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Headlines - March
- April 2003
U.S.A.______________________
Air Charter Professionals Launch New Association
Six air charter companies have banded together to form a new trade association, the Air Charter Professionals Association (ACPA), which will define a new set of industry standards for air charter companies that act as intermediaries between business travelers and the owner-operators of charter jets.
ACPA, which will be headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, is still in its formative stage. For now, the association consists of its six founding members companies: Air Royale International of Los Angeles; Air Charter Team of Kansas City, Missouri; Air Partner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Air Planning of North Reading, Massachusetts; Chapman Freeborn of Atlanta; and CharterAuction.com of Quincy, Massachusetts.
“We want to be a unified voice within our own industry, both to government and to other trade groups. We want to be the face of public relations to the citizen and the client, as intermediaries matching the client with the operator,” said Wayne Rizzi, president and CEO of Air Royale International.
To qualify for ACPA membership, air charter companies will have to meet two of three of the following ACPA-established criteria: 1) They must book at least ten air charter trips per month. 2) The prospective member company’s principal must have been involved in the air charter industry for at least five years, or 3) The prospective member company must have been in business for at least three years. Prospective members also will be required to sign a code of ethics, established by ACPA.
“The creation of a body to assure ethical business practices ensures credibility not only for participating members but also for the jet charter intermediary industry as a whole,” said Jonathan Tasler, president of Air Charter Team.
“The air charter industry is growing exponentially,” said Chris Chapman, CEO of Chapman Freeborn. “ACPA will provide a professional set of standards, connecting those who need travel services with those who provide them.” Kenya______________________
East African Safari Air joins Unitpool
The Unitpool ULD pool now counts a new member -East African Safari Air, a Kenyan owned charter company, exploiting the French and Italian markets on routes to Kenya and Tanzania. Unitpool will be providing the airline with Unit Load Devices (ULDs) together with ULD pooling, management and operations services.
Germany______________________
City-air Germany AG Orders two Saab 340B aircraft City-air Germany AG will soon introduce the 32-seater, Saab 340B service, on routes serving the capital city of Berlin from Muestner/Osnabruck and Dortmund as well as introductory service into Salzburg from Berlin’s Templehof airport. The airline caters to business travelers by offering convenient and higher levels of customer service. The carrier will be the second operation to fly the Saab 340 in Germany on domestic and international routes.
“We selected the Saab 340 due to the ideal combination of passenger service and operating costs. We intend to maximize the convenience factors that the 340 provides our passengers in the form of overhead storage, leather seating, a wardrobe available at entry, hot meal service and a comfortable cabin environment,” said City-air President Ernst Brokbals. The airline intends to provide convenient, quick service in markets where there is little direct service.
Saab Aircraft Leasing manages a portfolio of 289 Saab 340 and Saab 2000 aircraft leased to 25 customers in 13 countries. With 35 employees, the company’s head office is in Washington, DC and has regional offices in Stockholm, Sweden; Tokyo, Japan; and Sydney, Australia. SAL is part of the Saab Aviation Services Business Area of Saab AB.
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