Passenger safety on airline flights
FAA Travel Tips
Carry-On and Checked Baggage
Weather and Delays
The screening process and advice on what to wear
Passenger safety on charter flights
In the aviation industry passenger safety, privacy, and security are the most important drivers behind a passenger's choice to charter
an aircraft. In the US, JetCombo.com places a strong emphasis on charter passengers' concerns and relies on a multi-step due diligence
process that covers both the aircraft operator's practices and procedures, as well as flight specific audits.
There are several safety management programs, safety ratings, and firms that audit private aircraft operators, all of which provide valuable
indicators and enable us to select the operators you will find on JetCombo.com. The central focus is safety. Safety
cannot be sacrificed to satisfy any concern, convenience, or cost.
Operator safety standards
Following the example of the US Department of Defense as a customer of air transportation, JetCombo.com seeks assurances
and evidence that aircraft operator practices, policies, procedures, and goals are present to enhance the regulatory minimum operations and
maintenance standards that have been established by the FAA.
Where crew is concerned, operators are expected to carefully screen and conduct a
review of the individuals' health and suitability to perform flight crew duties. Training, including recurrent training, which
develops and refines skills designed to eliminate mishaps and improve safety, as well as crew coordination training that
facilitates cockpit crew interaction using standardized procedures are considered
essential.
A closely
monitored system that evaluates operational risks, experience levels of crewmembers, and ensures the
proper pairing of aircrews on all flights is also essential.
Air carriers are expected to hire and train the number of employees required
to safely maintain the company aircraft and support the scope of the maintenance
operations both at home and at en-route locations. These personnel ensure that all
maintenance tasks, including required inspections and airworthiness directives, are performed; that maintenance actions are
properly documented; and that the discrepancies identified between inspections are corrected.
Flight specific safety standards
During the course of a year, pilots move on to other job opportunities, aircraft are bought and sold. Therefore, in addition to relying
on third party audits of operators' safety practices, and before we confirm any reservation, we perform a flight specific audit through
one of the third party firms available for this purpose. The flight specific audit answers questions such as:
- Is the airplane equipped with the latest safety avionics, like collision avoidance?
- Has the airplane ever been damaged?
- Is this airplane listed on the operator's certificate or has it been brokered to someone we do not know?
- Are the pilots' records clean of accidents, incidents, and enforcement actions?
- Are the pilots adequately experienced in this airplane and are they properly certificated and type rated?
- Does the charter company have a good safety record?
- Are the aircraft and the operator adequaltely insured?
In the US, European markets, and wherever else it is possible, JetCombo.com bases its operator selection
on the following ratings and/or certifications:
Safety management programs, safety ratings, and approvals
JetCombo.com relies on the following to determine
whether an aircraft operator offers an acceptable safety standard. Note that the following does not apply in all countries and regions.
We therefore require them in US and Europe, and wherever else they are available. If not available we will indicate it on our displays
so that you may always be cognisant of it. Some of the firms listed below will not, for example, offer safety rating
for anything less than a turboprop. In these cases we will also indicate it on our displays.
DoD Approved
The US Department of Defense (DoD), as a customer of air transportation and operational support services, expects air carriers
used by DoD to employ programs and business practices that not only ensure good service but also enhance the safety, operational,
and maintenance standards established by applicable Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations. Accordingly, and as required by
the references in §861.1 (a) and (b), the DoD has established a set of quality and safety criteria and requirements that reflect
the type programs and practices DoD seeks from air carriers providing services to DoD. Air carriers must meet and maintain these
requirements in order to be eligible for DoD business.
IS-BAO Certified
The International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) was formally introduced and made available to the business aviation
community at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibit (EBACE) in Geneva, May 2002. IS-BAO is a code of best practices
designed to help flight departments worldwide achieve a high level of safety and professionalism. It is a uniform operational template that
addresses risk management and problem solving based on proven procedures in a universally understood manner. It is a safety management program
that is designed to predict deficiencies and correct them before they become issues. For additional information please visit www.ibac.org/is-bao/isbao.htm
ARG/US Platinum Rating
The highest level of ARG/US safety rating is Platinum and awarded to those operators who meet the criteria for Gold,
and successfully pass either an ARG/US on-site safety audit, or a recent Department of Defense (DoD) Air Carrier Quality
and Safety inspection. The ARG/US audit is conducted identically to a DoD audit by former DoD inspectors. This is a
constructive, operational and system oriented evaluation to help identify and correct potential deficiencies or safety
issues. For additional information please visit www.aviationresearch.com
ARG/US Gold Rating
The Gold level is assigned to operators who meet or exceed the established ARG/US standards for equipment and crew experience. The emphasis is not only the age of aircraft, but also on modern avionics, progressive maintenance, and proven safety devices such as TCAD/TCAS, FMS, and TAWS/GPWS.
For additional information please visit www.aviationresearch.com
Wyvern Wingman Alliance Partner
To earn the Double-Checked rating, individual crew members and aircraft must meet Wyvern's enhanced safety standards, which are significantly more stringent than even the FAA requires. Air crew, for instance, must have nearly 4 times the experience that
the FAA calls for. And they must undergo simulator training that's not even required by the FAA. Double-checked™ aircraft, too, live
up to higher standards. While the FAA requires no formal manufacturer’s training for maintenance technicians, Wyvern does. What’s more,
they require every maintenance department or service provider to institute a formalized safety program - complete with a safety
committee - that’s audited on an annual basis. For additional information please visit
www.wyvernltd.com
Fractional Program
The three largest Fractional ownership programs in the world
offer very high safety and customer service standards.
These programs use a number of operators to support the overflow of demand for their owned
and managed aircraft. These operators are periodically scrutinized for their customer
service and safety practices to ensure compliance with the fractional aircraft owner's
expectations. If you are a fractional owner you know you have been frequently flying "charter" under your
program's brand for a while now, so by booking here you will be probably using the same
aircraft and crew that your fractional program books for you.
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