Tag Archives: Air Charter News

Operator FlightWorks Adds 4 Mid & Heavy Jets – Only in FlightList PRO

Charter operator FlightWorks, Inc., based in Kennesaw, Georgia outside Atlanta, and the Southeast’s largest on-demand private air charter operator, has experienced records growth of its charter fleet in 2015. The recent additions of a Hawker 800XP, Gulfstream 200, Challenger 601 and Falcon top off a great fourth quarter of fleet growth.

The new additions are based in strategic locations that will help to broaden our charter services, including the greater Boston area, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Miami. Selective charter clientele demand modern amenities such as Gogo High Speed Internet and connected cabin entertainment systems, and these aircraft deliver on those needs.

“Our message is resonating with aircraft owners” said Dan Lucey, President of FlightWorks. Lucey went on to add “transparency, managing the aircraft to preserve long-term value, and delivering on the individual goals of each aircraft owner is the core of our value statement, and the ability to execute on that promise has led to this outstanding growth of our fleet”.

FlightWorks’ full fleet of 16 passenger charter jets are listed only in FlightList PRO, at least 4 jets more than any other service.

The aircraft will be available for on demand charter and as part of FlightPASS®, FlightWorks innovative family of jet card programs. Business today demands efficiency and private air charter can eliminate long check-in lines, security wait times, mechanical delays and more. As a result, FlightWorks is seeing increased use of private charter as a way to streamline time-consuming commercial travel.

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VolJet: Creating An Online Booking System For Private Jet Charters

The idea of creating a technology enabled marketplace is one of the biggest trends among startups today. However, how does that work for something like the highly fragmented, negotiation heavy business of charter jets? Los Angeles-based VolJet (www.voljet.com) is looking to solve that puzzle, with its online system for booking charter jets, just as you would a commercial flight. We caught up with CEO Susan Sloan to learn more.

Story by Benjamin F. Kuo, from Socaltech.com, 12/7/15

What is VolJet?

Susan Sloan: It’s very similar to a commercial, online booking system, like Expedia.com. It’s very user friendly, and will be a familiar experience to users. You go on to the site, put your city paris in, and you get back several results. You can also get commercial results for commercial bookings. We’re the only system for private jets, which also offers up commercial airline operations as well. Once you go in, you have several options, from taking a commercial airline, to chartering your own jet, joining another charter, and even opening up your own charter to share with others, if you don’t mind sharing with one or two other people.

Who are your customers?

Susan Sloan: The market segment that we are going after, is the market that pays full fare first class, but has never chartered a jet before. If you have ever tried to charter a jet, it’s a real hassle, and it’s very negotiation intensive. You never get a “buy now” price. All of our pricing is buy now, and the price you see is the price you pay, versus many of the extras you have to pay for when you charter your own jet normally. There’s no negotiation, no haggling, no back and forth. The current system is very labor intensive, in that you’ll call someone for a quote, and they call you back maybe 24 hours later, and you have to go back and forth several times. With our service, it’s very simple, you don’t have to self identify until you book a flight. You can go onto our site, cruise around the site, and only when you decide to book a trip do you have to put in your credit card information and name. It’s also non-membership, so you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to get access to information on the site or to book a flight.

What’s your background?

Susan Sloan: I’m a mechanical engineer, and have been in aerospace for 35 years as an executive. I’m also a private pilot. My other founder also is a private pilot. I had been flying private jets, and I realized they were going one leg of the flight back empty. That’s not good for the environment, it’s not goo for the jet, and it’s not good for the customer, or the industry. There are three of us, and my co-founder, Rabe, and I decide there has to be a business here. Plus, we thought it shouldn’t be so hard to charter a jet. That’s how we created this thing.

What areas can people book flights to?

Susan Sloan: It’s all of the U.S. We have our own database we’ve created of 921 airports, and we have created algorithms to make sure the right aircraft is being used for the right city pair and distance. Also, each of the airports have different runway lengths, and offer different services at those airports. Right now, we’re in the U.S. Only, but we’re looking at Europe for our next launch, probably by the end of next year.

The market for charter flights is very fragmented, and there are a lot of charter operators – how have they reacted to your service?

