Q&A session with Bryan Miller, a veteran International Trip Planning Manager at Jeppesen

When operations take you across oceans and continents, it takes more than just a pilot and fuel to make that happen. There’s a hidden world of logistics and flight planners pulling the strings behind the scenes, handling everything from landing permits to last-minute route changes.

In this blog series, we’ve been talking to the individuals who make high-stakes international flights possible. Today, we’re sitting down with Bryan Miller, who manages the International Trip Planning team at Jeppesen. Bryan has been with Jeppesen for more than 20 years and started working part-time, to now running a global team of more than 50 professionals. 

Bryan’s team handles it all—from impossible last-minute requests to memorable moments that showcase the dedication and expertise of his team. 

Q&A

Question: What’s your name, and what do you do at Jeppesen?

Answer: My name is Bryan Miller, and I am the manager of International Trip Planning at Jeppesen.

Question: Tell us about your experience. What did you do before joining the international trip planning team at Jeppesen?

Answer: My path is unique in that I’ve been with Jeppesen my entire career—and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I started with Jeppesen part-time back in 2005 while attending college at Ohio State, and I’ve been here ever since. Over the years, my experience continued to grow, and I was offered opportunities that I couldn’t pass up.

Question: What is your role specifically responsible for?

Answer: I’m responsible for managing our global team and operations. Currently, I have 15 direct reports, but our core team consists of about 50 individuals. 

Question: What does a typical day look like for you?

Answer: On a typical day, I collaborate with our teams that support our customers to keep their aircraft moving. This may involve working directly with the planning team to ensure the daily operations run smoothly or engaging in long-term strategic planning with our other managers.

Question: What does a busy day look like for you?

Answer: Most of our customers are non-scheduled operators, so the planning team sometimes gets flooded with requests. Occasionally, I need to step in and provide some extra bandwidth for the planning team.

Question: What do you like most about trip planning?

Answer: I’ve talked with people from every continent on Earth (except Antarctica); I don’t think many can say that, and I think that’s pretty cool.

Question: What is the most challenging aspect of your position?

Answer: This is a fast-paced work environment. Multitasking and prioritizing work is vital for success. Meeting deadlines can be stressful, but the payoff is rewarding.

Question: Is there a uniquely challenging story you could share?

Answer: I worked on a trip to Sardinia, Italy. After landing, the crew called us up and said the passengers had made a mistake and wanted to go to Alghero, not Olbia. My team was able to quickly get everything set up and immediately file a flight plan with ATC to move the passengers to the other side of the island. It is still one of the quickest turn around times I can recall to this day.

Question: What do you enjoy the most personally?

Answer: I always enjoy organizing and putting all the puzzle pieces together for a complex trip, but I get the most satisfaction, specifically from flight planning. There are many services where I rely on a third party or authority to provide confirmation or clearance, but with flight planning, I am in complete control.

Question: Have you had customers transition from other providers?

Answer: Yes, it’s not uncommon for customers to come to us from other service providers. I think that’s a testament to how reliable our service is and to the quality of our client's experiences. If you have an incredible experience with a service provider, you’re likely to tell your friends about it.

Question: What’s the most unusual request you’ve ever received from a client when planning a flight?

Answer: We had a customer who wanted to circle around the peak of Mount Everest. It's safe to say the Chinese authorities swiftly and emphatically said “No.” They also kindly added how quick the Air Force would be to respond and intercept if it was attempted.

Question: How do you smooth out turbulence in the flight planning process when unexpected issues arise?

Answer: In my opinion, the most important thing to smoothing out issues is communication and education. If something about a trip needs to change, it’s one thing to communicate that to the client, it’s another to educate them on why plans are changing and then offering solutions to them to resolve the potential issue. I think these two things are key to client satisfaction and retention.

Question: What’s your secret for staying on top of all the details in flight planning?

Answer: Well-developed processes and procedures. Aviation runs on checklists for a reason—they work.

Question: How do you navigate the complexities of international flight regulations?

Answer: Ask questions and keep learning. Experts don’t know everything, but they do know how to find the answer.

Question: If you could add one impossible feature to an aircraft, what would it be?

Answer: Without a doubt, the ability of aircraft to fold up, deflate, or somehow shrink. Anything to eliminate parking and ramp issues. This would solve a great deal of international travel headaches. 

Question: Do you have a certain aircraft or destination that you like to plan to?

Answer: Anywhere with a TAF that is a single line of text. Short TAFs usually mean good weather!

When you work with ForeFlight Trip Support, you’re not just using a service to make trip planning easier—you’re gaining access to a worldwide network of planning professionals with experience, strong vendor relationships, and a passion for solving logistical puzzles. Whether it’s organizing last-minute diversions or navigating international regulations, having a team of region-specific planners at your fingertips helps every operation run seamlessly.

In the next, and final blog in our "Meet the Planner" series, we’ll hear from Jean-Michel Sicaud, a lead International Trip Planner for an executive flight ops team that operates a fleet of Boeing Business Jets and Challenger 650s.

To learn more about ForeFlight Trip Support and how it fits into your operation, visit our website to schedule your personalized demo.