You are receiving DG Amazing Experiences as a user of private aviation. Our travel briefs are specifically designed for private aviation users, with insider reports the best suites, new hotels, villas, travel adventures, and security while traveling. We have over 25,000 readers weekly. If you would no longer like to receive our reports, unsubscribe here.
|
|
In This Issue:
A. Private Aviation Headlines
1. Why HNW families need secure travel support: Prominence and wealth increase the risks
2. Past VIP Security Reports
3. Jet Card Insider Reports
4. Your Favorite Special Reports
A. Private Aviation Headlines
1. Why HNW families need secure travel support: Prominence and wealth increase the risks
While flying privately mitigates some risks of traveling with your family, we reached out to security consultants AS Solution to get a 360 degree view of issues you should give some thought. Since nothing is more important than the safety and security of your loved ones, I hope you will find Christian West’s column belwo valuable.
The lifestyles of
high net worth families often include lots of travel, both domestically and
abroad. In addition to the risks that all travelers face, however,
from the banal but all-too-common traffic accident to getting mugged in an
unfamiliar city, the prominence and wealth of high net worth individuals call
for extra caution and care, as well as special measures to ensure their
privacy.
Prominence makes
it more difficult to fly under the public radar. Curious passersby ask for
autographs and handouts. Paparazzi are always on the prowl. Itineraries and
agendas get leaked from any number of sources. Bored taxi or limo drivers might
send a “look who I’m driving with” to their friends. And the ubiquitous use of
social media, also by HNW individuals themselves, can easily broadcast
whereabouts, plans and other personal details.
Furthermore,
wealth increases the likelihood of crimes ranging from shake-downs to break-ins
and kidnappings. Unfortunately, this holds true for parents as well as
children, whether it’s young children traveling with nannies or teens and
students traveling on their own.
Another important
reason the high net worth seek out specialized secure travel support is
productivity. Staying connected through 24/7 online access is just one way this
happens. Just as important is the extra time available when you’re not the one
who has to drive the car but can work or relax while moving through traffic
from one meeting to the next – or from one tourist destination to another.
High net worth
individuals and families are used to a high degree of customized support in
other areas of their lives, so it’s no wonder they increasingly want the same
kind of customization when it comes to their secure travel needs. Let’s look at
some of the options.
What kinds of
secure travel support do the HNW need and get?
As we’ve pointed
out in a previous blog,
customized secure ground travel is the missing link between business or
first-class air travel, high-end hotels and all the other places the C-suite
needs to visit. The same holds true for high net worth families and
individuals.
So, for starters,
let’s compare how secure travel support stacks up against the alternatives.
As you can see in
the table above, high-end secure travel support adds an extra layer of safety
at every step of the way. It’s not that all high-end travelers check off every
box in the right-hand column for every trip. That will depend on travel
itineraries as well as personal circumstances and preferences. Vetted and
well-trained security drivers are normally a good starting point that provides
many important benefits. Other services can be added as needs evolve.
Let’s have a
closer look at some of the things that make high-end secure travel support
different.
Security drivers
The use of
security drivers is usually the first way that high net worth individuals and
families improve their peace of mind while on the road.
Yes, terrorist
attacks and other headline-grabbing events cause concern. But the single
largest cause of fatalities for travelers is still traffic accidents. The WHO
counts these in “road fatalities per 100,000 vehicles”, and the spread between
countries is significant, as you can see in this overview.
The U.S.A. reports 12.9. Most Western European countries and Japan are in the
single digits. China clocks in at 104, India 130, Nigeria 615. You get the
picture.
While no driver
can completely eradicate the possibility of a traffic accident, carefully
selected security drivers significantly mitigate the risk and reduce the
probability.
For one thing,
these drivers and their vehicles are vetted against a variety of criteria by
professionals with international experience. Where possible and legal to do so,
they check on a variety of critical factors that may include driver
backgrounds, criminal and traffic records, specialized training, and more. They
also ensure that vehicles live up to objective safety and comfort standards.
For another,
confidentiality clauses and individual NDAs are built into contracts. This
ensures that drivers know the importance of maintaining the anonymity of their
passengers and that sanctions are applied if confidentiality is violated. This
is much less likely to occur when the companies providing secure drivers have
long-term, ongoing relationships with either the client or the company
representing them.
