Why It Counts:
In business aviation, schedules change in seconds—and how we communicate during those moments can make or break client trust. Whether it’s a reroute due to weather, a customs hold, or a mechanical delay, dispatchers and schedulers play a frontline role in managing expectations and preserving the client experience. Mastering this skill is now seen as a competitive differentiator among top operators.
What’s Happening:
As operational complexity increases and client expectations rise, industry leaders and training institutions are zeroing in on communication protocols during irregular operations.
Key Developments:
- FOS scheduling platforms are adding built-in alerting tools that support dispatcher-to-client communication via SMS and email, allowing faster client updates during delays.
- Operators undergoing IS-BAO or IS-BAH certification are now required to demonstrate communication SOPs during operational disruptions as part of their SMS and Quality Assurance reviews.
- Post-COVID travel behavior has made clients more sensitive to communication tone, response speed, and personalization during irregular operations, according to recent reports from AINonline and Professional Pilot magazine.
Context & Implications:
For business aviation companies, handling bad news is more than damage control—it’s brand protection. Dispatchers and schedulers need tactical communication training that goes beyond operational knowledge. Flight crews may never speak directly with clients, but schedulers often do—and their voice is the voice of the brand during a disruption.
Poorly handled updates risk not only one trip, but long-term relationships and referrals. Operators that invest in dispatcher communication protocols are reducing friction, earning client loyalty, and differentiating themselves in a crowded charter market.
What to Watch:
- Will NBAA introduce formal dispatcher-client communication standards in upcoming safety guidance?
- Will more scheduling platforms embed “client empathy scripting” or message templates into their delay alerting systems?
- Will regulators like the FAA or ICAO mandate more robust passenger disruption protocols for Part 135 and Part 91 operators?
Further Insight:
- NBAA: Professionalism in Business Aviation
- Fireside Partners: Managing On-Duty and Off-Duty Stressors in Aviation
- ICAO Doc 10138 on Managing Passenger Disruptions
- AINonline: What Today’s Charter Clients Expect
- Professional Pilot: Dispatch and Client Relations
