March 31, 2020
Flexjet LLC, the fractional jet ownership company, recently announced it has brought all crew ferrying activities in-house to limit COVID-19 exposure for crewmembers and, therefore, fractional share owners and passengers. “Project Lift,” the company’s new internal ferrying program, will provide transportation for all domestic flights, as well as international flights, as permitted by the U.S. and other governments.
The company flight crews typically use commercial airlines for crew repositioning purposes. However, Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci explained that “given the threat posed by the novel coronavirus and the illness COVID-19, we felt it was in the best interests of our owners and flight crews to take this risk out of the equation and transport our flight crews on our own aircraft, which have been treated with MicroShield 360, a protective coating that kills 99.99 percent of pathogens.”
Project Lift uses seven strategically located hubs around the country. Flight crews drive to one of these locations and are ferried aboard Flexjet aircraft to make their next assignment. Flexjet says the initiative is possible through careful scheduling, use of Flexjet’s proprietary software and extension of tour lengths.
In addition to flying crews on specially cleaned and treated Flexjet aircraft, this move enables the company to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to limit groups of people to no more than 10.
Project Lift is receiving enthusiastic support from Flexjet owners, as demonstrated by a number of testimonials on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Though the company says Project Lift will create only minimal disruptions, it acknowledges there are additional costs involved.
“There’s no doubt that this will have a cost impact on Flexjet, but it’s the right thing to do for our employees, and it’s the right thing to do for our owners as we move ahead through this global crisis,” concluded Ricci.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.