Optimizing business aviation operations with AI: An interview with Christopher Marich, co-founder and CSO at MySky 

The private aviation industry is known for exclusivity, luxury and exceptional service. Behind the scenes, however, the businesses responsible for delivering this experience are often faced with time-consuming administrative tasks, complex operations and unnecessary costs.

Through the power of artificial intelligence (AI), cost management platform MySky, is seeking to change this. MySky’s technology enables operators to streamline processes and work smarter, not harder – empowering them with the time and resources to provide an exceptional service.

We caught up with MySky’s co-founder and CSO, Christopher Marich, to learn about their key areas of focus for supporting the business aviation industry.

Why is embracing AI important to business aviation?

AI can be a daunting prospect for those who aren’t used to it, however the benefits it can bring to a business can’t be ignored. Through AI, businesses can be more efficient and create a better service for their customers – this is at the heart of what we offer at MySky.

It’s incredibly important for all those in the business aviation world to have a complete understanding of the costs associated with every flight to enable confident decision making. By having genuine insight into their operations, businesses can benefit from more efficient resource allocation and strategic financial planning, which ultimately drives profitability.

How has MySky Quote changed the way users experience booking a private jet?

Our technology takes the hassle out of the process for business jet users and operators.

MySky Quote’s user-friendly interface makes it simple to input your travel details and preferences. From there, a precise estimate for each leg of the charter mission is generated in under 10 seconds – instead of hours or even days for manual legacy systems – helping our customers to determine whether a booking is worthwhile, and to select the most profitable trip configuration.  

Its automation feature also reduces the amount of times it takes for operators to respond to quote requests, enabling them to generate accurate and competitive quotes swiftly – a valuable alternative to what can often be a time-consuming task, requiring a manual review and sign-off process.

Not only is this in the best interest of the customer, but it levels the playing field for mid-sized operators, empowering them to rival industry competitors.

What are the key areas operators should prioritize to streamline back-office processes and enhance customer experiences, and how does MySky’s technology support these improvements?

Digitalized invoicing, customized budgets, key performance indicators (KPIs), and global benchmarking.

Providing businesses with digitized invoicing is a game-changer. It simplifies the entire process, making it streamlined and efficient, while also reducing the administrative burden and ensuring greater accuracy.

With MySky, businesses can also customize budgets and KPIs to ensure they align and support the progress of specific goals.

Additionally, our users gain access to benchmarking tools, which provide significant insights for informed decisions, competitive advantages, and improved overall performance.  All of which ultimately contribute to enhancing the customer’s experience.

Tell us about your latest product, MySky Procure.

We launched Procure in 2023 to give business aviation companies new levels of visibility over all contracted and uncontracted suppliers associated with a flight, including fuel, airport, and handling services.

Using MySky’s AI cost database, MySky Procure presents an overview of a customer’s spend for each flight destination, allowing dispatch teams to save time, avoid hidden charges and benchmark costs, with search-engine like precision.

The solution means owners and operators can compare market rates and optimize spending, enabling them to make strategic choices aligned with their financial objectives. This also ensures the end customer has a clear understanding of the final payment they will make for each flight booking.

Ultimately, the broad application of MySky’s AI solutions offers significant benefits to business aviation professionals, whether that’s through new levels of transparency or more data-informed decisions.

By enhancing performance, efficiency and profitability, our AI allows the internal operations of private aviation businesses to run as smoothly as the luxury experiences provided to their clients.

About MySky  

Founded in 2015, MySky is the only AI-powered cost management platform designed specifically for the private aviation industry. EMEA-headquartered in Dubai, UAE and US-headquartered in New Jersey, US, MySky is a global technology company bringing value to all private aviation stakeholders; optimising business aviation processes and enabling charter operators to work smarter, not harder. 

Fueled with the largest pricing database in the industry, MySky’s advanced AI is a friendly assistant that takes care of cost analysis, benchmarking and reconciliation. MySky’s products provide charter operators, jet owners and flight departments with complete oversight of the lifecycle of a cost and a greater understanding of the profitability from each flight requested. 

MySky products, Budget, Quote, Spend, Procure and Tax can be integrated separately or work unanimously, bringing powerful automation and innovation, while lowering barriers to entry in business aviation, and allowing operators to perform at their maximum capacity.  

By Gabriela Grigorescu

RM