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June 2005

Love is in the air

Conan McGale, based in our New York office, played Cupid this month when he arranged for a budding Romeo to fly himself and his girlfriend from New York to Niagara Falls in order to propose.

Conan sourced a Piper Aerostar, a 5-seat twin piston, for the one-and-a-half hour journey to one of the world’s most stunning beauty spots – giving the client just a short time to control his nerves. Conan organised champagne to be served on the flight and a limousine met the couple off the aircraft.

The New York staff were delighted to play their small part in the special day and are pleased to report that that the lady said ‘Yes’. The happy couple are soon to wed.

For more information on charters for special occasions contact our passenger department .

New addition to the London team

The London passenger department are pleased to announce the addition of Leon Ly - a new Charter Executive who brings with him years of business experience and impressive language skills - to its growing team of specialists.

Leon joins Air Charter Service following a career that has already seen him work in Sweden, Ireland and the United States, including working with commercial airlines. He speaks five languages fluently; English, Swedish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Passenger department manager Gavin Copus revealed that the team is excited by the new skills that Leon brings to the London office. He added, ‘in terms of the range of languages and experience that Leon brings, we can branch out even further into new foreign markets.’

Contact Lyon Ly at our London office.

VE day remembered in Russia

Air Charter Service’s Moscow Office were pleased to organise flights in May for a group of Russian war veterans celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII.

The office flew Red Army veterans to destinations across Russia and used contacts in the industry to secure precious landing slots at Moscow Byoko (BKA) airport, when most of the city’s airports were closed for business.

57 official delegations from all over the world were invited to the capital in what proved to be a very important remembrance event for Russians and charters were arranged for veterans from the southern cities of Eisk and Maikop. The celebratory concerts in Moscow had music and songs from the 1940s and were performed in the presence of military and political leaders.

The service was greatly appreciated by the veterans and the Moscow office has already been asked to arrange charter flights for further celebrations later in the year.

Contact one of our experts on charters to special events.

May 2005

Charter proves to be kids play

Air Charter Service has helped the vice president of a worldwide toy retailer turn an arduous 10-hour drive in to child's play.

The company's New York office was asked to source a plane for the VP after he decided the 10-hour round trip from White Plains airport, NY, to the site of his new country home, currently under construction in Cape Cod, MA, was unacceptable.

New York office president Ruan Courtney quickly located a six-seat PA-31 Navajo twin piston, a cost-effective and commonly used air taxi, to fly the client and his architect to Hyannis airport, MA, and wait while the meeting took place. Following the visit, the pair returned to the waiting aircraft for the one-hour flight back to New York and were able to return to work the same afternoon.

The client was delighted to discover just how easy it was to keep tabs on the project without taking too much time out of the office.

Find out more about charters for meeting and site visits by contacting our passenger department.

Travel agents turn to Moscow office

Moscow broker Victor Grzhebin kept a cool head when asked to organise two simultaneous flights for the worldwide travel agency.

The agency, which has offices based across Europe and the US, turned to Air Charter Service after struggling to find suitable VIP transport for a large group of foreign dignitaries visiting Russia.

Victor was brought in at short notice and used his expertise in the VIP market to secure two TU-134 aircraft with business configurations for the important clients. The travel agent was relieved when the two return flights, from Moscow to Nizhniy Novgorod, successfully departed within minutes of each other.

The customers enjoyed the service, informing Victor that they were especially pleased by the selection of fine Russian food and drinks provided during the flight. For more information please contact one of our VIP charter executives.

Boxing promoters see Arsenal go through

A group of boxing promoters enjoyed a luxury trip to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff this month to witness a knockout game of football between Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup semi-final.

Sports charter expert Andy Christie, based in our London office, arranged a Dornier 228 turbo-propeller aircraft to take the group from London to Cardiff so they could enjoy a sterling performance from the Gunners as they booked their place in the final, to be held at the same venue on May 21.

In the game itself Blackburn adopted tactics that might have been better suited to a boxing ring than a football pitch but the promoters went home happy as Arsenal proved far better at packing a punch in front of goal, securing a 3-0 victory.

