Issue 50 – I Can See Clearly Now

JETNET iQ has grown into the premier source of business aviation intelligence since its inception in 2010, offering the same kind of clarity Johnny Nash sang about in I Can See Clearly Now. Through proprietary analytics and forecasts, JETNET iQ provides the insights leaders need to foresee challenges and seize opportunities in an ever-evolving industry.

Formed through a partnership between Rolland Vincent Associates and JETNET, this service delivers critical data and expertise to help businesses thrive. Whether identifying risks or charting new paths forward, JETNET iQ empowers aviation leader to navigate with confidence. Learn how you can too here in our 50th edition of iQ PULSE.

Issue 49 - All You Have To Do Is Call

When Carole King wrote “You’ve Got a Friend,” the business aviation industry was still in its formative years, and humanity was exploring the Moon. Today, with over 8,500 Citations delivered from Wichita, KS, models like the Citation X are still favorites, particularly in the on-demand charter segment. While prices are more accessible, the complexity of buying or selling these aircraft makes the expertise of experienced advisors invaluable.

Throughout the year, decisions in business aviation carry significant weight. Our industry’s allure and technological advancements attract attention from prospective customers and investors. Navigating the essential details requires trusted advisors who can ensure successful outcomes. While seasons change, being ‘in the know’ never loses its appeal.

Issue 48 - Ch-Ch-Changes

Just as David Bowie’s “Changes” captivated audiences in 1971 with its theme of constant reinvention, we, as aviation analysts and forecasters, are fascinated by the dynamics of change. By combining broad economic measures with JETNET iQ Survey data, we provide a wealth of real-time insights for industry decision-makers.

But what do these insights—and the shifts they reveal—suggest about the current state of the business aviation industry? While economic growth forecasts remain flat, stock markets, especially in the U.S., are white-hot. And despite declines in fleet utilization and aircraft sales, there are bright spots, particularly in the MRO world that warrant closer consideration. Understanding these changes is crucial for navigating market risks and seizing opportunities, further emphasizing the importance of staying informed.

Issue 47 – Makin’ Up for Lost Time, Takin’ Flight

From West Reading to global stages, Taylor Swift’s influence is undeniable, and her ability to inspire businessmen to attend concerts in purple suits with their daughters speaks volumes. Released on her Red album, “Everything Has Changed,” by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, offers insight into her journey as an artist, entrepreneur, and phenom. Her strategic use of private aviation to manage a demanding schedule reflects forward-thinking practicality, rather than simple indulgence, as perceived by critics. Recent discussions at CJI London revealed that the debate surrounding corporate aviation is less about the environment and more about societal divisions. Despite challenges, the industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 signifies a promising trajectory, shaping a brighter future for the next generation to invest in.

Issue 46 – The Room Where It Happens

Leaders are seeking the latest insights into the business aviation industry as they navigate strategic decisions, in the hopes of winning the year ahead. Big bets are being placed on the conversations taking place behind closed doors, reminiscent of the intrigue captured in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s iconic song, “The Room Where It Happens,” from the biographical musical Hamilton. Today’s business aircraft, characterized by their security, privacy, and hyper-connectivity, stand as a timeless expression of technology, enabling leaders around the world to be in “The Room Where It Happens,” whether soaring at 51,000 feet or on the way to that meeting on the 51st floor.

Issue 45 – Never Break the Chain?

Drawing inspiration from Fleetwood Mac’s anthem “The Chain,” which speaks of resilience in the face of adversity, the impact of COVID was indiscriminate, affecting everyone, including the thriving enterprises and entrepreneurs in business and general aviation. The pandemic stressed supply chains to their breaking points, affecting various aspects from aircraft development to maintenance. Now, the metaphorical chains that once bound the industry are giving way to flexible and intelligent networks allowing aviation leaders to shape a safer, greener, and more sustainable future.

