Delta AirElite’s Michael Green
Interview by Stephen Pope - June 1, 2010
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BIG AIRLINE tries running a business jet charter and management subsidiary? In the case of Delta AirElite, what might at first seem like a prescription for disaster turns out to be a near-perfect elixir of airline value blended with the exceptional service and efficiency of private jet travel.
Much of the credit for Delta AirElite’s success belongs to Michael Green, a former regional airline and corporate pilot, who oversees the operation as executive chairman from the company’s base at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Boone County, Ky. The business started out in 1984 as a small charter outfit with a local customer base and a single Learjet. Green came on board in 1988, shortly after regional airline Comair bought the company and added a second Learjet. The service operated as Comair Jet Express until 2000, when Delta Air Lines scooped up the fast-growing regional carrier and rebranded the business jet subsidiary under its own banner.
In the decade since, Green has overseen a steady expansion into business jet management services and jet cards. Today Delta AirElite boasts 43 airplanes and helicopters on its charter operating certificate and has access to hundreds more through an affiliate network of approved charter operators. Through its Fleet Membership card program, customers can buy flight time in increments of 10 or 25 hours, while receiving Medallion benefits through Delta’s Sky Miles program.
Many of our readers became involved in business aviation because of their frustration flying on the airlines. In your mind, what are the advantages to being part of an airline?
Delta is the largest, most respected airline in the world. When we start talking to a customer, we quickly get past all the questions they might have when evaluating other providers. They know we’re going to be here next year and that we pay attention to safety.
What makes Delta AirElite different from other charter and fractional providers that also have exceptional safety records and offer top service?
I don’t really view us as competing against the fractionals because it’s a different product. As far as aircraft go, the fractionals are type specific and we’re not. We’re size specific. One thing we do have in common is that the customer pays for occupied flight time. Charter providers have a much larger pool of aircraft to draw on than the fractional providers. That means our cost is lower and we can afford to charge customers less.
We are probably the largest charter operator, or close to it, in terms of customer base in the U.S. We have charter operators who we do business with who we’ve grown familiar with over the years. We know they’ll treat our customers well, and that gives us tremendous flexibility.
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