Pioneering Business Executive Recounts Two Decades of Leadership with the Company
OMAHA, Neb., March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Jet Linx, the only locally-focused, global private jet management and Jet Card company with 21 locations nationwide, recently celebrated the 20th career anniversary of President and CEO Jamie Walker, and the innovation and growth experienced under his tenure thus far.
Throughout his two decades of growing the business, from the inception of the industry’s first “private terminal” concept in 2002 (later expanded to a network of Base locations nationwide to offer guaranteed private jet services to Fortune 500 companies and private individuals in 2008), to the introduction of the first operator-backed Jet Card in 2004, to partnering with Forbes Travel Guide® to establish the industry’s first independent Five-Star training and audit standards in 2019, Mr. Walker has helped redefine the paradigm of private aviation services, pioneering a revolutionary business model, introducing unprecedented standards of service excellence and implementing an unrivaled commitment to safety.
Mr. Walker has navigated a successful trajectory for Jet Linx through both robust and challenging economic times, as well as during an unprecedented global pandemic. Under his leadership, Jet Linx has grown from a dozen total team members to over 585 (a 1,850% increase), and from eight pilots to more than 265 (a 3,212% increase). With a current fleet size of over 110 private jet aircraft, Jet Linx maintains a 1-to-12 aircraft-to-member ratio, supporting its commitment of guaranteed jet availability for its valued Members.
When Mr. Walker joined Jet Linx in 2002 as its Director of Sales & Marketing alongside his father Denny Walker – who founded the Company in 1999 – they had a vision for the client experience that ultimately transformed the then family-owned, local business into a globally-respected private aviation provider. Alongside a team of 12, Mr. Walker instituted a client-first mindset by codifying the Company’s core values – compassion, integrity, selflessness, dedication and enthusiasm. The simple mantra “Supply the High” was established to encapsulate this commitment for how they would operate in support of one another.
By 2004, Mr. Walker created a vertically-integrated organization, with a Jet Card program and a formal Aircraft Management program, providing full-service, local support to oversee maintenance, management of personnel and pilot training. He also led the effort for Jet Linx to obtain its own FAA Part 135 certificate. In 2007, he took the reigns as Company President and CEO.
Mr. Walker pioneered the locally-focused Base model – the first in the industry – offering personalized, high-touch local service to Members and Aircraft Owners through exclusive, well-appointed private terminals. In 2008, Jet Linx Indianapolis became the second private terminal outside of Omaha, while locations in Dallas and Denver soon followed. Today, Jet Linx is the only private aviation company that operates private terminals exclusively for its Aircraft Owners and Jet Card Members featuring local pilots, local aircraft and local Flight Concierge in more than 20 cities nationwide – from the East Coast to Florida, the Midwest, Texas and beyond. Jet Linx Base locations have grown 2,000% under Mr. Walker’s tenure, with additional locations on the horizon.
Mr. Walker’s dedication to service excellence has spurred additional innovations, including a strategic partnership with Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) in 2019. In this industry-first partnership, Jet Linx collaborated with FTG to create a customized, proprietary training regimen, establishing an industry-leading standard of luxury customer service in private aviation. Mr. Walker also supported the creation and continued development of the Company’s client-focused luxury benefits program Elevated Lifestyle, established in 2015, as well as an exclusive hotel benefits program, which features over 80 starrated partner properties worldwide.
Another foundational event orchestrated under Mr. Walker’s leadership is the Jet Linx Safety Summit, an annual all-hands Summit that began in 2017 and was a first-of-its-kind for airlines. Every year, Jet Linx voluntarily grounds its fleet and ceases retail flight operations for a full business day, allowing for a Company-wide assembly to examine and improve safety practices and standards. To date, Jet Linx remains one of the only aircraft operators to bring together its entire team for a proactive, day-long safety event. The Company has also distinguished itself as a leader in safety thanks to its firm commitment and robust technologies, such as the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and pilot fatigue monitoring software, earning WYVERN Wingman status every cycle since 2014, becoming the first operator to earn the ARGUS Platinum Elite rating (having maintained the Platinum designation every cycle since 2007), while also maintaining IS-BAO Stage 3 status since 2015.
Mr. Walker is not only committed to standards of service excellence and safety, but to giving back to the local communities Jet Linx serves. He launched a partnership with The Tutu Project, which provides everything from wigs and lymphedema sleeves to transportation, childcare, and counseling to families impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. In 2022, the Company celebrated its eighth year in partnership with this outstanding nonprofit organization.
Beyond business solutions, Mr. Walker has been instrumental in creating career-path and professional advancement programs that address industry-wide challenges. Announced in 2019 in partnership with Southwest Airlines, the Destination 225° program provides pilots with a career path from private aviation (Part 135) at Jet Linx to the commercial airlines (Part 121). In April 2022, the Company announced a new partnership with ATP Flight School (ATP), the nation’s largest flight school, to create a new hiring pathway program that provides qualified ATP candidates with a direct path to join Jet Linx as a First Officer, allowing over 2,000 qualified candidates access to career opportunities. In recognition of his steadfast efforts to improve aviation, Mr. Walker was also honored with the prestigious Bill Shea Award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute in April 2022. Given in honor of William F. Shea, an aerospace educator, lecturer, renowned aviation industry leader, and pioneer, the award honors aviation industry leaders who have gone beyond the call of duty and given their time, energy, and resources to significantly impact the aviation industry for the better.
With two decades of innovation and best-in-class service under Mr. Walker’s leadership, Jet Linx is poised for exponential growth and continues to set the standard for the industry, redefining the private aviation paradigm. For more information about the Company, visit www.jetlinx.com.
About Jet Linx Aviation
Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers three different ways to experience private aviation — a guaranteed Jet Card, Joint Ownership, and private jet management program — providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum Elite and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system’s preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has Base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website (www.jetlinx.com).
SOURCE Jet Linx Aviation, LLC
