All in the Details

In December of last year, STA Jets Inc. was comparable to the proverbial sinking ship, but mind the differentiating trait that it was private jet operator. Then the inevitable happened—it hit rock bottom. Thankfully, the only way to go was up. With a new team, a new vision, and an all-around company makeover, fast-forward almost a year and STA is now climbing the ranks to be at the top of the jet charter industry.

The first part of the revamp? Location. STA Jets upgraded to a brand new facility in Orange County, and as Kurt Belcher, the COO for STA, explains, “It is the newest, nicest facility in Orange County.” Also added to that mix was a new gang of leaders—Belcher, Steve Gallup as VP of operations, and Danyelle Ditchie as director of business development. This new team of aviation experts was fully financed organically by the man who believed wholeheartedly in the vision, Storm Bartling. The chemistry between the new team blossomed into a concoction of collaborative efforts that have catapulted STA to the pinnacle of private jetting. The team utilized their combined 75 years of aviation experience and tweaked what they had done into what they wanted to do.

Of course, the group put in a fair share of elbow grease to get to where they are. Almost overnight they permeated their target demographic in the OC and quickly proved themselves in the national aviation community through all means of personal contact, both locally and nationally. One of the roughest tasks in the STA transformation was salvaging their image. Ditchie explains her hesitance to even get involved with the company. “I had heard of STA and most of it was not favorable,” she recalls. But within her first month, Ditchie says they had succeeded in winning crucial client relationships. “We out-flew our competition on the field, and transformed a poor reputation by demonstrating eagerness, out-of-the-box marketing strategies, and a commitment to always over-deliver.

This revitalization gave STA quite the competitive edge; while other companies were slashing prices to stay afloat and maintain their client base, STA Jets stood firm with a realistic price program that paralleled its service quality. Appearances also benefitted the reborn company—that aforementioned new facility in Orange County that provides views from within the offices allowing clients to peruse the fleet, also offers a 9,000-square-foot hanger and three acres of tarmac space complete with an aircraft museum and a car collection yet to be revealed to the public. So from the get-go Belcher says that they looked strong and people were intrigued by what was going on at their hangar.

Another hurdle was building the company’s fleet. As Ditchie elaborates, “We began in April with absolutely nothing but a plane, two pilots, and a new but empty office.” Just a month into the new regime, STA was turning light-jet clients away due to the fact that the demand for their services grew exponentially. They addressed that challenge in just six months time, expanding the fleet to its current number of eight aircraft. Today STA’s light jet books an average of almost 60 hours per month, a number that is unheard of in this economy.

Of course the air travel is a substantial part of the STA experience, but beyond that, STA’s full service luxury lifestyle concierge program is a benchmark of differentiation. “A lot of companies offer concierge services, but we take it to the next level,” says Ditchie. “We have gone so far as to plan and host a birthday party for our client’s son in our hangar. This has absolutely nothing to do with a flight, but it shows our dedication to our luxury lifestyle concierge service beyond our aircraft operations.”

Upcoming endeavors for STA include doubling its fleet and the launch of a company jet card that will be available prior to year-end, making it a perfect Christmas gift for the private jet traveler. The jet cards come in two forms—“one is a day jet card you buy for day usage, and the other one is the member card—a card you can buy in hours,” Belcher explains. Customer rewards are built-in because with every flight, STA is reloading $500 onto the card. Even better, it also acts as a credit card, allowing the cardholder to spend the reward dollars at participating partner establishments such as restaurants, hotels, and other luxury brands.

Jet charter customers of STA can rest assured that they are not only getting the luxury of time that private travel allows, but also a new personal concierge available 24/7 for any need. It is hard to put a price on such a commodity. As Ditchie sums up, “We are built on the principle that there is nothing too big or too small. Our ultimate goal is to have our clients as dedicated to us as we are to them.”

STA Jets Inc.
19300 Ike Jones Rd.
Santa Ana, CA 92707
714.430.1406
www.stajets.com