Excerpt from CNN.com

The glamour has long faded from the job of a flight attendant, but the occupation still captures the imagination of a public fascinated by the constant travel and work above the clouds.

“When my mom was a stewardess in the 1950s, they wore white gloves and they learned to serve lobster thermidor table-side,” said Rene Foss, a flight attendant for 25 years and the spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants.

“Instead of wearing white gloves, I’m wearing rubber gloves; and instead of learning to serve lobster thermidor, I’m learning to put handcuffs on passengers.”

—Thats just about all that needs to be said about today’s “Airline Experience” isn’t it?

Originally reported in AIN

CitationShares and NetJets, two of the largest players in the Fractional Aircraft market, have announced staff reductions and voluntary leaves-of-absence and reduced scheduling to meet the declining owner demand levels.

A voluntary furlough-mitigation program collaboratively formed in April by NetJets and its pilot union, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), has averted layoffs and furloughs. “Through innovative and purely voluntary measures, NetJets has been able to align our pilot and other areas of our workforce to match our current owner demand levels,” NetJets chairman and CEO Richard Santulli told AIN.

“The voluntary measure process succeeded because of strong employee participation and significant collaboration with [NJASAP]. Because of the success of voluntary measures, we are not planning at this time to right-size our workforce through layoffs or furloughs.

Under the program, union members could choose an early-out option or short- or long-term leaves of absence. Among other solutions offered were voluntary reduced scheduling and a temporary construct allowing crewmembers to receive time off in lieu of pay.

While on Tuesday July 2, fractional-share operator CitationShares laid off 41 office staff and furloughed 52 pilots, according to CEO Steve O’Neill, “to match both the flight activity with staffing levels as well as operating revenue with expenses. We had too much capacity both inside and outside the office for current and projected levels of business.”

He further indicated that the decline in selling and flight activity has begun to level off. “Customers exiting for financial reasons have all but stopped,” O’Neill said. “Now we feel like we’re in a healthy place.” The reduction in staffing levels comprises about 16 percent of CitationShares employees.

As recently reported, Teterboro Airport, will be closed for runway repairs in July. The rehabilitation of Runway 6/24 will cause the complete closure of the airport to all fixed-wing aircraft (I.E. Private Jets!) as per the following schedule taken from the FAA Website:

FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2009 through SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2009:
Runway 1/19 and Runway 6/24 closed from 2300L 7/10/09 (0300Z 7/11/09) to 1100L 7/12/09 (1500Z). AIRPORT CLOSED TO FIXED WING TRAFFIC DURING THIS TIME.

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2009 through SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2009:
Runway 1/19 and Runway 6/24 closed from 2300L 7/17/09 (0300Z 7/18/09) to 1100L 7/19/09 (1500Z 7/19/09). AIRPORT CLOSED TO FIXED WING TRAFFIC DURING THIS TIME

All aircraft (except helicopters) heading to the NY Metro area must make use of other local airports such as Westchester Airport, Morristown Airport, Essex County Airport, and Ridgefield Park Airport. Don’t forget, private jets are also welcome to use Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK airports as well. While Teterboro’s closure will cause some headaches, proper planning and foresight will keep the delays and inconveniences to a minimum.

New Terminal, Nantucket Airport

Regardless of whether you arrive by charter jet, or commercial airline, the new terminal at Nantucket Memorial Airport is ready to welcome you to your favorite New England summer escape.

The following jets are available as one-way charter flights. Many can be combined to create complete round-trip travel. With over 10 years of experience as a private charter agency, Executive Charter Services has the reputation for excellence and safety that you demand. For pricing and other company information, please visit www.execcharter.com or feel free to contact me personally at 866.359.3932.

CLICK HERE FOR ONE-WAY LISTING

Kevin W. Godlewski
President, Executive Charter Services

Construction Planned at Teterboro Airport

Teterboro Airport is planning a major reconstruction of runway 6/24 in the next few weeks.. The rehabilitation will require airport closures for all private jets and turboprops for three weekends, as well as five nighttime closures from 11:00pm to 6:00am. The scheduled dates are currently July 10-12, and July 17-19, as well as a 24 hour closure to be announced.