Susan Sloan: It’s been a great benefit to charter operators. Our idea is to be a win-win-win for all around. It’s got to be a win for the customer in terms of ease of booking and saving time, and we want to be a win for operators, by bringing them more revenue and filling more planes. It’s also a win for the industry. The aviation industry is a great industry, and we want to make sure it has a good growth trajectory. On our site, operators have their own portal. There’s both a customer portal, and an operator portal, where they can sign up. They don’t have to pay a membership. Those operators can see all of the groups requesting flights, and where they want to go, what their revenue will be with taxes and everything split out, and they can select a group and assign a plane. That approach is 180 degrees from everyone else. It’s on our tagline, we are bringing people to planes, rather than planes to people. We’re trying to get those empty legs filled. We have a patent pending on our system and methodology, which is definitely unique.

What’s the hardest part of making this business work?

Susan Sloan: It takes time. It takes time to actually get the system perfect and right, with all of that programming. We have several programmers on board who are working on that. It takes a lot of tenacity, you can’t give up. Obviously, we love this business, we love aviation, we love traveling, and we love flying. If we didn’t have that, we would have given up. It’s been a long road, but it’s pretty exciting as we’ve launched and are now getting good feedback.

Finally, what are the next steps for you?

Susan Sloan: Our next step, is to really ramp up the number of flights, and get the word out about VolJet.

Full article and interview in SoCalTech.com here.

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Regal Wings Announces New Private Jet Charter Division

Regal Wings Press Release 12/3/15
SOURCE Regal Wings

Since its inception over ten years ago, Regal Wings has earned a well-deserved reputation as an award winning luxury travel firm which specializes in first and business class ticketing, one satisfied client at a time. With our over the top customer service and the ability to access unpublished fares at the lowest possible prices, we have caught attention from A-list companies and high profile celebrities alike, as well as accolades from Inc. Magazine, Frommers, and Crain’s New York Business.

In our never ending quest to provide the highest possible level of service, we have launched an elite Private Jet Charter division which takes our legendary personal attention and unbeatable fares to new heights. As private aviation specialists we have secured relationships with major private jet operators in the United States, and our strong buying power gives us access to the quality fares that are not available anywhere else.

Regal Wings is proud to announce that we have joined forces for this launch with Steven Kramer who is the founder and CEO of Oceans Capital. Steven brings his boundless expertise of the private jet industry to our new business jets division, and under his watch we will bring an unparalleled experience. Our talented team will serve each client to ensure that every aspect of their journey whether it is domestic or international will meet the unsurpassed Regal standards, and that every jet carries the highest of safety ratings.

“We invite you to fly with our new private aviation team to have us take you to the loftiest of heights,” said Regal Wings CEO Eli Ostreicher. “We are completely confident that with our world class customer service and industry leading rates, that once you embark with us you will never journey with anybody else.”

SOURCE Regal Wings

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Click2Jet Launches Site for Booking Private Jet Charters

Click2Jet.com Platform Streamlines Operator Quoting Process, Eliminates Broker Mark-up; Gives Charter Users Direct Access to Best Priced Jet Charters

Click2Jet, a California web start-up that connects charter users directly with charter operators in the fast growing on-demand jet charter market segment, announced November 6 the rollout of service in its Los Angeles and San Francisco launch markets via this company press release.

Click2Jet contracts with charter operators to offer a lower-priced, real time search and booking alternative to quote-based broker mark-up models that have historically driven the charter market.

“We believe that Click2Jet represents a truly unique market offering in that we have eliminated the traditional middleman to the advantage of both charter users and charter operators,” said John Andruilli, Jr., Click2Jet Founder and Managing Partner. “We contract directly with premier charter operators, like Clay Lacy Aviation & Dreamline Aviation, to offer their aircraft at predetermined prices on the highest demand charter routes from our hub cities. Our operators upload pricing, inventory, and fleet information directly to our platform.”

Headquartered in Carpinteria, California. Click2Jet operator partners include Clay Lacy Aviation, Dreamline Aviation, Sun Air Jets, Global Exec Aviation, Paragon Airways, and MACAIR

Click2Jet.com provides immediate search results similar to traditional online travel sites, but in a departure from other web and app-based private charter companies, Click2Jet’s optimized search results represent the actual price for a specific aircraft flying a specific route from one of Click2Jet’s operator partners. Andruilli noted that many competitors generate quotes based on aggregated marketplace data as the basis for their search function. “The Click2Jet model is direct and transparent. We’re not accessing general data about the 7,000 jets parked around the world, creating quotes and then going back and forth trying to meet a members’ search request.”

