Private Charter Floods the Market with Lobster!

BRUNSWICK, Maine – Whatever happened to the lobster promotion run by Air Webster?
According to Adam Webster, founder and chief executive officer of Air Webster, "Any agent who refers a first-time customer to Air Webster will have six 1.5-pound lobsters--shipped directly to their home!"

If lobster isn’t your thing, that’s okay because a participating agent can choose another New England-style gift. It's either lobster or $100 gift certificate for L.L. Bean, the Maine-based company that sells via catalog a plethora of wonderfully rugged and durable outdoor apparel. Great incentive to book with this private air charter!

Webster says he knows that booking clients on private charter jets is uncharted territory for many agents, which is why he’s hoping that by offering these fabulous incentives, whether it be delicious Maine lobster, gift certificates to fabulous L.L. Bean, and a 5 percent uncapped commission, more business will be flown his way.

About 70 percent of this year old company’s sales are through referrals by agents.

Webster says agents are the key to success since they not only have a wealth of prospective customers, but also actually work closely with their clients and know exactly what their customers need and have grown to expect in terms of air travel.

“Protecting agents” is something Webster also advocates. As a matter of business practice, this basically means that clients who do business directly with Air Webster will be charged the same amount as when they book a charter flight through an agent.

Despite the fact that in reality there's nothing to stop agents from booking directly with a charter operator, the actual task of booking a charter can be tough for an agent who is not quite skilled in dealing with the charter industry itself, Webster went on to say.

He continued, "We’re a broker that knows how to handle all the details--if agents have the time and wherewithal, they can book with the charter operator, but that rarely happens."

For example, Jeffrey Dal Poggetto, an employee of Andavo Travel in Corte Madera, Ca, just outside of San Francisco, is one of those rare agents.
Yes, some of his clients travel first class on a regular basis, so he knows when a customer begins to maintain an off schedule that a commercial airline is unable to accommodate, he charters a private jet.

Dal Poggetto says, "The travel arranger gives me specifics, and I get it done."
Most of my business is done via two charter jet operators," Dal Poggetto continues.

"If they get to know you and you establish a track record with charter operators, they’ll give you referrals if they don't have the right plane for you.”

Keeping nearby his trusted copy of Air Charter Guide, the primary publication for the industry, Dal Poggetto says he feels confident selling jet charters because he has done research on the various types of planes and knows which ones will be satisfactory to his clients.
He states, "Booking charters involves knowing the companies, knowing the aircraft and what the time frame is [for aircraft to become available]."

Unlike Air Webster, most charter operators he works with do not pay commission. Andavo includes the service as part of his monthly management-fee package, Dal Poggetto stipulated.

Jeff Dolan, who is a charter manager for Mac Dan Aviation in Fairfield, NJ, states his company offers agencies a rate 5% less than the retail price— thus; this discourages an agent's ability to mark up the price.

Dolan said while some jet charter operators do pay commissions, it is usually when an agency is driving volume to the operator.