What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me would be coming into work for about 08.45, I use that 15 minutes before 09.00 to organise my work and plan out my day. When 09.00 hits, I tend to look through my emails from the previous evening and review any charter requests my clients have sent through. I will then start calling new leads around 10.00, as no one likes a cold call at 09.00. I will usually be on the phone throughout the morning until lunchtime hits; my favourite part of the day!
After lunch I will start working on my charter requests – this could be anything from a commercial aircraft for a sports team or corporate event, to a private jet for a family holiday. If I have a client flying that day, I will take the time to provide that client with the best service to make sure their charter experience is the best it can be – this can be flight watching and updating the client on movements, dealing with any operational issues or sometimes going to the airport to see off the flight.
Once a week we have a team meeting, discussing upcoming things in the pipeline and anything that the team need help with.
What do you love about working in aviation?
As a child I went plane spotting near Gatwick and used to watch the aircraft take-off and land. I’d consider it lucky if we saw an A380 or a B747! I used Flight Radar when an aircraft flew over me, just to see what aircraft it was, or I would try and guess to see if I was right.
Before I worked at Smart Aviation I worked in retail, which I must admit wasn’t great fun. However, when I started working for Smart, I realised that this is the industry I wanted to work in. I enjoy building relationships with people and learning new things. The in-house training at Smart and broker training with the ACA has been invaluable.
At Smart Aviation we have a great team. I’d say we are all very close and this can be so helpful when things aren’t going your way or you need help with something – I feel like there is always someone to help. The best feeling is great feedback after flying a client, knowing that you made their charter experience the best it could be.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging part of my job would be a last-minute ‘go now’ requests – this could be an AOG situation (aircraft on ground), whether it’s a technical issue or maintenance delays that may occur on the day on which a client flying. This is where we have to be extremely fast with reaching out to suppliers, to see if there are aircraft nearby that we can replace the current AOG aircraft. Communication skills and efficiency is key in this situation, as you have to make sure that you can get a suitable replacement aircraft ASAP.
What do you do when you are not working?
I like to stay active out of working hours – this can include going to the gym, running or simply just taking the dog for a walk. I like to forex trade when I can, just to keep my brain working and I also really enjoy doing it. I like to spend time with my partner – we have just bought our first property, so its all very exciting!
Where would you be working if you hadn’t chosen aviation?
I would see myself doing physiotherapy, as I have a qualification in sports science. I may have gone to university to study this, however I am glad to be where I am now and I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason.
Connect with Max Cassar, Aircraft Charter Broker