Lower charter prices are the result of a more efficient operator quoting process and the absence of a broker mark up, said Andruilli. “At Click2Jet, we’ve developed the platform and partnerships to create a sustainable business that will help grow the on-demand segment with a direct, streamlined booking process providing charter users with more transparency and less frustration in their efforts to book private air charter.”

About Click2Jet

Headquartered in Carpinteria, California. Click2Jet operator partners include Clay Lacy Aviation, Dreamline Aviation, Sun Air Jets, Global Exec Aviation, Paragon Airways, and MACAIR. Expansion to charter hubs across the U.S. will follow the west coast rollout. Operator and investor inquiries are welcome. Please visit www.click2jet.com.

Press Release Nov. 6 2015, CARPINTERIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)

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Charter Jet App Launches Houston-Dallas Flights

By Joe Martin, Reporter- Houston Business Journal, 11/3/15

A new private jet service based out of Florida is expanding its operations to Houston with a regular flight to and from Dallas.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based JetSmarter Inc. operates a global network of 3,200 aircraft in 170 countries. The company is focusing on the Dallas-to-Houston route because of the high volume of daily travelers between the cities, said CEO Sergey Petrossov.

Jetsmarter

Sergey Petrossov, CEO of JetSmarter Inc., which just launched a regular flight to and from Dallas.

JetSmarter charges an annual fee of $9,000 to be a member. From there, members get access to regularly scheduled shuttle flights from market to market, like the one from Houston to Dallas. In addition, if the regularly scheduled flights don’t work, members are able to create an entirely new flight — for the up-front cost of $1,900, which includes access to four guaranteed seats. Members do have the ability to charter an entire jet for themselves, as well.

The flight to Dallas departs from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport on Tuesdays at 7 a.m., with a return flight to Houston at 8:30 a.m. On Thursdays, JetSmarter flies out of Hobby at 6 p.m., with a return flight at 7:30 p.m.

The service works through a smartphone app, where members can look at flight availability and create a new flight, entirely from their smartphone.

For now, the JetShuttle flights from Houston only fly to Dallas, but sometime in 2016, the company expects to have more flights to and from other Texas destinations as well as outside the state, Petrossov said.

“Consumers hate travel because of the airport experience. It’s not fun like the golden age,” Petrossov said. “What we’re trying to do is bring aviation back to the elevated experience where it’s fun and exciting.”

In July, Dallas-based Rise announced daily flights to and from Dallas, as well.

Article at Houston Business Journal

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Blue Star Jets Enters Partnership with Luxury New York Development

By Kristin Tablang , Forbes staff

111 Murray Street is now on the rise in Manhattan’s Tribeca.

111 Murray Street is now on the rise in Manhattan’s Tribeca.

The sculptural tower now underway at 111 Murray Street might be planned to top off at 792 feet—but for the high-end building’s soon-to-be residents, the sky’s the limit.

Pioneering the next generation of luxury living, the project’s developers—Fisher Brothers, Witkoff, and New Valley—have entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with Blue Star Jets, offering tenants of the up-and-coming development exclusive access to private aircraft, car services, and hotels across the globe courtesy of Blue Star’s 25 Hour Sky Card program.

Residents of the development will receive 10-20% discounts on jet memberships

The newfangled amenity will allow residents to book custom travel arrangements within as few as four hours no matter the reason or desired destination—whether it be a spontaneous holiday in the Hamptons, or business trip to Shanghai. A single call to the building’s concierge will put residents in direct contact with a personal flight director, to whom they may relay bespoke travel plans (including any personal food, beverage, and in-flight entertainment requests).

Private Jet Charter New York

111 Murray Street residents will be able to book travel arrangements at the touch of a button, courtesy of Blue Star Jets.

“We have made it our mission to provide the residents of 111 Murray Street with thoughtful, meaningful, and one-of-a-kind amenities, and our strategic partnership is the result of a very deep understanding of our clients’ personal and professional needs,” says Fisher Brothers partner Winston Fisher, who notes that buyers—many of whom own second and third homes all over the world—frequently depend on air travel for both business and pleasure.

Sky Card holders will benefit from lower rates at resorts and villas all over the globe

“Blue Star Jets offers a truly unique and comprehensive menu of services that cater to our very discerning buyers,” says Steve Witkoff, chairman and CEO of Witkoff. “Its worldwide access to fleets of private jets and helicopters is on-par with the level of luxury we are providing at 111 Murray Street.” Indeed, the New York-based company boasts access to over 5,000 aircraft worldwide, from a Eurocopter capable of transporting up to six passengers, to an A380 jumbo jet fit to accommodate over 50.

