Meet Our Experts: Freddie Maidens - Global Sales Director

Here at SHY Aviation, our team has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of private aviation. We have become renowned in the industry for finding the best option for private jet charter at the most competitive price possible. Our access to the finest aircraft and premier operators worldwide is fundamental to achieving that, but that’s only one part of the puzzle. Our broking team's skills, knowledge, and experience are the most important commodities we offer, and our Sales Director, Freddie Maidens, is among the most successful in the world.

In this article, we sit down with Freddie to discuss his career, his views on the current private jet charter industry, his advice for those seeking a similar career, and how he helps keep SHY Aviation at the forefront of private aviation.

I went to school at Eastbourne College down in East Sussex, before moving on to Oxford Brookes University. I have been in aviation ever since leaving university and I am one of the founders of SHY Aviation.

With over 15 years of experience in private jet brokering, I am currently the Sales Director overseeing all our global private jet and group charters.

My primary and most important role day-to-day is looking after all of SHY Aviation’s top clients. I service their entire requirements, from establishing their unique needs to sourcing the best quotation for the most suitable aircraft from our network of operators. I also manage the successful completion of their flight and service their needs after their flight has landed.

I also sit on the board of SHY Aviation which means I help the senior management team make the decisions required to run a 24/7/365 global business.

The best thing about working at SHY Aviation is the people that work here and the energy and excitement we all have when we come to work.

I have seen SHY Aviation grow from three people to 45 people in 15 years, and what I enjoy the most is having a team that fully wraps around the entire experience of the company and the entire journey of what the client goes through.

Having four to five eyeballs on every trip really helps because this industry is extremely fast-paced and attention to detail is mandatory. This is what allows us to offer the exceptional customer service we have become renowned for.

My strength is being an effective problem-solver. Due to my knowledge and experience in the private jet charter industry, I am not shocked by anything. This enables me to pivot my approach to solve any issue that arises at any time.

On the phone, I am a big believer in being honest and I always tell the client how it is, and then tell them how I'm going to solve the problem. This makes me a very direct communicator and has allowed me to thrive over a very long period of time.

There are so many trips to choose from which is why I love working in this industry.

I've done a return trip for £1.7 million for a sports team to travel from Saudi Arabia to Miami. I've looked after royalty. I've looked after extremely famous bands and have played the lead role in organising the travel for their global tours.

My favourite trips are definitely the trips that I handle for DJs around. Their travel itineraries are always pretty crazy, and it amazes me how they have the energy to perform every day they're in a different city.

I would argue that currently, the jet that's the most booked is the Legacy 600 or Legacy 650. This is due to its versatility and its ability to travel over six hours which means it can reach most routes in Europe and the Middle East.

It also can accommodate 13 passengers in complete luxury and has a huge luggage hold which can take between 18 to 22 suitcases.

I actually feel that the biggest misconception about private jet travel is that once a client books and transfers the money for their flight, they believe that the trip is 100% confirmed. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and there is a great deal of work that must be completed behind the scenes to ensure that the flight can be fulfilled. For example, flights are continually being booked by clients across the globe, so the available inventory is constantly fluctuating, both in terms of aircraft and airport slots. As a result, jet charter companies must work extremely hard to agree and secure every single detail required for international air travel.

I regularly get asked the question: why have I transferred the money for the flight and my slot is not confirmed in Ibiza? Or why is my slot and parking not confirmed in Mykonos? Or Naples? This is because these destinations can be extremely challenging. Every person who wants to fly by private jet to these locations is flying at the same time to see the same DJ's and stay in the same hotels. As a result, jet charter companies are at the mercy of what slots the airports are able to issue. I would therefore argue that clients sometimes misunderstand the fact that once they sign a contract, that means their private jet trip is 100% confirmed. This is not always the case and is why having an experienced, reputable private jet broker who is supported by dedicated commercial and flight management teams is absolutely vital to ensure success as often as humanly possible.

Emerging markets is another really interesting question. I believe that Saudi Arabia will become a holiday destination that many of us will be looking at in the next 5 to 10 years because of its beauty and the investment being made into exceptional travel and sporting experiences.

We're also seeing a big movement back to private jet charter to Malaga for travellers going to Marbella, and we're seeing big movement in Faro’s popularity.

On the other end of the scale, we're seeing a significant decline in travel to Mykonos because the prices of holidaying there have become a bit crazy now, and I believe that customers are holidaying elsewhere as a result. Our clients are all UHNWI, but they understand value for money and are unwilling to pay more than something is worth.

Advice that I would give someone looking to get in the industry is persistence. This job is extremely high-stress and it is seven days a week, but you can get remunerated incredibly well if you work hard so the rewards are there for those willing to show the right ethic and determination.

Whenever someone comes to join the SHY team, I tell them you need to give it a minimum of six months before you're going to sell your first flight and without fail the majority of people book flights after six months so my advice to someone is stick with it and it can be incredibly rewarding.

 

SHY Aviation is an industry-leading provider of global private aviation solutions including private jet charter, group charter, and helicopter transfers. The expertise of our team and our access to the finest aircraft and the world's premier operators ensures we deliver the most convenient, private, safe and luxurious private travel experiences possible.