96.5 F
San Fernando
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Why I Fly Coach but You Shouldn’t

TWC Aviation CEO Andrew Richmond spends his workday overseeing an aviation company that’s purpose is to keep its wealthy, time-constrained and famous clients off of commercial airlines and in the splendor and convenience of a private aircraft. But don’t look for Richmond aboard those same private jets; he mostly flies commercial, although finds the experience to be frustrating and time consuming. By providing an exceptional service the airlines do not, owners turn to firms like TWC to manage their aircraft and that has been a constant in the growth the company has experienced as some competitors have gone out of business. Purchasing ACM Aviation, a direct competitor, had a significant impact on our growth. Even prior to the acquisition we were growing simply because the industry was going through a lot of change. A lot of the companies we were competing with five years ago simply aren’t in business anymore. When Jet Direct went out of business, it taught the owners that size alone doesn’t demonstrate financial stability. Jet Direct was one of the largest companies. Ultimately, what sells the owners on our company is walking through the building, meeting our employees, sitting down with our management team and learning about the philosophy of the company. One of the challenges in this industry is the economics of the business do not always make sense. We’ve seen companies pricing themselves out of the market. There is a perception out there that winning an aircraft contract is what it’s all about. We saw a lot of companies doing what they needed to win a plane. Once they had the plane they could not cover the overhead. When someone wants to race you to the bottom, let them. It is more important to provide a quality service at a price where we can make a fair return. Celebrities are like any other client. Some are humble and some are demanding. They want to be treated with respect. They don’t want you to fuss over them because they are a star. They want to go about quietly and do their thing. Some clients do have unique requirements. We had one who was picky about their food. We went to four different high-end restaurants in L.A. and collected a variety of meals and assembled them on the plane. So the client had all their favorite meals from their favorite restaurants on one flight. Headquarters: Van Nuys CEO: Andrew Richmond Three-year growth rate: 45.9 percent 2010 Revenue: $53.05 million 2009 Revenue: $29.91 million 2008 Revenue: $36.37 million Every time I fly commercial I am reminded of why we are in business. It continues to amaze me how horrible the service is. Airlines have gotten into a price war. So they start taking away pillows, blankets and beverages and snacks, all the things that make flying a little more comfortable. All the while they try to pack more and more seats into the airplane to make it as uncomfortable as possible. What it does is create a miserable experience. I fly primarily on the airlines. We don’t actually use the airplanes we manage to conduct our business. When I fly the airlines, the first thing I think about is how many hours I need. When I fly on one of our planes, I can leave 15 minutes before the flight from my house. Flying private makes it easier to have multiple meetings on one day. It is not about the luxury seats or the food. All that is nice, but it’s not important to me. I didn’t grow up around airplanes, nor have pilots in my family. It never occurred to me to learn how to fly. You would not want to be in a plane with me flying. It is not what I do best. What I do best is running a business. I believe strongly in valuing diversity in the workforce. If you want to hire the best and the brightest and keep them motivated and make them feel they are part of the team, you have to create an environment where it is okay for people to be themselves. I am a vegetarian, and I do not eat processed ingredients. Employees point out that I pay so much attention to that. I have been known to lecture people about not buying processed foods. It has become a joke around the company that if you are going to eat processed foods don’t let Andrew see you. I do make sure that any food brought in is not processed. It gives me an opportunity to talk about something I am passionate about outside of aviation. — As told to Mark R. Madler

Featured Articles

Related Articles