Residents of the development will receive a 10% discount on Blue Star’s light and medium jet memberships (which normally cost $125,000 and $188,000, respectively), and 20% off super-medium and heavy jet memberships (which typically cost $300,000). Astar helicopter memberships will also be available for $30,000.

Gulfstream 550 charter

For 25 hours, 111 Murray Street residents can charter the Gulfstream 550, one of Blue Star’s heavy jets, for $250,000.

In addition, denizen Sky Card holders will benefit from lower rates at resorts and villas all over the globe, including the Fisher Island Club, One&Only Resorts, and Quasar Expeditions. Preferred pricing will also apply to auto and yacht services via Denison Yacht Sales, Gotham Dream Cars, Northrop & Johnson, and International Yachtsman (to name a few).

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Fisher family, Steve Witkoff, and Howard Lorber, whose commitment to building the best in luxury residential development is unparalleled,” says Todd Rome, founder and CEO of Blue Star Jets. “111 Murray Street will be the premier downtown address, and we are honored to be part of this exciting new project.”

Nestled in Manhattan’s Tribeca, the pending residential skyscraper—which broke ground in July—is the joint masterpiece of four of the most renowned names in the architectural realm: Kohn Pedersen Fox, who drafted the 64-floor structure’s distinct flared physique; MR Architecture + Decor founder David Mann, who designed the residences’ modern interiors; Edmund Hollander, who developed the landscape plaza and resident garden; and David Rockwell, who conceptualized the building’s 20,000 square feet of luxury amenity spaces (which include a tearoom, patisserie, Turkish bath, and fitness center with a 75-foot lap pool).

Since sales launched last June, over 50% of the building’s 157 condominiums—spanning one- to five-bedrooms—have already been sold, with the 10 units presently available for purchase ranging from a 791-square-foot one-bedroom home on the eighth floor asking $2.025 million, to a 3,366-square-foot four-bedroom spread on the 54th floor listed at $15.15 million. Yet to be offered are the tower’s two full-floor penthouses, which will each be priced north of $17.5 million.

View article at Forbes.com

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Operator ExcelAire Hires Jet Charter Veteran for SVP Sales and Marketing

Hawthorne Global Aviation Services today announced that ExcelAire, its private jet charter and management company, has hired a significant air charter veteran as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Joining ExcelAire with more than 15 years of diverse corporate aviation experience and more than 15 years of diverse corporate aviation experience in both Part 91 and Part 135 operations, as well as a proven track record of successful business development, is Mr. Keith Ruggirello. Prior to ExcelAire, Ruggirello served as Vice President of Management Sales at Priester Aviation (Teterboro, NJ) and as Vice President at Key Air (Oxford, Conn). He was also Business Development Manager for Universal Weather and Aviation (Houston).

“Keith’s dedication to his clients, passion for aviation and his strong track record of success make him a great addition to the ExcelAire team,” said Greg Brinkman, president of ExcelAire. “We are growing quickly and Keith’s appointment will help us continue to build on this momentum and growth in our private jet charter and aircraft management business.”

In addition to his extensive sales experience offering aircraft management and global charter services, Mr. Ruggirello served as a Dispatcher for Part 135 operations and had held a Commercial Pilot’s rating since 1992.

His commitment to the aviation industry had led him to actively participate in various industry groups including serving as the former President of Aviation Professionals Sharing Information (APSI).

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Science from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

A Hawthorne Global Aviation Services company, ExcelAire is one of the nation’s leading private jet charter firms, specializing in worldwide jet charters, aircraft management, maintenance and sales. The company maintains office and hangar space at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), with 9 jet aircraft based throughout the Northeast and Midwest available for worldwide charter.

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Five Questions for David Rimmer… Brokers, Operators, Brazil and Cuba

AviationWeek Network, 10/26/15

David Rimmer
President, JFI Jets Farmingdale, New York; Long Beach, California; and West Palm Beach, Florida

New York native Rimmer developed two passions by his mid-teen years: broadcasting and aviation. While still in high school, he pursued the former and, after college, rose through the executive ranks in the commercial radio business until ultimately owning his own station in Jacksonville, Florida.

