- Private jet firm Silver Air is preparing for private aviation’s rebound by creating a new product to help provide peace of mind to wealthy travelers.
- The program, “COVID-19 Cleared,” seeks to clean and sterilize every touchpoint in a journey to prevent potential contact with a pathogen.
- Each passenger and member of the flight crew also receives a virtual health screening to deem them fit to fly.
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Nearly every industry has been forced to react to the new realities of a pandemic-stricken world and among those eager to prove themselves as the world begins to re-open is the aviation industry.
While airlines are pessimistic about how quickly commercial travelers will return to the skies, the private aviation sector is gearing up for a new wave of customers as the wealthy trade in their first class seats for a private jet. Most industry CEOs are hopeful that the current situation will encourage those with the means to do so to fly private more frequently than they did before.
One private jet firm, Silver Air, is already preparing for the day when travel rebounds and has evolved his business accordingly, offering a new product catered to those seeking additional peace of mind when flying private. The 25-jet-strong firm, which also manages Tony Robbins’ private Boeing 737, was one of the many that saw flying drop off in March during the height of the pandemic.
Silver’s CEO, Jason Middleton, developed the new offering, called “COVID-19 Cleared.” Aligning the efforts of the company and vendors, the program seeks to ensure all touchpoints along the journey are safe and eliminate any concern about interacting with the virus while flying.
Take a look at how Silver Air is working to offer its clients a coronavirus-free experience.
The COVID Cleared process involves creating a safe door-to-door environment for passengers and that includes a full interior cleaning of both the aircraft and any ground transportation vehicles.
Silver Air created cleaning checklists for its detailers to ensure that every possible touchpoint on the aircraft and in ground transportation vehicles has been cleared of any pathogens. Seven pages in total, the checklists providence guidance on which cleaning solutions are to be used and what equipment the cleaners themselves need to wear.
The ground transportation aspect is usually an afterthought, especially with technology like Uber replacing traditional taxis and limos, but is still vital to the health and safety of passengers.
Although private travel is already a controlled experience, the program expands the scope to include ground transportation vehicles to ensure that no aspect of the journey involves potentially infectious touchpoints. Any exposure to the coronavirus could not only impact a passenger's health but also the health of the crew and any other person that comes into contact with the aircraft.
While on the ground, all pilots, cabin crew, passengers, and even drivers are required to wear personal protective equipment.
A requirement for participation in the program is that passengers wear protective equipment when in the vicinity of flight and ground crew. Wearing the gear helps further ensure a safe journey to and from the aircraft, and protects the passengers and crew should they come into contact with an asymptotic person that could have the virus and not know it.
Once the cleaning processes are complete, seals are put on each vehicle and aircraft that are only broken once passengers arrive.
The seal ensures that no unauthorized person has entered the aircraft or ground transportation vehicle since the time of its cleaning. Only once the aircraft has been cleaned and sterilized, and the checklists have been signed and approved by a detailing manager, can they be sealed off until passenger arrival.
Before passengers board the aircraft, a virtual health screening is performed for each person on the aircraft.
Flight crew, passengers, and ground transportation drivers also receive virtual medical screenings before boarding where they are asked about having potential COVID-19 symptoms. Only those who have been approved by the medical professionals can then board the aircraft.
"We really felt it's very important for us to get very granular and create next-level best practices in terms of health and safety," Middleton told Business Insider in an interview. "The health side of this is always a concern but it has never been as acute as it is now."
Silver Air has been working in conjunction with Wyvern, a safety auditor for the private aviation industry, to create best practices and share them with the industry. As Middleton explained, private aviation doesn't only support the wealthy as the industry creates thousands of blue-collar jobs that help keep it going.