Why It Counts:
Executive Assistants (EAs) are gatekeepers, planners, and strategic allies for high-level executives. When business aviation schedulers and dispatchers engage with EAs, clear and concise communication is essential. Over-communicating or adding fluff creates friction. Under-communicating causes confusion. In this high-stakes dynamic, “less chatter, more clarity” isn’t just a style—it’s a strategy.
What’s Happening:
Across the industry, flight departments and charter teams are realizing the power of EA-specific communication training for schedulers and client service reps. The goal: help front-line ops staff speak the EA’s language—professionally, efficiently, and with focus.
Key Developments:
- More operators are building “EA Briefing Templates” into trip planning workflows, summarizing only essential details: departure time, pax count, ground contact, and driver ETA.
- Flight coordinators are undergoing conciseness training, learning how to frame texts, emails, and calls in the format EAs expect: facts first, options next.
- CRM systems are being restructured to log communication preferences for key EAs, enabling more tailored interactions and less re-explaining.
Context & Implications:
Executive Assistants are often the ones who escalate a client relationship—or quietly switch operators. They don’t need charm, jokes, or jargon. They need confidence, precision, and trust in the dispatcher’s ability to execute cleanly. When you learn to speak their language, you build credibility and move from vendor to partner.
And while this is most visible in business aviation, the principle applies universally: professional respect = communication efficiency. Whether you’re confirming a G450 launch time or managing a Gulfstream maintenance swap, a less-is-more approach wins.
What to Watch:
- Will charter brokers and operators build EA-specific training into their dispatch onboarding?
- Could NBAA release a dedicated briefing or webinar on “Communicating with Executive Assistants” as part of its Professional Development Program?
- Will CRM vendors integrate tone-style AI to guide how messages are composed for high-level gatekeepers?
Further Insight:
NBAA: Best Practices in Flight Department Communication