Then in his early 40s, he decided to satisfy his second yearning, joining this magazine as a news and feature writer and immersing himself in the world of aviation. Following a successful stint as a wordsmith, he combined his professional experiences to enter the aircraft management and charter industry, rising to the presidency of ExcelAire, a Long Island operator later acquired by Hawthorne Global Aviation. Notably, and sadly, in 2006, he was a passenger on a delivery flight of an ExcelAire Legacy that collided with a Gol 737 over the Amazon, a tragedy drawing international attention. This past January assumed his current position at JFI Jets. He is a private pilot.

JFI has grabbed attention for flights into Cuba. An important market?

Rimmer: There are few occasions in this business to pioneer a new market. I see Cuba as a huge opportunity and offering flights there was among my first initiatives in this position. I believe there’s pent-up demand and interest among Americans about Cuba, and thanks to the Pope’s well-publicized visit there, the curiosity level is even greater now. Damon Danneker, our director of operations, obtained all the necessary approvals from the various federal departments — Transportation, Treasury and State — and figured out how to get trips authorized. As of October, we had flown three trips, had three more booked and others in the pipeline. Currently, licenses to travel there are restricted to certain mission categories such as media, cultural exchanges and such, but that will change in time.

How else can you differentiate from the big operators?

Rimmer: We just agreed to acquire ACP Jets, a well-respected Palm Beach operation, which increases our fleet to 17 jets, ranging from Hawker 800XPs to a G450. That raises us to the second-tier level of operators but still well below the 100-plus fleets of EJM and Landmark, soon to be Signature. While some customers think bigger is better, and there are some advantages that come with large size, a boutique operation like ours can offer a higher level of passenger attention than can a goliath. And while the big operators can realize economies of scale, they’re not shy about charging a lot for their service. On the FBO side, if the big chains start showing favoritism, we get to vote with our feet, or wings, and go elsewhere. Competition keeps everyone honest.

Charter brokers: a bane or a blessing?

Rimmer: We do a lot of work with brokers. They’re essentially sales organizations and I think they do a better job of generating business than most operators can do on their own. Some brokers are perceived as commoditizing our business, making all aircraft and operations seemingly equal, but knowledgeable customers understand the difference. After all, you wouldn’t select a surgeon just based on price. Operators who don’t want to work with brokers would be well advised to rethink that strategy if they hope to continue in business.

Looking back nearly a decade, what lessons did the tragedy in Brazil provide?

Rimmer: I support the NTSB’s conclusions that the primary cause of the accident was an air traffic control failure and that ATC could have prevented it. That said, when planning an international trip, especially to a place with known ATC issues, I strongly suggest having a native speaker aboard. Yes, English is the language of aviation, but a native speaker can help alleviate any inadequacies a controller may have in communicating.

As for communicating, is it harder to sell a charter package or write a feature for BCA?

Rimmer: Without question, writing a feature. Just ask Jessica [Salerno, BCA’s executive editor] about how I did meeting deadlines.

David Rimmer | Business & Commercial Aviation
On AviationWeek Network, 10/26/15

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Stellar To Launch Charter Platform For Consumers at NBAA

After a year of quiet development, Stellar Labs of Palo Alto, Calif., will launch its air charter marketplace platform and app on November 16 at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas. Stellar aims to bring air charter the same ease of online business-to-commerce (B2C) seen in the hotel and airline industries.

Several similar efforts have faltered since the rise and demise in 2009 of Virgin Charter, but company founder Paul Touw—who co-founded B2B platform Ariba, which was sold to SAP for $4.3 billion in 2012, and foundedXOJet—told Aviation Internatinal News that Stellar has identified and resolved all key issues. Technologically feasible or not, many industry veterans maintain that the complexity of the transactions and the sums involved deter charter customers from booking online. “I fundamentally disagree with that view,” Touw said, citing the growth in online auto sales and luxury home rentals, which initially aroused similar skepticism.

Stellar has raised about $10 million, $7 million of which came in September from venture capital firms. Startup costs are low, Touw said, because developers are foregoing large paychecks they would otherwise command in favor of equity.

AIN Online article by James Wynbrandt – October 29, 2015

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Charter Broker Eljet Wins Leading Jet Charter For Third Year

For the third year in a row, the international World Travel Awards awarded ElJet the top spot in the “Leading Private Jet Charter Company in North America” category, according to a company press release.

Those companies in the running this year were:

Air Charter Service USA
Blue Star Jets
Celebrity Jet Charter
NetJets
Paramount Business Jets
Prive’ Jets
US Jetways
XOJET

Companies in the running completed a nomination on the World Travel Awards website, and were eligible to be voted for by travel and tourism industry and non-industry registered users, with industry users counting as 2 votes.