Issue 44 – The Way It Is

Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s chart-topping song, “The Way It Is,” brought global attention with its resonating focus on socio-political issues like unemployment and wealth disparity. In a parallel vein, the business aviation industry, celebrated at NBAA-BACE 2023 in Las Vegas, showed its dynamic commitment to innovation, unveiling new products, sustainable aviation initiatives, and electrifying advancements. These narratives both echo the essence of making a lasting impact, be it through music’s message of hope in a changing world or the aviation industry’s strides toward a brighter, connected future.

Issue 43 – Come Fly With Me

The 12th JETNET iQ Summit, held at the iconic TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK International Airport on September 13–14, 2023, received enthusiastic reviews as attendees from various sectors of the aviation industry gathered for insightful discussions. The event featured the historic Lockheed Constellation as a backdrop, highlighting the evolution of aviation from the beginning of the Jet Era—fondly romanced in Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly With Me—to today. While the Summit is known for bringing industry leaders together, it’s the valuable conversations and insights that truly make it worthwhile.

Issue 42 – The Heat is On

As the sweltering Summer of ’23 envelopes us, it’s not just the rising temperatures that demand our attention. While Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On” once blazed across airwaves, a new kind of heat is sweeping the skies. Beyond the smoky haze and the buzz of cicadas, the business and general aviation industry finds itself in the crosshairs of an escalating confrontation. On one side, the seductive allure of private jets represents prestige, speed, and convenience. On the other, a chorus of environmental advocates demands an end to the seemingly extravagant emissions. From calls for bans to the push for green technologies, this is the story of an industry at a crossroads, grappling with how to rise above its controversies and steer towards a more sustainable future amidst the fiery debates of our time.

Issue 41 – Fuel to Fire

Danish singer and songwriter, Agnes Obel, offers us choices between past and present, fantasy and reality, action and inaction in her chilling 2013 song, Fuel to Fire. The economic and political landscapes of Europe have again been transformed by war. Remember environmental pollution, climate change, and mental health? These horrors are creating havoc in some corners of our industry. Interestingly, however, while competitiveness has accelerated in our Alpha-male dominated industry — where “I don’t want to sit by and see you/them getting ahead of me/us” — we believe that marketplace conditions favor prudence over push-the-throttles-to-the-firewall cockiness.

Issue 40 – Under Pressure

British rockers Queen and David Bowie released their epic classic Under Pressure just over 40 years ago. Looking around our industry, pressures abound that challenge our ability to perform, from aircraft appraiser to A&P mechanic to broker, financier, and contracts lawyer all anxiously striving to close on an attractive deal for an eagerly awaiting buyer. This pressure was already building before Russia began a new war. Reverberations of the brutal conflict are being felt in all corners of the world, stressing supply chains and seizing private aircraft owned by Russia’s elite. As Freddie Mercury and David Bowie would sing: “This is ourselves under pressure.”

Issue 39 – Straighten Up and Fly Right

At times like these, it’s good to recall the messages from Straighten Up and Fly Right, the wonderful song by Nat King Cole. Based on a folktale about a buzzard who takes a monkey up into the sky with the intention of dizzying and eating him, the lyrics tell us that the monkey anticipates the buzzard’s intentions, grabs him by the neck, and tells him to “straighten up and fly right.” The monkey does a brilliant job of balancing risk and reward, something we need to ensure we do as we focus on the key indicators that will serve us well as we navigate through these dynamic times. It’s our turn to grab the buzzard by the neck so we may straighten up and fly right through the uncertainty of war, inflation, the persistent pandemic, and more.

Issue 38 – Lean On Me

There’s a reason that Bill Withers’ 1972 hit, Lean On Me, still resonates 49 years after topping the charts. Its universal theme that we all need help from time to time is something that the human race as a collective, and as individuals, will always face. As the new COVID-19 Omicron variant makes its way across the globe, the world’s population will ‘need somebody to lean on.’ As an industry, we can be there for the world as enduring strength in demand for business aviation’s products and services continues.

Issue 37 – Never Break The Chain

Forty-five years after Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was originally composed, its themes of working together shine even brighter throughout today’s new COVID-19 world, no matter what outside forces try to break our bonds. Business aviation’s supply chain has been disrupted and aircraft manufacturers are among the most visible businesses in our industry to be impacted. The strains and cracks in our distribution are impacting cost, quality, schedule, and financial performance. It is now a time of hard work, of forging new and enduring links that promise to keep us working together in the future. We must never break the chain.

