Interview with Anthony Tivnan, President of Magellan Jets

Created three years ago by Anthony Tivnan and Joshua Hebert, Magellan Jets is the product of an extensive research campaign, during which its founders went out and canvassed their target market. Their aim was to understand the wants and needs of people who require private jets in order to provide the best service possible.

Superyachts.com sat down with Anthony Tivnan, President of Magellan Jets, at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, to discuss the company’s USPs, its safety procedures and much more. Mr Tivnan began by explaining how Magellan set themselves apart in a crowded industry.

“The aircraft that we utilise probably fly around about 3 per cent empty,” he told Superyachts.com’s Shari Liu. “And the way we do that is through technology, so instead of just putting clients on planes, what we will do is find the best aircraft in position for a particular trip, as opposed to repositioning planes around the country, which incurs cost.

“If a plane’s repositioning, and is empty when it goes to pick people up, the people who are being picked up are paying for that.”

So amid the global economic downturn, how has 2011 been for Magellan Jets, and what are the projections for the following year?

“2011 has been a really great year for us,” he said. “We’ve grown substantially […] we were the first private jet company to release a private jet app on iTunes where clients are able to check out real time availability, communicate with our sales and flight support department, and check out pricing without actually having to pick up the phone and call.”

One issue that is little understood in the world of privation aviation is that of safety. So what safety points do Magellan lay down to ensure peace-of-mind amongst its clients?

“Magellan institutes a 42-point check list on each and every flight that goes out of the door,” he said. “We’re checking everything from pilot experience to, more importantly, the amount of time that the pilots have had in that type of aircraft they’d be flying that day.

“We run full background checks and all of those factors before actually approving a flight to take off.”

Finally, we asked Mr Tivnan about his impressions of the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, one of the biggest industry events of the year.

“This is our first boat show,” he said. “We wanted to come and check it out. We’re very impressed with the folks that came and the exhibitors and we’re definitely considering having more of a presence next time.

“The yachting industry is kind of parallel with the private jet business and it definitely makes sense for us to get involved.”