Flexjet’s Red Label Academy takes inflight service to new heights

The world’s leading private jet company, Flexjet, has set the standard for in-flight experience in its field for over 25 years, and is now raising the bar higher still, with a new training programme for its cabin crew. 

Launched in September, the ‘finishing school’ style training takes place in The Red Label Academy, a new, dedicated facility at Flexjet’s Farnborough Airport location in Hampshire, UK, adding to its operations facilities on the same site.

Red Label is Flexjet’s brand ethos for exceptional service and hospitality, and comprises several differentiators in experience for its aircraft owners. In addition to unrivalled cabin service (and in Europe every Flexjet flight includes at least one cabin server), customers enjoy boutique hotel-style LXi cabin interiors, crew dedicated to each individual aircraft, and a range of invitations to curated private and VIP events. 

The Red Label Academy will act as a centre for excellence globally, with both U.S. and European Flexjet cabin servers trained by experts to deliver five-star hospitality in the skies. All Flexjet cabin servers come into the role with prior private aviation experience, but the new Flexjet Red Label Academy is designed to add a level of service mastery and a polish that is unrivalled in the industry. 

Flexjet’s existing team of 130+ cabin servers will undertake advanced training focused on refinement, with new recruits taking a longer course that also covers the key fundamentals.

The programme is led by Flexjet’s Vice President of Customer Experience, Francesco Vanerio, who brings his extensive five-star hotel experience, including managing the award-winning Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy, to the private aviation sector.

Dedicated experts in other fields will deliver masterclasses in specific skills such as mixology, wine serving, floristry and sushi presentation, alongside scenario-based service training and how to prepare and style the cabin to meet Flexjet’s exacting standards.

Part of the programme will be delivered by The Dorchester Collection Academy, whose excellence in hospitality training is renowned throughout the world. This additional instruction is designed to immerse the Cabin Servers in a world of luxury hospitality firsthand, and to experience for themselves how it feels to receive exceptional service — with each Cabin Server enjoying an afternoon tea and a night’s stay at The Dorchester in London. 

The focus on the emotional impact of great service is also continued back at the Red Label Academy, with modules on how to make passengers feel special and cared for via highly personalised attention-to-detail; assessing their needs on any given occasion using body language and behaviour; and through observing cultural differences. Cabin servers are also trained in specific skills to serve children and pets onboard flights.

The Academy’s state-of-the-art facilities in Farnborough include mock-ups of individual workspaces, cabins and galleys for training cabin servers to work in Flexjet’s different types of aircraft. 

The same training programme will be provided to all Flexjet cabin servers, regardless of location, ensuring a consistently memorable service experience for owners when flying anywhere in the world.