And the industry is taking notice. Stay tuned for exciting updates at the start of the new year with expanded and more holistic approaches to help independent operators thrive in this new world
Overall, there was plenty of optimism on display at the event, with 99% of attendees feeling very or fairly optimistic that the demand for private aviation will continue to be high for the next 12 months. To read a short summary of the event from CJI, click here.
