Charter Spotlight: CommuteAir
/Air Charter Guide recently spoke with Pete Ganabathi, CommuteAir Director of Network & Operations Planning and Charter Operations Team Lead. With over 35 years of experience in providing safe, reliable regional airline service, CommuteAir is committed to providing exceptional comfort and service to their valued clients.
1) Group charter travelers’ tips and know-how – how do you guide your customers through the process?
Our team is available to take requests through our website, https://www.commuteair.com/charters/, or via direct email at chartersales@commuteair.com. Senior members of the team are also available through LinkedIn. Booking a trip with us is seamless. We return all requests with our personalized charter quote within 24 hours and then move forward from there. Our goal is to offer a personalized experience from start to finish and aim to cater to any special requests. We evaluate each request thoroughly, recommending optimal airports for our aircraft to suit our clients’ needs, ensuring efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
2) How would you describe your aircraft?
Our Embraer E170 is the perfect mid-sized aircraft for charters, filling the gap between small regional jets and larger narrowbody aircraft. It features 76 comfortable 2×2 leather seating, two lavatories, ovens for hot meals, hot beverages, and two experienced flight attendants at your service. It’s based at Houston-Intercontinental Airport.
3) What does the future look like for your company?
The future is very bright for CommuteAir. We have expansive operating knowledge with our 35 years of flying for multiple major airlines, under their regional banner. Currently, we fly as an exclusive regional partner for United Airlines under the United Express banner. We operate approx. 60 Embraer E145 XRs for them. We fly scheduled service all over North America, including Canada and Mexico. On the charter side, we are working to get international operating authorities including Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
4) How did you get into aviation?
I caught the aviation bug at an early age. I’m a self-professed avgeek and have always been interested in commercial aviation for as long as I can remember. My first job was when I was in college, working on the ramp for US Airways at their Pittsburgh, PA hub. After college, I worked in the airline industry in various management roles, primarily focusing on Airline Operations and Network Planning / Scheduling. I’ve been with CommuteAir for more than 4 years and am excited to lead our Charter Operations team.
5) What is your most popular itinerary/event/destination?
We are starting to fly to college athletic teams coast to coast domestically. Currently, we are South-centric (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana), but our operations take us to both the East and West Coasts for games and tournaments.
6) What is a memorable event you’ve taken passengers to in the past?
On our first charter, we flew a minor league baseball team to their series finals in Northern California. It was a great experience for both the client and our crews. We came out of that trip learning a lot and have expanded our charter expertise with each subsequent trip.
7) Share a key quote about group charter with our readers.
Our company motto is “Together We Soar.” We aim to deliver that with every single flight we operate.