Are You Getting Good Service From Your Aviation Insurance Broker?
Tom Hauge makes a simple point: most aviation insurance brokers sell access to the same carriers. What separates a great broker from an average one isn’t product—it’s service. Here’s what aircraft owners should expect after the policy is placed.
The aviation insurance product as a whole is pretty much universally standard amongst most aviation brokers – meaning the underwriting carriers your broker has access to are typically the same set of carriers from broker to broker (at present, there are roughly 22 or so insurers writing aviation insurance hull and liability policies here in the USA).
Sure, smaller regional aviation insurance brokers might not be contracted with all insurance carriers in the space because they do not write enough business to permit an appointment from some carriers, but mid to large-sized brokerage firms working in the turbine class all go to the same set of carriers.
As such, the product (quotes from the underwriting companies) theoretically should be the same regardless of which broker you use to access the specific underwriting carrier within the space.
What Actually Sets Brokers Apart?
In this sense, what sets one broker apart beyond product expertise is, frankly, service.
Smaller brokers might be regional with one small home office open 8 am to 5 pm Mon-Fri and no personnel outside of that office. Larger brokers typically have regional offices and personnel across the USA, in most, if not all, time zones.
This metric is particularly important when you need service over a weekend or perhaps after hours in your time zone.
Having a broker or representative from your insurance broker’s company who responds to your phone calls or voicemails promptly is paramount.After all, you pay good money for an insurance policy and should receive outstanding service from that broker who sold you that policy (knowing you may never have to file a claim!).
Responsiveness Matters
I routinely hear stories from new clients that their prior broker took a week to return their phone call or their prior broker didn’t want that client to have their cell phone number, preferring to ‘work’ only during normal 8-5 business hours.
I personally think that is very poor service.
All clients should have a broker’s mobile number and be encouraged to call with any questions, problems, or service events needed – even if it’s after business hours.
I went so far as to remove my firm’s main office line from my business card, replacing the main office line contact with my mobile phone only.
Clients should be able to get immediate access to their broker or receive the courtesy of a prompt return call regarding their questions or issues.
Understanding After-Hours Limitations
Aviation underwriting companies, however, typically only operate during normal business hours – Monday through Friday.
So even if a broker is accessible after hours or on a weekend, they may not be able to get a service request handled if it requires underwriting approval or disposition of the subject matter (adding a pilot, for instance, or approving an additional insured request).
So it’s important to know that the broker is the mouthpiece for the insurance underwriter, but when underwriting approval is needed, it may need to wait until business hours (no different than the banking world or other financial service industry products).
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that if you are paying good money for an aircraft insurance policy, you have a right as a consumer to have the broker who sold you that policy be accessible after the sale.
It is up to you to vote with your business when your broker provides poor service, doesn’t return phone calls promptly or fails to reply to emails in a timely fashion.
I always remember a line a good customer of mine uttered about 20 years ago – he said – I paid good money for this policy you sold me and for coverages I may never use – you best pick up the phone when I call you even it’s just to say hello. 😊
A Strong Start to 2026: Aircraft Financing Outlook and Market Momentum
Mike Smith shares early signals from aircraft financing deal flow in 2026—interest rates, buyer optimism, and what lender pipelines may reveal about where the market is heading next.
As we move further into 2026, I’ve spent some time during my travels reflecting on where we can provide the most value through our monthly Plane Truth finance posts. I’ve been financing aircraft since 2011, and this segment of the industry has always fascinated me.
As lenders, we have a front-row seat to so many cool areas of the industry, and by talking to our borrowers, we’re able to learn a lot about how the nation’s economy actually runs.
For the rest of 2026, my goal is to provide various updates on a regular cadence through our Plane Truth posts.
Quarterly, we’ll review industry interest rate conditions, informed by actions (or inactions) by the Federal Reserve, along with a review of the yield curve.
We’ll also take a quarterly look at macro transaction activity, which shows us how strong the market appears to be. Then, we’ll take a quarterly review of what interesting anecdotes we’re seeing out there.
This month, I wanted to briefly comment on what we’ve seen in our loan fundings so far this year.
Put simply, by looking at what sort of funding, requests, and discussions our lenders have had, it’s clear that aircraft owners and dealer/brokers are gearing up for an opportunistic 2026. Borrowers and prospects are planning ahead for purchases later this year.
Looking at our loan pipeline, there definitely appears to be optimism in the owner-flown aircraft markets, which should bode well for macroeconomic conditions in the near term.
Multiple factors could be at play. I think the interest rate environment is finally at a level where it makes sense to proceed with a purchase and consider financing.