Fortunately, there are other options for New Yorkers. Westchester Airport, Morristown Airport, Essex County Airport, Ridgefield Park Airport are all within a 45 minute drive of New York City. Don’t forget, private jets are also welcome to use Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK airports as well. Executive Charter Services will be watching the situation closely and will provide updates as necessary, so before you plan your next trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, or the Hamptons, check back for news.

from NBAA – No Plane No Gain campaign:

The people and companies that rely on Private Air Charter know that utilizing a private jet is a valuable strategic choice, particularly in an unforgiving economic and political climate. However, those outside of the business aviation community are often unaware of the benefits that chartering a private jet can provide. When reviewing your air travel choices, use this checklist to see why using private jet charter is the best option for your mission.

 This flight absolutely cannot be canceled or delayed significantly.
 The destination is not easily served by commercial airline service.
 Need the ability to work and communicate aboard the flight.
 Proprietary information will be discussed aboard the flight.
 Need the ability to visit several cities in one day.
 Need the flexibility to allow for changes in the itinerary.
 Carrying specialized parts/equipment

If you’ve found yourself agreeing with these statements, you will want to investigate chartering a private jet for your travel needs. In many cases, particularly with several passengers going to the same destination, a private aircraft can be as cost-effective as utilizing commercial airlines.

Regatta Racing Off Martha's Vineyard

Weather – Summer thunderstorms can really shake up the best laid travel plans. When the heat of a long day of summer sun combines with increased humidity and unstable air, thuderstorms are likely to pop up. Typically, the storms start to build in the mid to late after – or right when your Gulfstreams and Lear Jets are scheduled to depart to whisk you to your weekend getaway. By moving your departure time up a few hours to late morning or very early afternoon, you can typically avoid the delays associated with the weather.

Congestion – it’s no surprise that Thursday and Friday afternoons are the most heavily travelled days at your local executive airport. Analysis at Teterboro Airport, serving the NYC metro area, shows a 20% increase in the amount of jet traffic on a typical Friday afternoon as compared to Wednesday. Again, plannning your flights to miss the heavy traffic periods will help shorten your potential wait for takeoff.

Special Events – From the Indianapolis 500 at the beginning of the summer, through all the special events such as MLB ALL Star Game, US Open, and Wimbledon, to the World Series at the end, attendance will be high. Jet arrivals into these host cites can sometimes be chaotic, so plan accordingly.

While these challenges can be detrimental to your schedule and impact your time away, remember that you are travelling by private jet and that it’s really not all that bad to be you. Have a great summer!

No Dough, No Go

Recently, JetDriect Aviation has sold all of its assets to the JetDirect Aviation Acquisition Company now known as Wayfarer Aviation. The new company has hired roughly half of the former employees back on, but the remainder of those left jobless are still owed unpaid salaries and benefits.

For many months after the acquisition of Sentient Jet, there were internal industry rumblings from charter operators who had flown charters for Sentient but were having a hard time getting paid. The problem, as JetDirect/Sentient put it, was in reconciling several accouting systems causing delays in processing payments. While the era of a JetDirect controlled Sentient Jet has ended, it serves to underscore that explosive growth for its own sake (espeically in a volitile and unsteady economic climate) can often lead to this kind of “house of cards” collapse.

As an industry veteran and firsthand witness to a similar collapse in 2002 of a substantial charter agent, I am always cautions when dealing with a company that grows very rapidly in compressed period of time. Flashy marketing and good PR, do not, a solid company, make. In every industry, but particularly in Aviation, a strong foundation comprised of forward-looking leadership, smart management, loyal employees, and a steady but not-rushed expansion plan is essential to corporate survival. There is an old phrase about the aviation industry – “If you want to wind up with one million bucks in this job, you’d better start with two.”