The group has already booked to fly with Air Charter Service, rushing to reserve an aircraft to take them to the final where Arsenal will face Manchester United.

For more information please contact our sports charter department.

April 2005

Volleyball champions fly to the big finals

Players from Russia's top volleyball team, Lokomotiv-Belogorie, traveled to the European Championships in style when they chartered a Yak-42 aircraft through Air Charter Service’s Moscow office.

The group of 109 people, which included the squad, their families and club officials, was flown from Belgorod to Tsaloniki to compete against three other top European sides.

Lokomotiv supporters, who included a heavily-pregnant fan determined to see her team compete against the cream of European volleyball, also accompanied the squad on the trip.

The event was screened to a massive TV audience back in Russia who saw the team battle bravely to secure third place.

Passenger Sales Executive and volleyball fan Victor Grzhebin, who arranged the flight, was pleased to have the chance to meet some of the group.

"It was great to see a team from Russia go such a long way in this competition," he said. "I was delighted to have been chosen to arrange these flights for the team."

For further information on sports charters please contact our passenger department.

NY family charter to view university

An Air charter Service New York passenger charter executive had to put his thinking cap on when he was asked to organize a flight to a prestigious university by the family of a regular client.

The client was keen for his grandchild to attend the Open Induction Day at a prestigious university in Providence, Rhode Island, so decided to fly the family there from their New York home.

Before committing to study there, the family wanted to take the opportunity to view the facilities the university had to offer.

However, the family was too busy to make the eight-hour round trip by car and so asked ACS to charter an aircraft to allow them to fly them from New York's Teterboro airport to Providence airport, and remain on the ground to wait for the family while they viewed the campus.

At the request of the family ACS also arranged for a luxury SUV to meet the family off the Learjet 55 and whisk them to the university, wait, and return them to the airport where the aircraft and crew were waiting for them for the homeward leg of their journey.

The family was able to explore the campus at their leisure before flying back to New York that afternoon thus minimizing the client's time away from his office.

They were extremely happy with the service and personally thanked ACS for assistance in helping them make the most of their valuable time.

Please contact our passenger department for your future charter requirements.

UK budget airline falls short

A high-flying businessman suffering severe delays on a low-cost scheduled service turned to Air Charter Service as he feared his business dealings could be in jeopardy.

The client suffered substantial delays on his budget service flight from London to Palma, and eventually called his PA to request his onward leg would be by private jet to ensure his timely arrival at a series of crucial meetings

Andy Christie in the ACS London office handled the urgent request, arranging a Piaggio Avanti 180 aircraft to be ready for the onward leg to Cannes, so the businessman could guarantee arriving on time for his commitments.

Contact Andy Christie for further information on last-minute charters.

March 2005

Chelsea Fans Flying High

A group of eight Chelsea fans celebrated their team's Carling Cup victory in style recently with the help of Air Charter Service London.
 
The supporters, who work as bankers in the City of London, chartered a King Air 200 Executive Turboprop to whisk them to the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on Sunday February 27th. And despite the match going to extra time, the group did not have to worry about their return journey as the crew delayed the return flight from Cardiff to London Stapleford, allowing the delighted fans to soak up the atmosphere at the final whistle, and enjoy their team's 3-2 win.

Conan McGale, Account Manager, who organised the flight, even laid on minibus transportation to and from the stadium.

One of the party thanked Air Charter Service for their excellent customer service and added, "I would not hesitate in recommending your services to colleagues and friends in the future."

For further information on sports events charters please contact Andy Christie

Air Charter Service Conference 2005

The weekend of the February 4-6 saw members of Air Charter Service's London, New York and Moscow offices meet for the annual company conference, held this year in scenic Puerto Banus on Spain’s southern coast. We were also delighted to welcome guest speakers, Tony Bauckham, of Volga-Dnepr, and David Malempre the company's legal representative.