Most limo drivers
are primarily concerned with comfort and convenience – but are not trained in
the security aspects of driving such as looking out for potential threats,
defensive and evasive driving tactics, etc. Vetted security drivers are
different.
Global security
operations centers (GSOCs)
GSOCs provide a
one-stop, 24/7 hub of communication, connectivity, travel and other
intelligence, and emergency back-up services for travelers and those they need
to stay in touch with. While many corporate clients are familiar with GSOCs in
connection with executive protection for their C-suites, this may not be the
case for high net worth individuals and families.
Depending on
client needs and preferences, GSOC services can include:
Traveler tracking
via secured GPS devices.
Daily reports on
traveler movements and locations to EAs or family members.
24/7
responsiveness and backup in case of emergencies, including the rapid
deployment of local resources as needed.
Communication with
the traveler to ensure that travelers stay connected/are reachable as needed.
Travel
intelligence in the form of daily reports on locations regarding general
threats and risks, emerging or acute threats, specific threats connected to
principals such as persons or groups of interest, and more.
Executive
protection agents
Executive
protection agents, also known as “close protection agents”, bring an extra
dimension of security for travelers. This can include:
Advances:
Checking
itinerary venues, from a personal security point of view, prior to the arrival
of the principal – and recommending or making necessary adjustments.
Close protection:
Providing close protection while the individual goes about his or her business,
or the family is out enjoying themselves. When the family is driving, the agent
can do this either by traveling alongside them or behind them in a separate vehicle.
Hotel check-ins:
Checking into hotels for principals to increase anonymity, reduce their
visibility and save them time.
Local fixer:
Making sure the principals get done what they need while in unfamiliar
settings, from taking care of forgotten meds to getting into restaurants. This
function can be especially valuable in emerging markets where knowing how
things work locally – and who to call – can make a big difference.
Contrary to
popular stereotypes, good executive protection agents know how to blend in
unobtrusively and only stand out when necessary. Should the individual or
family require even more discretion, covert protection and surveillance
detection are also possibilities. These services create even more distance
between agents and principals but have the same goal: to stop threats as
quickly and as far away from the principal as possible.
Why it’s helpful
to use a specialist partner for secure travel support
Few families have
the resources, networks or time to find security drivers and executive
protection agents around the world. Instead, they rely on trusted specialist
partners for:
Direct access to
proven drivers and protection agents in multiple locations
Consistent,
ongoing vetting to ensure security, quality and reliability against agreed
standards
Negotiating fair
prices in different markets
The convenience of
“one-stop shopping”, no matter when or where the travelers’ itineraries take
them in this regard is one thing. The peace of mind resulting that you’ve done
what you can to protect loved ones is another.
Website: AS Solution
2. More Executive Security Reports
3. Jet Card Insider Program Reviews:
1. Air Partner
2. Flexjet
3. JetSuite
4. Jet Aviation
8. Sentient Jet
11. XOJET (Updated)
4. Check Out Our Most Popular Special Reports:
DG Amazing Experiences
is by luxury expert Doug Gollan
My name is Doug Gollan. I am a strong advocate of the private aviation industry. You can read my frequent coverage of private jets and luxury travel at Forbes.com.
I've chosen you to receive DG Amazing Experiences because I believe you share my passion for both business aviation and the best travel and luxury experiences in the world.
DG Amazing Experiences is your e-newsletter guide to the best places and experiences for private jet travelers like yourself. Each recommendation is personally selected by me with the help of some of the smartest and best travel advisors in the world.
My goal is to give you a look ahead at what's new, what's hot, and the best of the best. To make it easy for you, the stories are short, but detailed, and I provide plentiful links to additional, relevant information.
You will know links because they are underlined in red. Where relevant, I provide email contacts of top travel professionals who will personally answer any questions you might have. Key contact email addresses are underlined in blue.
If you want to leave us, we are sorry to see you go, but click to unsubscribe
Share your feedback to me at douggollan@aol.com
Doug Gollan, LLC
One River Place
650 West 42nd Street #2212
New York, NY 10036 USA
