Winged Boots Interviews: Olly Priestman, Regional Client Experience Manager at Air Charter Service

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me Olly. Let’s start at the beginning and the history of ACS.

You’re welcome! And absolutely, so our HQ is in Surbiton, and the reason I say this first is because that’s right next door to Kingston – and that’s where the business was founded in 1990. Our Chairman Chris Leach started it from the basement of his house. He himself was born and bred in Kingston and so its heritage lives and breathes Kingston! His family was always in aviation and that love for the industry continued through him. 

Now fast forward through the years and we are the world’s largest private aviation brokerage with over 650 employees, in just over 30 offices, on six continents. 

We work to what we call our three pillars. First up its private jets which hold one to 18 passengers. Then, for 19 and above, it’s our commercial jets department. And finally, we also offer cargo flights which swap people for anything else, whether that’s sand, water, camels or cars. Whatever you want to move around the world! Those three pillars work across all continents, and we operate around 28,000 flights a year - that's the equivalent to an ACS Charter flight taking off every 20 minutes, somewhere in the world. 

Wow, that’s pretty good going for a business that started in someone’s basement! 

And that’s got to be one of your USPs. Asides from this, what else do you think sets ACS apart from other charter companies?

An ethos and way of working that we at Winged Boots are firmly familiar with. Olly goes on to compare it to a restaurant experience.

If you go to a restaurant and the food is outstanding but the service is terrible, chances are you won’t be heading back there. But if your food was okay and the service was amazing, you’ll no doubt return. In the world of aviation things happen beyond our control whether that’s turbulence or weather delays, but if the service throughout is exceptional, you end up getting a good experience no matter what. It’s not just about the flight! 

That is such a fantastic way to look at it. For clients like ours, what can they expect from the service you provide them?

What an incredible service. Can you reveal any outlandish requests from travellers flying with ACS? 

That’s the bougiest bathroom break I have ever heard of and I’m just loving the fact one of your best clients was a dog. 

And I thought my dog was spoilt! 
So would you say you service more business or leisure travel enquires?

So historically ACS was very much a B2B company, but over the last number of years we have focussed more on B2C. Just talking private jets here, I would say if you asked me this five to 10 years ago, it would have been corporate, nowadays I think it’s much more evenly split. 

Do you think that COVID had its part to play in that?

Definitely. I think that while COVID was such an awful time for most, where many travellers couldn’t fly commercial they had no other option but to fly private, and since then haven’t gone back.

I can imagine once you get a taste you don’t want to go back.

Well exactly that – it’s an expensive habit to have, but if you have the means, it’s a very very nice way to do it! 

Absolutely. So for those business and leisure travellers that are yet to dip their toe in the waters of private travel, what do you believe are the biggest benefits to flying private?

I guess the stereotypical answer is for “the luxury lifestyle” and I mean yes. Correct, it is luxury. However the main reason I would say is time saving. 

Example scenario: you’re a CEO/owner/director, that has a meeting in London in the morning and another in Munich later that day and you know with your time frame there is no way of getting a scheduled flight there. Flying private means you can turn up to the airport just moments before your departure time and be taken straight out to the aircraft. You’ll be in the clouds before you’d normally have parked your car and made it to the terminal. 

And it gives you so much more flexibility – don’t get me wrong diverting your route because you need a wee is a lot easier on a helicopter than private jet – but still there is more flexibility than a commercial flight!

Plus celebrities and high-profile people also get the benefit of not being seen by the public. It’s harder to do that walking through Heathrow. 

Can you any share private aviation travel trends?

It’s very similar to commercial actually, during the summer months you’ll see an increase in routes to Nice, Mykonos, Ibiza etc. – they are very popular. Similarly with the winter months, we see an increase in ski destinations such as Geneva. It works seasonally and as I say, generally mirrors what’s happening in the commercial world.

That’s interesting to know! And how can ACS reassure clients who are new to private flying?

Given the nature of the industry novices may feel worried about asking the ‘silly questions’ and fearing they will appear inexperienced. This in turn may lead to concerns about potential exploitation by companies. At ACS, we prioritise ensuring our customers feel at ease throughout the process. We encourage you to reach out to us with any queries or uncertainties.

So Olly, we’d love to know more about you. Where do you like to holiday? 

Oh it’s so difficult. I grew up holidaying in the South of France so that’s the place I think – that’s where you’ll find me most summers. It’s close enough that you can be there in a couple of hours and the weather is pretty guaranteed. In winter I’m a skier, so anywhere in the Alps takes me. 

Any hotel recommendations you have for us?

I do actually. We recently stayed at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc just outside of Cannes. The hotel was incredible, the views, the service, it was totally spectacular. 

I also love Le Cap Horn for skiing in Courchevel. It’s located just above the helipad and airport there, and from the outside it just looks like a large log cabin but inside it’s so beautifully done. It’s quite small with not many rooms but I would highly recommend it. 

Where is on your travel bucket list?

I’m very lucky to be ticking off one of my bucket lists this summer; next month actually. I’m heading to Monaco for the Grand Prix. It is technically a work trip but very much something I have always wanted to do.

But that is work. For me holidays are all about the people. You know, if you plonk me somewhere with some good weather, a glass of wine and my favourite people I’m happy.

And finally to end, what’s next for ACS?

I mean there is always stuff happening at ACS, it’s one of those businesses that are always evolving and looking into new things. A big thing at the moment is developing our helicopter charter arm and something we are focusing more on. Through this we are operating a lot of helipads at the likes of Cheltenham, Glastonbury and more. 

People tend to forget about helicopters and just associate us with jets, but we do a lot of work in this space. Our helicopter department is ever-growing so if Winged Boots clients are interested in travelling that way we are here to help – I mean if your garden is big enough, we can collect you from home!

Thank you so much Olly, you have been wonderful to chat to.