Considering 30-50% of aircraft buyers finance (depending on make and model), this could bring a new set of buyers to the market that may have stayed out while rates were higher.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this dynamic plays out through the rest of the year.
Also, I’m curious about your thoughts…how do things look out there to you? Where do you see things going?
Shoot me a note at mjsmith@scopeair.com, maybe our conversation will lead to the next anecdotal touch base in one of this year’s aircraft finance Plane Truth posts.
Partial Aircraft Ownership: Tax Implications and Structuring Considerations
Angel Houck explains the tax implications of partial aircraft ownership, from fractional programs to joint structures, and outlines what owners should evaluate before choosing a shared model.
Today’s market offers many options for private aircraft ownership. Whole aircraft ownership is a great choice for many buyers, but we are seeing an increased interest in fractional ownership programs and shared ownership structures. It is worth taking the time to understand the various ownership options and the unique tax impacts of each.
Many fractional ownership programs offer simplified operations and predictable costs, and are treated very similarly to whole aircraft for federal tax purposes. The acquisition costs could be eligible for bonus depreciation if the underlying conditions are met. The costs incurred during the year, which usually include a monthly management fee and hourly operating cost, may be deductible pro rata to the business use. State tax planning, including sales, use, and property taxes, can be unique, as some states have clearly defined rules specific to fractional programs.
When looking into multi-ownership, there are a number of options. I wrote about some of these options in more detail last January in “Multi-Owner Aircraft Structures”, which discussed the tax differences between co-ownerships and multi-member LLCs. Another multi-owner structure that we see on occasion is a joint ownership, which allows additional flexibility for cost sharing, but restrictions on operations. Each of these structures has very different tax results and should be vetted carefully.
In any case, the IRS recordkeeping and documentation standards to uphold deductibility of your aircraft are the same. As I have shared many times before, flight details must be kept on a leg-by-leg basis, and any business use must have written and contemporaneous records to substantiate the business purpose.
If you are looking into aircraft ownership options, make sure you have the right advisors on your team to help you make the best decision for your missions and lifestyle. Be sure to include an aviation tax advisor so you do not have any surprises at the end of the year.
AI Leadership in Business Aviation: Why Silence Is the Real Risk
Dustin Cordier confronts a quiet fear spreading through business aviation: AI isn’t the threat, leadership silence is. He explains why addressing relevance head-on, rewarding adaptation, and elevating roles, not eliminating them, will determine which teams grow stronger in the AI era.
There’s a quiet fear running through business aviation right now, and it’s not about tariffs or fleet utilization.
It’s about relevance.
AI can draft proposals, schedule trips, generate market comps, and summarize inspections in seconds. Your people know this. Whether they’re on the flight deck, in the hangar, or behind a sales desk, they’re asking themselves: Am I next?
That question doesn’t get asked out loud. It shows up as disengagement, quiet quitting, or your best people fielding recruiter calls they would’ve ignored a year ago.
The threat isn’t AI. It’s leadership silence.
Name It Before It Names You
Most leaders in bizav haven’t addressed AI directly with their teams. The assumption is that it’s not relevant to aviation, or that people will figure it out. Both are wrong.
Your team needs to hear your position, not a corporate policy. Something as direct as:
“We’re using AI to take busywork off your plate so you can do more of the work that actually requires you, judgment, relationships, and problem-solving.”
That sentence, from the person who signs the checks, can be worth more than a retention bonus.
Reward Getting Better, Not Staying Busy
Many of your people are experimenting with AI in secret, afraid that demonstrating what a tool can do will convince someone above them that the tool is enough. They’re hiding efficiency gains because they think getting better gets them fired.
Reverse the incentive. Ask each person to bring one “AI win” to the next team meeting, a two-hour task that now takes twenty minutes, a customer insight they couldn’t have surfaced manually. Then recognize it publicly. The message is clear: we reward improvement, not just effort.
Elevate the Role. Don’t Eliminate the Person.
The default move is efficiency: do more with fewer people. That math creates fear, fear creates turnover, and turnover guts your operation.
The better move is elevation. Use AI to absorb low-value tasks so your people take on higher-value work. Your scheduler becomes an ops strategist. Your sales coordinator becomes a deal architect. Your maintenance admin becomes a compliance analyst.
Pick your top three roles. List what AI could handle tomorrow, and what that person could own if the busywork disappeared. Then co-create the new role with them.
The Real Risk
AI isn’t going to hollow out business aviation. But leadership silence during an uncertain moment will. Your people need to know they have a future here, and that the future is bigger, not smaller, because of the tools now available.