Honda Aircraft Company (HAC) and Jet It have reached a confidential settlement that resulted in a dismissal of the lawsuit. Honda filed the lawsuit on Dec. 27 over an alleged fleet purchase agreement (FPA) violation when Jet It resold an aircraft.
The companies had been dealing with friction since Jet It’s CEO Glenn Gonzales sent out a letter to customers, slamming Honda’s reliability and support network. According to Aero-News Network, Gonzales claimed it cost Jet It over $20 million in off-fleet expenses, alleging that “for every nine days we fly a HondaJet, it requires six days of maintenance.”
Glenn Gonzales
According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, Honda alleges that Jet It resold Aircraft SN 236 to a third party, violating the FPA, and then provided Honda with incorrect information to convince the company to deliver the aircraft in question. The FPA would have governed the resale, use and control of the aircraft sold to Jet It. The comments made about HAC in the letter were also referenced in the suit.
Following the private settlement, Honda will continue to provide service and support to Jet It as they remain an important customer. Private Jet Card Comparisons stated that Honda filed a notice of dismissal on March 15, claiming both parties would pay their legal fees.
In the tumultuous letter, first published by Private Jet Card Comparisons, Gonzales called the support given by Honda Aircraft Company “not just disappointing, but shocking.”
The company planned on keeping its HondaJet fleet for charter operations but felt that the service expected of Jet It was not being upheld by the Honda aircraft. Gonzales, the founder and CEO of Jet It, has over 24 years of experience in aviation and the industry. He had previously worked for HAC as the Northeast Regional Sales Manager. The letter was sent out to customers and published online before Thanksgiving, citing the disappointment felt over the service and quality of the HondaJet fleet.
“For nearly two years, we have done our best to shield you from Honda’s ineptitude, but our shield has worn through.”
Founder, President Vishal Hiremath and Founder, CEO Glenn Gonzales
Other companies jumped to defend Honda, like Global Elite Aviation, which called out the statements made by Gonzales, claiming its own experience with Honda aircraft has left customers satisfied and ready to buy another HondaJet. Forbes reported that Honda responded to the letter, noting it was made aware of the message and wanted to reconfirm its position on its fleet reliability and commitment to supporting its product.
“The opinion of one fractional operator is not an accurate representation of even a small portion of the total fleet of owners,” Global Elite Aviation’s article said. “The HondaJet has upheld an impressive dispatch rate of 99.7% ever since entering into service in December of 2015. Jet It operates about 10% of the HondaJet fleet, and Mr. Gonzales claims that he has been unable to reach even an 83% dispatch rate due to reliability and service. You should ask yourself how it is that Jet It was unable to maintain a reasonable dispatch rate when the entire fleet was averaging 99.7%. You should also ask yourself why the other HondaJet fleet operators are not experiencing the same problems as Jet It.”
Jet It had begun expanding its fleet to include aircraft like the Gulfstream G150 and Embraer Phenom 300. While an official announcement was not made, Jet It had discussed a move with current owners to the Phenom 300 over the HondaJet. Gonzales confirmed the addition of the Embraer to its fleet first on Private Jet Card Comparisons, claiming the company was expanding its fleet to meet the needs of shareholders.
RELATED STORIES:
Jet It adds 13 new aircraft to fleet in 2021
Jet It adds first Gulfstream G150 aircraft to fleet
The public feud ended in a quiet and very private settlement and dismissal of the suit. Despite the public conflict, the two companies will continue working together and there is no word on whether Jet It will continue with its plans to purchase a Phenom 300 for its fleet.
Contact
Name: Haley Davoren
, Digital Content Manager
Company: GlobalAir.com
Website: https://globalair.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 502-456-3934
©2023 GlobalAir.com, Haley Davoren. All rights reserved.
Recent Comments