“Having competed with NetJets, XOJet and other larger on-demand private jet charter companies and coming up number one once again speaks to how successfully the ElJet message is resonating with our clients and industry wide,” said Ben Schusterman, ElJet’s CEO.

The 2013 and 2014 awards propelled ElJet to achieve a record number of new clients, and flight hours booked in 2015, according to the company. ElJet expects this year’s recognition to continue to help the company soar to even greater heights in 2016.

About The World Travel Awards

The purpose of these awards is to recognize travel organizations in the world through a global industry vote. In these recent awards, nearly 650,000 professionals in the tourism sector voted in 191 countries. Of 8 regions, the North American region had 46 award categories.

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Magellan Announces New Corporate Membership Jet Card

Business jet charter card provider Magellan Jets has launched a new Corporate Membership program. The new card for companies committing to a minimum of 100 flight hours promises greater flexibility and value with features such as guaranteed aircraft availability with six hours notice—compared with eight hours for individual members—and no peak-day restrictions, surcharges or black-out dates.

Other benefits of Corporate Membership include aircraft no older than 2004 delivery, compared with the usual 2000 for individual members; members can push back departure times by up to two hours; $100 million minimum liability insurance for all aircraft categories, versus $50 million for light jets; catering included; WiFi guaranteed for midsize aircraft and larger; 15-percent credit for roundtrip flights; and 5-percent credit on legs of more than four hours.

Flight hour rates are between 10 and 18 percent higher than for individual memberships, but the program includes additional long-range jets such as the Gulfstream G550 and G650, as well as the Bombardier Global 5000 and 6000.

courtesy AIN Online, Charles Alcock

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Pentastar Adds Falcon 2000LXS, Five Aircraft Now Only In FlightList PRO…

New 2014 Falcon 2000LXS operated for charter by Pentastar Aviation Charter.

New 2014 Falcon 2000LXS operated for charter by Pentastar Aviation Charter.

Pentastar Aviation Charter has added a 2014 Falcon 2000LXS to it’s available charter fleet. The new aircraft based at KPTK Pontiac-Oakland County Airport features 9 seats, berthing for 4, a forward galley, HD+ Cabin Entertainment System and Wi-Fi on board.

This brings to 11 the total charter aircraft on certificate and available from Pentastart Aviation Charter, based at KPTK and at KIND Indianapolis.

All 11 Pentastar aircraft are available only in FlightList PRO; other industry sources list 6 or less.

Pentastar’s full fleet on Part-135 certificate includes 3 long range and heavy jets, 2 super-midsize jets, 4 midsize and light jets, and a Cessna 182 for economical regional hops.

Pentastar and their new Falcon 2009LXS are rated ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, and registered IS-BAO, as shown in FlightList PRO.

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Charter Companies Invited to Seminar on UN Air Charter Needs

Next month, the United Nations (UN) is hosting a procurement seminar in New York City. The event, “Air Charter Opportunities with the United Nations: A seminar for U.S. Companies,” is on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at the U.S. Mission to the UN.

The seminar will provide operators with information on doing business with the UN and the process to register and bid on future charter opportunities.

Information, including an agenda and registration details is available for download from NATA here.

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Citation CJ2 Now Based Santa Barbara by Charter Operator CI Jets

Citation CJ2 Charter Santa Barbara

Citation CJ2 jet now based Santa Barbara CA and operated by CI Jets

CI Jets, a division of Camarillo-based Channel Islands Aviation, has expanded its charter jet business into the Santa Barbara market, reports Sarah Oberman Bartush, chief marketing officer with Channel Islands Aviation.

CI Jets, which is ARGUS Gold-rated and Wyvern-Registered, will begin operating from the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), and operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The CI Jets passenger fleet includes two Cessna Citations; a CJ2 and CJ3. The CJ2 is based in Santa Barbara.

All 12 charter jets now based at Santa Barbara are listed only in FlightList PRO

Along with the jet charter business, CI Jets also offers aircraft maintenance services, mentor pilots for owner-flown aircraft and jet brokerage services.

Family-owned Channel Islands Aviation was established in 1976 to fly private charter aircraft to the Channel Islands. Today, the company still flies to the Channel Islands and also provides fixed-base operator services, aircraft sales, aircraft maintenance and a flight school.

