BAI talks to VOO CEO Robert Plhak about what’s new with the company and what makes them stand out from competitors.
Can you explain a little bit about your company?
VOO is the first B2B marketplace that delivers private jet or business aviation bookings for charter flights. It’s a B2B platform for charter brokers and aircraft operators to enter into charter contracts.
How does VOO work and what are your USPs?
VOO is an evolution of existing charter market software and a revolution in the business aviation industry. It provides a user experience similar to booking a regular scheduled flight. You search for a flight, see what’s available at which price, and can trust the price and availability because it’s calculated automatically by our software. The big difference is our advanced calculation system that considers all factors as an experienced charter sales professional would, including taxes, airport pricing, catering, and aircraft logistics.
How did you end up in business aviation and starting VOO?
I started in cargo transportation and logistics. About 20 years ago, I transitioned to charter sales in business aviation. I worked with various companies and ran my own charter broker and sales agent business for over 10 years. In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I closed that business and decided to start VOO to address the missing links and improvements in charter software.
What are your near-term goals for VOO?
We’re focusing on several areas. The first is releasing an empty leg functionality with a user interface. We also want to focus on further integrations with more flight management systems. We’re looking at improving pricing calculations for greater accuracy and developing an organization functionality for post-booking flight overview and organization. Our aim is to enhance communication between brokers and operators through seamless information flow.
How does VOO stand out from competitors?
VOO stands out primarily in our calculation methodology. We consider all aspects of flight logistics, fleet optimization, and tactical planning that charter sales managers deal with daily. Our system considers everything an experienced charter sales professional would when manually calculating a flight. This includes A to B pricing, taxes, airport fees, handling fees, aircraft logistics, catering budgets, and more. We also factor in empty legs as an automated discount. The system does in milli-seconds without any mistakes what people with other software do manually (irdendwas bzgl. Fehlervermeidung bitte).
We’re also continuously improving and developing, setting new standards in the industry. Unlike many competitors, we focus solely on B2B and serve only charter brokers and aircraft operators.
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a career in business aviation?
First, determine what aspect of the industry interests you most. For those interested in client relations, consider applying to a charter broker. If you’re more interested in the mechanics of how business aviation works, apply to an aircraft operator. For those unsure, starting with a larger aircraft operator that has various departments can provide exposure to different aspects of the industry. It’s important to understand that while the industry may seem glamorous, it involves hard work, long hours, and demands extensive knowledge.
