Back to news | 8th August 2024
Matthew Savage has always been fascinated by aviation. From watching aircraft land and take off at the local airport from the age of 13 to heading Skytrail’s charter division, Matthew discusses the challenges facing the aviation industry, Skytrail’s innovative solutions and the company’s commitment to providing unparalleled customer service for group travel.
Matthew has been passionate about aviation since childhood and always knew he wanted a career in the industry. After completing his advanced studies at 18, he joined Monarch Airlines, then a leading carrier.
His hard work quickly paid off. Within two years, he was organizing group travel for corporations, VIPs, sports teams, and fans to worldwide destinations. Matthew spent 14 years at Monarch, ultimately leading the commercial team for group travel, including seat sales and private charters.
Following Monarch, Matthew worked at XL Airways, and then as a charter broker for over a decade. This extensive experience solidified his reputation as a skilled, approachable problem-solver.
Growth in group booking
Matthew joined Skytrail four and a half years ago to boost one-off charter flights and seat allocations for tour and cruise operators. He also aimed to strengthen the company’s relationship with easyJet for whole plane charters.
“I’ve worked for airlines, then brokers, and now I’m back in a hybrid broker/airline role,” Matthew says. “I’m responsible for easyJet charters, dealing with fellow brokers, many of whom I’ve known for decades, so it’s great to be working with them again, while also carrying out traditional broking activity myself, with my own clients, so I really do enjoy the best of both worlds. Charter sales are my speciality. Skytrail’s easyJet charter business took off during COVID, paused briefly, and is now growing rapidly with huge potential.”
Organizing group bookings is a growing part of the business, offering benefits like streamlined logistics and increased revenue. However, Matthew sees a massive opportunity to improve access to aircraft for charter flights.
“The airline industry lacks capacity, especially in summer,” he explains. “There simply aren’t enough aircraft. This is a major problem for group bookings that need to be booked well in advance.”
The challenges facing the industry will persist for several years. “As the industry recovers from COVID, there aren’t enough aircraft being built to meet demand,” Matthew says. “Plus, there are significant supply issues with new aircraft. Many are grounded awaiting parts, which is slowing growth. This limits aircraft availability across the board, affecting charter capacity and prices. And with a pilot shortage, flight cancellations are also common.”
Fit to succeed in flight charters
While Matthew is completely focused on business during working hours, he recently took up running in his downtime. Inspired by his marathon-running wife, he recently completed his first 10k and regularly takes part in local park runs – although he has no aspirations to run a marathon himself!
“What puts me off is the amount of training involved, especially through the winter. It just doesn’t appeal,” he says.
On the other hand, Matthew’s ambition for Skytrail is relentless. He has the motivation and determination to succeed in business, developing new airline partnerships, and expanding the broker consultancy side of the business.
“The idea is to optimise aircraft capacity in the busy summer months and organising aircraft logistics to increase and develop charter opportunities during the winter. This is the aim because the summer on its own doesn’t deliver enough business for some airlines,” he says.
Customer-driven approach to group travel
As a collective group, the Skytrail team have substantial industry experience, which is integral to its success. “We are all experienced in our field and well known, which has underpinned our reputation as an effective, efficient broker consultancy in the aviation industry. It is how we operate – with integrity and authenticity – that customers appreciate,” says Matthew.
“Our approach is customer-driven. We forge real, long-term partnerships based on mutual trust and transparency. Clients come to us for who we are, not what we’re offering: to get the best advice and tailored solutions they can rely on. That consultative approach really lends itself to the kind of customers we’ve attract.”
The back-office team is another valued asset to Skytrail, handling all the logistics of group bookings and ensuring end-to-end travel arrangements. “Our support team, combined with the systems and technology in place, help us to create a seamless booking process, beneficial for all types of group bookings.”
Resilient to change
The changing aviation landscape will always create new challenges, but Matthew is unfased and confident in Skytrail’s resilience and ability to adapt in response.
“Environmental and sustainability challenges are obviously huge. We must accept that down the road there will be more restrictions on how we operate aircraft and on mass tourism.
“No matter the economic environment, my main motivation will always be to do a good job, look after our customers by providing the best service possible – this is genuinely, really important to me. The most satisfying part of the job is watching the aircraft take off knowing that I have had a hand in arranging the flight – it gives me a little buzz. It is thrilling to get a last-minute call from someone for a jet, get it booked, escort them to the aircraft, and watch it take off.”