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Air Charter Winners – The 2015 BACA Excellence Awards

Seen by many as the ultimate accolade for companies in the air charter industry, the winners of the BACA Excellence Awards are chosen by the membership of BACA, via a vote from a shortlist of finalists, also decided by the members.

On the 14^th October over 380 executives from the air charter industry gathered at London’s Guildhall for the Baltic Air Charter Association’s (BACA) annual awards ceremony.

On the 14^th October the winners were as follows:

Best Passenger Charter Airline
(sponsored by The Charter Company)
Winner: Titan Airways

Best Cargo Charter Airline
(sponsored by Chapman Freeborn)
Winner: Volga-Dnepr Airlines

Best General Aviation Operator
(sponsored by Direct Air Charters)
Winner: London Executive Aviation

Best Handling Agent / FBO
(sponsored by LEA)
Winner: TAG Farnborough Airport

BACA Global Excellence Award
(sponsored by ACS)
Winner: Air Hamburg

BACA Humanitarian Award
(sponsored by DHL)
Winner: AirLec Air Espace

Tony Coe, BACA Chairman paid tribute to the dedication of BACA members in what has been a busy six months since the last association lunch. Tony congratulated the winners and noted that the 2015 BACA Excellence Awards were “an occasion to honour those companies that have performed outstandingly over the last 12 months and upheld the high values and standards that are the essence of BACA.”

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Magellan Launches New Corporate Membership Jet Card

Business jet charter broker and card provider Magellan Jets launched its new Corporate Membership program. The new card for companies committing to a minimum of 100 flight hours promises greater flexibility and value with features such as guaranteed aircraft availability with six hours notice—compared with eight hours for individual members—and no peak-day restrictions, surcharges or black-out dates.

Other benefits of Corporate Membership include aircraft no older than 2004 delivery, compared with the usual 2000 for individual members; members can push back departure times by up to two hours; $100 million minimum liability insurance for all aircraft categories, versus $50 million for light jets; catering included; WiFi guaranteed for midsize aircraft and larger; 15-percent credit for round-trip flights; and 5-percent credit on legs of more than four hours.

Flight hour rates are between 10 and 18 percent higher than for individual memberships, but the program includes additional long-range jets such as the Gulfstream G550 and G650, as well as the Bombardier Global 5000 and 6000.

courtesy AIN Online

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Charter Brokers Evolve to Face New Threats

Air Cargo News, 10/19/2015

Traditional cargo charter brokers are developing their services as they face competition from new market entrants and customers increasingly gain direct access to airlines.

Speaking at the Freighters and Belly Cargo Conference in Abu Dhabi, Air Charter Service (ACS) group commercial director Justin Lancaster highlighted some the challenges faced by traditional brokers.

He said that the internet had increasingly allowed clients to contact direct airlines directly. Also, the barriers to setting up as a broker are very low, meaning there were many new entrants to the market.

Cargo/freight operators and aircraft certified for cargo are available in FlightList PRO.

He added that freight forwarders were increasingly dealing with charters in-house, a trend led by Panalpina, and passenger networks were being expanded.

Lancaster said: “Airlines are operating more passenger aircraft and looking at routes that were traditionally cargo routes.

“This is a big threat for us and has been ongoing for some time. The airlines have to do something with the passenger aircraft that are coming onto the market and more and more they are looking at routes that were cargo charter routes.

“Airlines are taking the cargo side of the business more seriously than they were.”

Connected to this development was the increased cargo capacity of the new passenger aircraft entering the market and also market over-capacity.

“When I started,” he said, “50% of our revenues came in the last quarter driven by the peak season out of the Far East; maybe it was there last year, but for many years before that business had dried up.

“Once the capacity is gone and demand outstrips supply, that’s when cargo charter brokers can come into the equation and put aircraft that aren’t so commonly known into the Far East.”

Other challenges included: a decline in new cargo charter start-up airlines which relied on charter brokers to market the aircraft for them. Some charter industries such as oil and gas were suffering a slowdown, Lancaster said.

To counter these threats and evolve the role of the broker, ACS is investing in people, developing the skills of its people through training, continuing to develop a global reach with regional offices that know the local market and clients. It also provides local currency transactions, offers rapid response, ensures it is trustworthy, has developed its own compliance department and offers insurance.

“People are the key for us. As a broker we don’t have assets. We have people, data and knowledge,” he said.

