Arrivals to and departures from commercial terminals of major airports are a major component of Global Alliance’s usual daily chauffeured transportation services. Although not as frequent, pickups and drop offs at private airfields or FBOs (fixed base operators) are also a key part of Global Alliance’s series of services, and involve a specific set of challenges and requirements.
FBO transfers resemble general airport transfers in certain ways while differing from them in certain important respects. While an airport name (as well as flight number and terminal, if applicable) tends to be sufficient information for commercial flights, private flights can arrive at any number of fixed base operators at Pearson International Airport or other airports worldwide. A business jet does not merely arrive at Pearson, it would arrive at a FBO such as Landmark Aviation, Skyservice Esso Avitat, or Skycharter.
The name and address of the specific private airfield at which the private flight is arriving is a vital piece of information for our chauffeur. Another vital piece of information, especially for arrivals at FBOs, is the tail number for the private jet. This number indicates the specific aircraft arriving at (or departing from) the FBO in question, and is usually made up of a series of letters and/or numbers beginning with a ‘C’ if it is registered in Canada and a ‘N’ if registered in the United States.
The tail number is required for vehicular access to the tarmac, which means that if the chauffeur has it and can provide it to the FBO security staff, then he or she can pick up passengers as they exit the jet on the tarmac. Otherwise, passengers can generally exit the facility through the FBO lobby and meet their car on the curb or in the parking lot.
Providing tail numbers may also allow our dispatch agents to track the arrival time of a private flight. Our Livery Coach system does not track private flights but through the FlightAware website tail numbers may be tracked, depending on daily submissions of flight plans and whether or not flight tracking has been blocked by the owner/operator of the jet in question. If a private flight is trackable, our dispatchers can keep the chauffeur updated on the expected ETA of the flight and ensure that they are on location earlier or later as needed, with billing beginning at the adjusted arrival time.
On the ground and on location, Global Alliance’s professional chauffeurs are experienced when it comes to FBO arrivals and departures and have a set protocol to follow in regards to such transfers. Coordinating with ground and flight crew, our chauffeurs ensure the fastest possible passenger loading and routinely remain onsite when dropping off until aircraft departure or “wheels up”, just in case their services are still required by the passengers.
Global Alliance strives to acquire complete and detailed information about our clients’ private airfield arrivals and departures and put into place conscientious, professional practices and procedures to be carried out by our chauffeurs on the ground. The combination of these factors facilitates our delivery of an experience marked by speed, efficiency, security and privacy for our VIP clients transfering from private aircraft to chauffeured ground transportation worldwide.