Issue 36 – Up – Up and Away

The 1967 hit Up – Up and Away, by The 5th Dimension, became the anthem of TWA’s TV ads, enticing travelers into the skies through the airline’s iconic “jet age” terminal. The TWA Flight Center continues to fascinate those who appreciate first-class design and the essential role of aviation in charting pathways to the future, and the venue didn’t disappoint the attendees of our 2021 JETNET iQ Summit. This “gathering of eagles” welcomed leaders from across the industry, bringing many together for the first time in months, to discuss market and technological development, environmental sustainability, investment strategies and more. With the largest attendance to-date and an exceptional satisfaction rating from our attendees, our Summit planning team is already up, up and away with plans for 2022.

In this issue, see photo highlights from our 10th JETNET iQ Global Business Aviation Summit.

Issue 35 – Gotta Get You Into My Life

The Beatles song, Gotta Get You Into My Life, off their 1966 album Revolver, talks about taking a ride into the unknown. We’ve all been travelling on that ride for over a year and half but as strong growth in fractional ownership demand has risen, we can see that customers want to know exactly what their ride is going to be. They want one of privacy, safety, reliability, and one that enables them to mold their professional and personal lives together. We are the ones who can give that to them.

In this issue, industry pioneer PlaneSense continues to expand, and worldwide fractional fleet and deliveries — jets and turboprops — are shifting from what has been a replacement market towards a growth market.

Issue 34 – I’ve Been Afraid of Changin’

Fleetwood Mac’s self-examining song, Landslide, was written by Stevie Nicks just months before she joined the band. Her cleaning rags-to-riches path to success, shortly after fronting Fleetwood Mac, offers a foundational element of leadership for the ages. Leadership in any industry is both an art and a science. Perhaps the most effective approach to ready ourselves and our teams for change is to start by simply asking the right questions.

In this issue, David Porter, leadership expert, Founder, and President of David Porter Advisors, discusses a topic of widespread interest during these unprecedented times—leading momentous change.

Issue 33 – Up Where We Belong

The hit song, Up Where We Belong, by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, helped make the film, An Officer and a Gentleman, a blockbuster. The story of military and civil crossover benefits added to the film’s success as well, just as it does currently in real life. Rolls-Royce commands a premium position at the top of crossover companies with its focus spanning military, commercial, energy sustainability, and business aviation markets. The British aeroengine and power systems company is prepared to be a major player for years to come as it serves the blue—and the green—skies of today and tomorrow.

Issue 32 – The Best Days of My Life

In Bryan Adams’ hit, Summer of ’69, the Canadian rocker touched upon the great days and memories he was making that would make for the best days of his life. Perhaps there is always a demand for having the best days of our lives—which is evident now as we accelerate out of the COVID-19 crisis. In the business aviation industry, demand for the benefits of private aircraft—such as personalized service, scheduling flexibility, avoidance of lineups and security hassles, and peace of mind—is taking off. Taking advantage of this demand could lead to better days in the life of our industry.

In this issue, we take a look at Airshare’s unique business model in which fractional customers have access to their airplane and crew by the day, for as many hours as they need. We also look at fractional and charter flight cycles surpassing the high levels of 2019, and talent recruitment and retention.

Issue 31 – Summer in the City

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Hot 100 chart topper in 1966, Summer in the City, gives us the feeling of busy, noisy, hot summer days full of daily action and work. We find ourselves back to it again in full swing this summer — the markets for business aviation’s products and services continue to be hot. Flight and transaction activity remain strong, particularly in the U.S. market where demand signals are robust. So, too, does competition for talent — the right talent — as our industry competes for the attention of new generations of people seeking meaningful work and the many associated benefits and opportunities. It’s summer in the cities, summer in the skies, and business aviation is hot!

In this issue, we take a look at Dassault Aviation’s industry-leading take on the challenges of a greener future, our 10th JETNET iQ Summit at the retro TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, and the market outlook.