In this week’s VIP Seat podcast, we talk about:

Volato Employees Sue for WARN Act Violations

233 employees were terminated when Volato transitioned its aircraft management operations to FlyExclusive, and now they’re suing. The WARN Act requires firms to provide 60 days notice to employees when more than 100 terminations are expected. With little cash left in the coffers as of the last earnings report, there are questions on how much employees will receive in damages and if the firm's officers will hold any personal liability for the amount allegedly owed.

ATP Flight School is also fighting a case against flight instructors who claim they were misclassified as independent contractors and ATP failed to pay overtime wages.

The NBA is building its own private jet fleet

The NBA closed on a deal to purchase 13 Airbus 321neo’s for its players. While numbers are unknown, the deal is likely over $1.5 billion as the entry price for these aircraft is $110 million each. The highly-customized fleet is for the well-being of players and staffers who travel more often than any other professional sports teams.

Proposed Private Jet and Superyacht Taxes in the UK

In an all too frequent accusation in Europe these days, UK charity Oxfam claims that private jet and superyacht owners should pay 2 billion GBP in additional taxes to offset their impact on the environment. They claim private jets pay no tax on their fuel while motorists do; this stems from ICAO agreements between European countries on the levying of fuel taxes on international flights, which is highly unlikely to change. The group didn’t point to any specific programs or initiatives that could reduce emissions.

How China might be winning the urban air mobility race

In an AIN interview with Chinese eVTOL expert Louis Liu, the stage is set for China to surpass global competitors in electric flight, at least for now. The CCP strongly supports the development of technology, and the costs of certifying aircraft in China are expected to be half, or even a third, of the cost of certification in the US, leading to an innovation boom in the country. Ehang, the Chinese eVTOL manufacturer, was the first ever issued a type certificate by a Civil Aviation Authority in the world, and has already delivered aircraft for use in air tourism.

Boeing and Embraer Deal Dispute Finally Resolved

After a 5-year battle, Boeing has agreed to pay Embraer $150 million in damages for backing out of a joint venture deal in 2020. In the original deal, Embraer had agreed to sell 80% of its business to Boeing; however, during COVID and a time of considerable financial stress on Boeing at the time forced the deal to fall apart.