Jet management and jet card company Jet Linx has completed its sixth consecutive annual Safety Summit. More than 550 team members came together nationwide as part of the company's steadfast dedication to continually enhancing its core operating mandate, safety. In 2017, Jet Linx was the first air carrier in the United States to voluntarily ground its fleet of over 100 aircraft and cease retail flight operations for a full business day, enabling team members throughout the country to assemble for the examination and improvement of safety practices and standards at the company and for the aviation industry at large.

The daylong Safety Summit is conducted by the company's executive leadership, as well as key authorities and experts in the industry, to assess and advance all safety and related procedures and protocols, standards and practices. The sixth annual summit was presented under the theme of 'Forward Together', with an agenda that encompassed a yearly safety performance review, presentations on emergency preparedness, fatigue and mental health, and featured keynote presentations from renowned aviation and safety professionals.

"Inviting every team member into a company-wide discussion around safety practices is the best way to ensure a healthy and dynamic safety culture; everyone is involved and plays a part. Implementing new safety initiatives that result from the topics explored and the ideas shared by our team members is invaluable," says president and CEO Jamie Walker. "At the close of each annual Safety Summit we sign an updated safety pledge, turning our new initiatives into required practices and affirming our commitment to advancing safety excellence within our organisation and our industry as a whole."

Keynote speakers included Southwest Airlines captain Darren Ellisor and Mark Rosekind PhD, an accomplished and passionate safety professional with more than 30 years of aviation experience. Captain Ellisor, a former US Air Force pilot with more than 11,000 hours of flight time, was also a member of the 18 April, 2018 crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 who safely landed the aircraft following an engine incident and explosive cabin decompression. He was joined by the flight attendants from Flight 1380, who also shared their unique perspectives on the event, as well as how to best care for passengers while managing an onboard emergency.

"Jet Linx has shown extreme dedication to flight safety with the Safety Summit and the pausing of all revenue operations," says Ellisor. "When I was in the Air Force, we would occasionally shut down operations for a full day to discuss safety, but I've never seen it done in the commercial aviation world. Myself and my crew were happy to pass along lessons learned about crew resource management, communication and teamwork while handling unprecedented safety events."

Dr Rosekind, who previously served on the National Transportation Safety Board as on-scene board member for seven major transportation accidents, offered the second keynote address of the summit. The internationally recognised expert on human fatigue is credited with leading innovative research that has earned awards from organisations such as NASA and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Sleep Foundation.

"Every aviation professional needs to be alert and at peak performance to ensure safe operations. By using its annual Safety Summit to address the science of sleep, the circadian clock and the management of human fatigue, Jet Linx continues to cement its commitment to a robust safety management system and safety culture," he says.

The company's ongoing efforts to bolster safety in all aspects of operations earned Jet Linx selection as the first operator worldwide to receive ARGUS's new Platinum Elite safety ranking in 2021, the aviation industry's first continuous monitoring evaluation system. Jet Linx had previously held the ARGUS Platinum rating since 2007 and received renewal of its accreditation as a Wyvern Wingman certified operator for the fourth consecutive cycle in 2020. The company has also earned recurring accreditation from IS-BAO since 2015 at the highest level of Stage III, designating that an organisation's SMS has become fully engrained in company culture.

"If safety and our safety management system are at the forefront of our decisions and our communications, we will continue to offer the best private jet travel experience in the industry. The Safety Summit also serves as an opportunity to recommit to always doing the right thing, which is engrained in our organisation's cultural identity," says Jet Linx director of safety RD Johnson.