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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Two Local Air Charter Firms Among Best in Nation

Two aircraft management and charter companies based at Van Nuys Airport have been named among the best in the nation by the Robb Report. The Air Group and Clay Lacy Aviation were chosen from among more than 3,000 private charter companies nationwide for inclusion in the 19th annual “Best of the Best” list. Avantair, with a location at the Camarillo Airport, was cited as among the best fractional ownership programs in the country in the best-of list appearing in the Robb Report’s June issue. Reporters with the magazine choose the winners. The Air Group Chairman and CEO Jon Winthrop called the inclusion a very nice surprise as the company was not aware it was being considered. Customer service and having good client relationships are the cornerstones to the charter company founded in 1980, Winthrop said. Charter companies combine products and service so The Air Group not only provides well-maintained aircraft but well-trained pilots and crews as well. The company sets itself apart from competitors by using flight attendants on longer flights rather than cabin servers, Winthrop said. A flight attendant with the firm has the same training as those flying for the commercial airlines including skills such as food preparation and emergency medical training. “We look at it as a requirement for enhanced safety and then we backstop that with tremendous customer service and attention to detail,” Winthrop said. The Robb Report called The Air Group “a significant player” in aircraft management and charter service and noted its expansion of facilities at Van Nuys Airport and on the East Coast. The magazine also recognized the company’s fuel cost savings program in which fuel is purchased in bulk and the savings passed on to the management and charter clients. Charter and aircraft management firm Clay Lacy Aviation, founded in 1968 by Lacy, a one-time commercial and National Guard pilot, was the first to bring corporate jets to Van Nuys. “After all those years it’s still nice to know we are considered among the best,” said company President Brian Kirkdoffer. Clay Lacy Aviation is the largest operator of charter jet aircraft on the West Coast, with 225 employees and more than 50 aircraft. This was the third year in a row the company was on the list. In the write up about the firm, the Robb Report cited the addition of a Boeing Business Jet to the fleet and how participants in the Executive Travel Program gain discounts by charging travel against a debit account or committing to a certain number of annual flight hours. The company is one of only two in the country to have a Boeing Business Jet available for charter service, Kirkdoffer said, adding that it needed approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The company also provides aircraft sales and acquisitions; aircraft interiors; consulting; and aerial photography. Clay Lacy Aviation also operates aircraft from Seattle, Denver, New York and Santa Monica. Avantair was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla. Its fractional ownership program allows for one-sixteenth of a share, or 50 hours of flight time, up to one-half share, or 400 hours of flight time. The Robb Report write-up called Avantair’s Piaggio Avanti P.180 twin turboprops “the fastest, most fuel-efficient, and roomiest in its class.” Attempts to reach a representative of Avantair were not successful. The Robb Report “Best of the Best” issue is a guide to the luxury market and features yachts, automobiles, fashion, five-star hotels and more.

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