Elevating Private Flying: 30 years of PlaneSense Innovation
Whether it’s flying to metro hubs or remote destinations, PlaneSense has been providing business and leisure travelers with a consistently safe, efficient, convenient, and cost-effective solution for three decades.
In the early 1990s, George Antoniadis believed that there was a better way to fly privately than the reliance on charter flights or whole aircraft ownership. After launching a successful aircraft management company and flying club, he turned his efforts to a fractional aircraft ownership program and set off what would become a game changer in the market. Recognizing that most private flights are relatively short, Antoniadis envisioned an aircraft that could deliver an innovative and distinctive travel experience for clients.
“We felt that there was a need for a more modern comfortable and efficient turboprop solution,” Antoniadis explains. “We launched PlaneSense in 1995. Our goal was to be an intelligent fractional ownership program, based on three pillars: aircraft with exceptional capabilities, excellent customer service delivery, and very cost-effective operation.”
The PC-12 excels at shorter runways, like Walkers Cay Airport (MYAW) in the Bahamas.
At the time, the modern and efficient turboprop aircraft of choice was the recently FAA-certified single-engine Pilatus PC-12. Fast, comfortable, capable, and built like a “Swiss watch,” the PC-12 was the perfect foundation on which to build the PlaneSense fractional fleet. To meet its clients’ needs for faster, larger cabin aircraft with longer-range capabilities, the company added the Pilatus PC-24 light jet to its operations in 2018.
“Looking at it 30 years later, we believe we were right on target,” Antoniadis says. “Our Pilatus PC-12s and PC-24s are the most comfortable, capable, efficient, and technically advanced aircraft in their respective classes. They can easily operate at airports closer to where our clients want to go.”
He explains that the exceptional performance of the Pilatus fleet allows the aircraft to operate at airports with shorter runways that are inaccessible to larger aircraft, alleviating the concerns of the “last hour on the ground” for PlaneSense clients, even in hot, high, or ice-snow locations.
“Take a popular destination like Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The PC-24 is one of the most capable twin engine jets that can operate at SBS year-round, and there are many more examples like this throughout North America, Central America, and the Bahamas,” Antoniadis says.
With the PlaneSense PC-24 jet program, clients have access to thousands of airports across all regions of the continental U.S. and international destinations from Canada to the Caribbean to Central America.
The PC-12 is able to access runways as short as 2,000’, making remote islands like Cat Cay (MYCC) in the Bahamas or the grass airfield at Woolsey Memorial Airport (5D5) in Michigan easily manageable. The 3,500’ runway at Santa Monica Airport in California is a frequent destination for PC-24 share owners on the West Coast. The innovative fleet makes it possible for clients to get closer to their destinations.
Our fleet of Pilatus PC-12s and PC-24s is the most comfortable, capable, efficient, and technically advanced aircraft in their respective classes, and can easily operate at airports closer to where our clients want to go.”
Sometimes Even a Fraction is too Much
“Our new CobaltPass card has been created to meet the needs of less frequent travelers. Most card clients typically start with 25 hours, but it’s flexible to meet anyone’s needs,” he says. “And it’s also the only card that doesn’t have any ‘blackout days.’ CobaltPass cardholders can fly anytime, but we may shift departure times on those high-travel days.”
“The card has proven to be an exceptionally popular travel value proposition; it’s still a complementary offering to our core fractional ownership business,” Antoniadis continues. “I’m very happy to say that we have seen many instances where CobaltPass users have become full PlaneSense fractional owners.”
And while some PlaneSense clients required a lower-hour option, others sought a way to expand their private aircraft travel to Europe.
“One of our pillars is providing an excellent travel value to our clients, and they’ve told us they want more access to private aircraft in Europe,” he says. “What we’ve done is to introduce a ‘share partnership’ with European-based Jetfly. Now PlaneSense clients can use their time for travel within Europe on Jetfly’s Pilatus fleet.”
“To give our clients even more flexibility for their flights, we’ve recently introduced the PlaneSense Sourcing Solution, an in-house program which works with our trusted provider list to find aircraft outside the PlaneSense fleet for specific trips. This could be larger-cabin jets for those traveling with more passengers, longer-range jets to reach Europe, or any number of possibilities,” Antoniadis continues. “The PlaneSense Sourcing Solution makes the entire transaction seamless and extremely easy for our clients.”
“What we’ve done with the Jetfly relationship, and the PlaneSense Sourcing Solution, is to collectively expand our services into Europe and effectively expand our fleet offerings,” he adds. “We believe both of these new offerings have dramatically increased the value of services our customers enjoy.”
The PC-24 redefines expectations for light jets, with a remarkably spacious cabin and luxurious touches that provide an exceptional experience of comfort and sophistication.
Private Flying is a Very Personal Thing
While there are a lot of reasons why so many people have made PlaneSense their private business and leisure provider of choice, Antoniadis states that by far, their “loyalty is based on the people behind the planes.”
“We take a very personal approach to our business and invest the time to get to know the wants and needs of our clients. What can we do to serve them in new and better ways?” he says. “We have clients whose families have been with us for three generations, and that’s something to be very proud of.”
“It’s all thanks to our extremely loyal team, many of whom have been with PlaneSense for over 20 years. That loyalty translates directly into providing a better experience for everyone who travels on any of our airplanes,” Antoniadis continues. “Our customers have been working with the same people for years, and there’s a lot of trust and respect in those relationships.”
Speaking of trust and PlaneSense’s enviable on-time and safety record, he explains that everyone at the company takes great pride in the company’s commitment to providing world class service, which often starts with ensuring the best training for pilots and the program’s maintenance operations.
PlaneSense operates the largest U.S. fleet of Pilatus PC-24 jets and PC-12 turboprops.
A highlight of the company’s investment in training is the recent addition of the world’s first state-of-the-art Pilatus PC-12 NGX Level D full-flight simulator into its in-house training curriculum.
“The simulator allows us to fully control the entire pilot training process and enhance our curriculum to meet our high standards of excellence,” Antoniadis says. “We invest heavily in safety and, by definition, training for both our pilots and aircraft maintainers.”
Excellence in pilot training has been a strategic priority for PlaneSense for 30 years. Innovative technology such as virtual reality tools and a custom built, advanced full-flight simulator allows PlaneSense to meet the high standards of safety and service expected by clients.
That commitment is highlighted by the company’s construction of its own dedicated state-of-the-art Pilatus maintenance facilities in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Boulder City, Nevada.
With decades of experience behind the team, Antoniadis stresses that every aspect of PlaneSense’s operation—from scheduling and dispatch to flight operations, maintenance, training, and employment policies—has been designed to deliver an outstanding private aircraft travel experience for each of its clients.
“We are built to offer an extremely integrated value proposition that targets safety, comfort, efficiency, and flexibility, all at a reasonable cost,” he says. “We are laser focused on service and aim to exceed our clients’ expectations with every flight.”
To discover the exceptional safety and world-class service that set PlaneSense apart, call 866-214-1212 or email sales@nullplanesense.com. Now is the perfect time to join generations of satisfied clients who trust PlaneSense for their private flying needs.
