Air Partner Magazine - Autumn Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 30
MEET THE TEAM
Charter a private jet to
the Maldives, Claudia’s
destination of choice.
A journey
in aviation
A I R P A R T N E R | 30
Flying long-haul to the
Maldives was an incredible
experience and something
I’d love to repeat.
B E H I N D T H E SC E NES
W I T H A IR PA RT N E R ’ S
C L AU D I A WAT T
We then personally Account
Manage these new relationships.
As a team and as a business,
we are all about building longterm relationships with the aim
of being seen as a partner, not
just a supplier. We are incredibly
customer service centric, have
exceptional operator relationships
and have worked tirelessly to
truly understand our clients
and their needs.
What is it that attracts new
clients to Air Partner?
I think what initially attracts them
is our strong industry reputation,
but what makes them stay is the
exceptional level of our care and
the team’s diverse knowledge and
experience.
With a wealth of knowledge and top
industry relationships, Claudia Watt
expertly manages our fast-growing
Private Jets team in London.
The team is responsible for Account Managing
relationships with a thoroughness that surpasses
even our clients’ highest expectations, Claudia
and her team are an asset to the business. We
caught up with Claudia to 昀椀nd out where her
aviation journey began, why strong operator
relationships are essential, and what goes on
behind the scenes to ensure a seamless service.
&
Q A
How long have you worked in aviation, and
what attracted you to the industry?
I’ve always had a keen interest in travel and speak
several languages. After University, I worked for
a luxury travel company specialising in European
breaks for HNW individuals and quickly fell in love
with working with a luxury product. So, when the
opportunity came to move into a role for a private
jet start-up, I jumped at it, I then made the move
to Air Partner in 2020 to help build an exciting new
division, and I haven’t looked back since.
Tell us about your role at Air Partner.
I head up the Private Jets Business
Development division for the UK, managing
a team of seven out of our London o昀케ce. We
focus primarily on bringing new people into our
aviation space, whether that be 昀椀rst-time charter
clients or people who’ve previously been 昀氀ying
with competitors.
it give us access to better pricing and cancellation
policies, but if there is ever a technical issue or
a customer who’s been let down by a di昀昀erent
company, being a preferred partner with over 60
years of heritage and a large volume of bookings
gives us, and therefore our customers, priority
access to aircraft.
Air Partner is also one of the few brokers with an
in-house compliance team, and we are constantly
vetting suppliers to ensure they meet our values
and standards. The relationships we’ve built
make our o昀昀ering the closest you can get to
the reliability and 昀氀exibility of owning your own
aircraft, but without the capital expenditure
and depreciation.
You mentioned your
strong relationships with
operators. Why is this so important?
As a business, we are committed to building and
maintaining supplier relationships. Not only does
AUTUMN/WINTER 2023
A Cessna Citation X jet Claudia’s aircraft of choice.
How much work goes into getting a
customer from A to B?
The work that goes into each booking is
extraordinarily thorough and far more than I’ve
seen at other brokerages. For us, it’s not about
completing a checklist. It’s about anticipating
a client’s needs, elevating the experience, and
ensuring everything runs on time and without
a hitch. The level of planning we do means we
are always 15 steps ahead, mitigating the risk of
any potential issues and
providing a fully bespoke
luxury service of the
highest standard.
For many, 昀氀ying privately isn’t
just about luxury – although that
is certainly important – it’s about
convenience, a seamless service,
and above all, trust. It’s also not about cost,
although our operator relationships allow us to
negotiate the best possible
rates for our customers.
What matters to them the
most is they know they
can reach us 24/7, can rely
on us in time-sensitive or
high-pressure scenarios,
and can fully trust that
what we o昀昀er them is the
best possible solution for
their needs. That’s what
keeps them coming back,
time and time again.
Claudia Watt, Senior Business
Development Manager.
for baggage, so you are on the slopes much faster.
When it comes to which aircraft, I’d probably take
a Cessna Citation X. It’s incredibly fast, reasonably
priced, and comfortably seats eight passengers.
Where would your
dream destination be
if you took a private
jet trip?
Now that’s a tricky one.
I’ve 昀氀own long-haul to the
Maldives on a private jet,
which was an incredible
experience and something
I’d love to repeat. But if I
could take one trip a year,
it would have to be to one of the mountainous
airports. I love skiing and arriving by private jet
avoids the notoriously long transfers and the wait
We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to
know Claudia. If you’d like to 昀椀nd out
more about our Private Jets o昀昀ering,
please contact your Air Partner
account manager.