Original article here

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New – San Diego’s Only King Air 200, By Premier Air Charter LLC

Charter Operator Premier Air Charter based at KMYF Montgomery Field in San Diego, CA has added a King Air 200 to their charter fleet. N825KA sports a 2015 refurbished interior and fresh red, white and blue paint scheme.

The only charter King Air based in central San Diego, Montgomery Field is just 15 minutes from downtown San Diego, or San Diego International Airport.

Premier Air Charter now offers a fleet of 5 charter aircraft in San Diego. In addition to the King Air 200 they operate a Cessna Conquest II, two Eclipse 500’s and a Learjet 35A designated for med-flights/ambulance.

The Premier Air Charter full fleet is listed ONLY in FlightList PRO.

San Diego based King Air 200 operated by Premier Air Charter.

San Diego-based King Air 200 operated by Premier Air Charter.

Premier Air Charter King Air 200 Interior - Refurbished 2015

Premier Air Charter King Air 200 Interior – Refurbished 2015

San Diego King Air 200 interior seating layout

San Diego King Air 200 interior seating floorplan layout

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Charter Operators Combine in Strategic Merger

JFI Jets, a leader in private jet charter, aircraft management and maintenance, announced it has acquired ACP Jets, a respected private jet operator, according to a press release from both companies.

ACP Jets is a full-service private aviation company offering aircraft charter, management, maintenance, as well as aircraft acquisitions and consulting. ACP Jets holds an ARG/US Platinum safety rating and IS-BAO phase two certification. With offices in West Palm Beach, FL, the firm operates two Hawkers 800XP’s, a Citation X, four Gulfstream IV/SP/450’s and a part 145 maintenance repair station.

Complete fleet and operator details for both JFI Jets and ACP Jets are available in FlightList PRO.

The combined entity will immediately offer aircraft management, hangar space, charter and maintenance services in the nation’s three busiest private jet markets: New York Metro, Southern California and South Florida. Upon full FAA integration, it will operate and manage a combined fleet of 17 midsize and heavy jets available for charter.

“By merging these two industry-leading companies, we will be the only provider with facilities, aircraft, maintenance and sales offices in the top three U.S. markets for private aviation,” says JFI Jets CEO Robert Seidel. “I am proud our company will be led by two of the most respected and capable executives in the industry: JFI President David Rimmer and ACP co-founder and President Suran Wijayawardana, who will join us as chief operating officer. They will lead an extremely dedicated team of private aviation professionals.”

“This is a merger of two highly reputable firms with strong vision alignment and synergistic cultures that will offer our clients the highest standards of aviation services,” says Suran Wijayawardana. “It is a great honor to join Robert Seidel, David Rimmer, Sohail Ashraf and Damon Danneker on this incredible team, having worked closely with them on the NATA Air Charter Committee and other Industry boards for a number of years.”

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Startup Set Jet Announces Daily West Coast Flights

Set Jet, the exclusive membership based, private jet charter program headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, announced today that it will be facilitating daily flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Las Vegas.

“We are very excited to be offering our exclusive service to those who are looking for a hassle-free and better than first class travel experience between these entertainment, recreational and technology hubs,” said Trey Smith, President of Set Jet.

Set Jet will be facilitating daily flights on Bombardier Challenger 850 and CRJ200 aircraft which have been specially configured with 15 seat VIP interiors, for $99.95 per month and from $399 one-way (including taxes and fees).

MAC Aircraft Charter LLC/Maine Aviation is operating two Challenger 850 aircraft for Set Jet at this time, configured for 15 and 16 passengers.

Set Jet Challenger 850 operated by MAC Aircraft Charter

Set Jet Challenger 850 operated by MAC Aircraft Charter

“We have experienced a high level of demand for these flights for some time and we believe these additional routes will complement our already established west coast service.” Smith added.

Set Jet Challenger 850 interior

Set Jet Challenger 850 interior seating for 15 passengers.

Flights will also feature complimentary Wi-Fi, top shelf alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as premium snacks.

Set Jet facilitates this unique members-only based service from non-congested and conveniently located VIP private terminals, without the traditional inconveniences related to commercial air travel, such as advance notice for booking flights, price premiums for last minute travel, time allowance for driving to primary airports, check-in requirements, security delays and parking expenses.

More information about Set Jet including its founders is available on the company website.

Charter operator MAC Aircraft Charter’s details and fleet information are available in FlightList PRO.

Source: Set Jet press release

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