The weekend offered the opportunity for the company to review the remarkable achievements of 2004, and consider the bright future for the Air Charter Service group. As well as the conference itself, the weekend gave representatives the chance to enjoy team building exercises, presentations, and a formal dinner in the harbour’s top seafood restaurant.

Commercial Director Justin Bowman highlighted the exceptional achievements of the London Cargo Department that has turned over record profits in both ad-hoc and managed fleet charters. It has proved a busy year for his team, with flights being chartered to such places as Iraq, famine-hit Sudan, Haiti and, more recently, Southern Asia, devastated by the Tsunami.

Guest speaker Tony Bauckham, Sales and Marketing Director of Volga-Dnepr, praised the close working relationship of Air Charter Service with his company and spoke of the importance of building global bridges with companies such as ours in the cargo aviation market.

Passenger Sales Manager, Gavin Copus spoke positively about his rapidly expanding department which saw a record number of flights in 2004. As a result his department are moving to their own trading floor and doubling their number of staff in 2005.

Our Moscow office has continued its development in 2004 and will shortly move to new premises to accommodate the extra business generated as a result of their accomplishments. General Director Sergey Vekhov was upbeat at his expanding team's potential for the coming 12 months.

Ruan Courtney, President of our newly opened New York office, said he was confident that the Air Charter Service work ethic and quality of service will prove superior to all competition in the Tri-State area. Ruan is fully expecting Air Charter Service New York to outgrow their current offices within 18 months.

The achievements in London, Moscow and New York were underpinned by the news that the company is now financially stronger than ever. Finance Director Tina Leach was delighted to report that the last year has seen an 84 per cent increase in sales, and the group has increased its annual turnover to $70m.

Chris Leach, Group Chairman, ended the conference by stating that the Air Charter Service Group will continue along the current path that is proving so successful and spoke of plans to open more offices worldwide in the next few years.

Air Charter Service, with its unique way of working and its global vision, is preparing for a very exciting future.

For further information please contact: london@aircharter.co.uk

February 2005

Superbowl Sunday

Whilst Gavin Copus, Passenger Sales Manager, was working out of our New York office recently, he organised a return flight to the Bahamas for a new client and his family.

During the conversation, Gavin (who is an American Football fan) discovered that his client was a huge New England Patriots supporter and suggested that he might want to fly to the play-off game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, and the final in Jacksonville, Florida. The client booked both flights and enjoyed seeing his team beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in the final to win their third Superbowl in four years.

The client flew on a Beechjet 400 with special catering and Gavin also organised a VIP limo from the aircraft to the stadium.

For further information on sports charters contact andy.christie@aircharter.co.uk

January 2005

New York and Moscow Expansion

As part of our continued growth, the Passenger Departments in our New York and Moscow offices were pleased to welcome new members of staff in December.

Marisa Cuomo joins the team Stateside whilst Sergey Pershin and Pavel Kubasov are the new additions in Moscow.

Marisa previously worked for a cargo airline before joining us as an administrative assistant.

Serg was educated in England and joined the Moscow office after working for an executive airline in Russia. Paval joins us with five years sales and strategic planning experience with a top Russian company.

Please contact new.york@aircharterserviceusa.com or moscow@aircharter.ru

Storm brewin’

Gavin Copus, currently working out of the New York office, came to the rescue of a CEO of a major company recently when the bad weather caused his flight plans to be disrupted. The CEO who was attending a late dinner function and had to be in Atlanta for a 9.30am meeting the following day, was due to take off in a Learjet 24 from Belmar, NJ, an airport only ten minutes from his house. However, because Gavin was monitoring the weather movements he advised the CEO, the night before, to fly from Trenton, NJ, an airport slightly further away but with a better runway. The flight took off on time and the CEO made his 9.30am meeting.

For further information on executive travel please contact passenger.sales@aircharter.co.uk

Game on

The London office organised a fantastic winter break recently when a family of eight flew from Johannesburg to Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa.

So extra baggage could be taken for the four day trip, ACS organised a King Air 200 with a belly pod. The aircraft landed in exclusive Madikwe which only has a small gravel strip, no lighting or navigational equipment.

For further information please contact ACS.