David Mayer, an attorney within the global aviation group at Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, has dedicated his professional network to supporting the Corporate Angel Network. This nonprofit organization specializes in arranging free transportation for cancer patients by identifying unoccupied seats on business aircraft. Influenced by his own family’s history with the disease, Mayer acts as an intermediary, urging his industry contacts to offer these available spots to those requiring travel to specialized medical centers.
The program facilitates access to renowned institutions such as the Mayo Clinic by matching patient needs with existing business flight schedules. By coordinating these logistics, the initiative helps families overcome the challenges of reaching distant healthcare facilities without the added burden of travel expenses. Mayer’s primary objective is to help patients and their caregivers focus on recovery and quality time together, ensuring that logistical hurdles do not prevent them from receiving the latest medical treatments.
Independent studies point out that business aircraft fly up to 15,000 hours per year for humanitarian missions. For some companies these flights account for as much as a quarter of their operations.
