Category: Charter Operations

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Charter Operations Charter Sales General

Meridian Celebrates 30 Years of Jet Charter

The flight operations team of Meridian Air Charter poses with the original air carrier certificate to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Meridian is proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its jet charter business. General Aviation Flying Service, as the charter company was originally known, was formed in 1983. In September 1989, it added its first jet, a Citation SII, to its fleet of piston aircraft. In 1986, General Aviation Flying Service became Million Air Charter Teterboro when its FBO joined the aviation franchise. In 2004, the company evolved into Meridian Air Charter, as it is known today.

“We officially entered the jet age in 1989 when the owner of one of the piston aircraft we managed acquired a jet,” said Ken Forester, Meridian’s CEO. “From there we continued to grow and add additional aircraft, as well as open our FAA-approved repair station.”

In 1997, the company began operating a Gulfstream II, marking its entry into the large-cabin charter business. Today, Meridian Air Charter has a diverse fleet of aircraft, ranging from ultra-long-range to midsize and light jets. “We’ve seen a lot of growth over the last 30 years, both with our charter division and with the rest of the company,” added Forester. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to serving our customers for many years to come.”

Meridian currently manages a wide range of aircraft types that are available for private charter. Our extensive fleet includes the Global 5000, Gulfstream G550, Falcon 7X, Gulfstream GIV-SP, Falcon 900EX EASy, Challenger 650, Challenger 605, Challenger 604, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfstream G200, and Hawker 900XP. In addition, other aircraft types are available through Meridian’s extensive network of qualified operators. 

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Charter Operations Executive Terminal (FBO) General Hayward Human Resources Line Service Summer Intern

Meridian Hosts Annual Summer Intern Program

Over the summer, Meridian had four summer interns working in various departments throughout the company. What began as an informal opportunity in 1984 for some of our employees’ children to gain some work experience during the summer, has continued to be a popular program with many of our interns returning year after year. Some have even gone on to work full-time for Meridian. For example, Dennis O’Connell, Meridian Air Charter’s President, was Meridian’s first summer intern, working for line service. He recently celebrated 30 years with Meridian.

Meridian Teterboro had three interns this year (LTR): Maggie O’Connell, Steven Iannone, and Julia Moore.

This year, the interns worked in the Charter, Human Resources, and Customer Service departments and performed their jobs admirably while learning vital skills in Microsoft Excel, customer relations, and business aviation in general. Aside from gaining valuable office experience, the interns learned about the interviewing and hiring process, as well as what to look for in companies and positions when they begin their job search.
This year, we’ve also expanded the program to our Hayward FBO. Samantha Martinez, who rotated between ramp and customer service roles, is Hayward’s first-ever intern!
Samantha Martinez, Meridian Hayward’s first intern.

Samantha learned important customer-relations skills and had the opportunity to get hands-on experience working on the ramp. By the end of her internship, she was given a unique opportunity into learning what makes an FBO run, and the skills to help it run smoothly.
All-in-all, this year’s summer internship program was a tremendous success! We’d like to thank our interns for their hard work, and a job well done!

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Aircraft Management Charter Operations Charter Sales General Hayward

Meridian Names Emil Iannone Chief Operating Officer

Meridian is pleased to announce that Emil Iannone has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meridian Air Charter. He will be responsible for managing and streamlining the charter business, including charter operations, charter sales, aircraft management and marketing. Mr. Iannone has served as Director of Operations since 2013, when he returned to Meridian after 13 years in the financial industry. Mr. Iannone is based at the company’s headquarters at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, NJ.
The organizational restructuring comes as part of the company’s overall growth strategy, and is designed to allow Dennis O’Connell, President of Meridian Air Charter, more time to focus on other critical aspects of the charter business. These include owner relations, aircraft maintenance, and accounting. Together, Mr. O’Connell and Mr. Iannone will be responsible for the strategic direction of the charter organization.
“I am very excited for this opportunity,” says Iannone. “I’m honored to be working side-by-side with Dennis to help ensure our charter operations meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace and continuing to grow our charter and aircraft management operations. I look forward to contributing to Meridian’s ongoing success.”
Mr. Iannone started flying in the mid-1980s at Teterboro Airport before attending American Flyers Academy. After graduating and earning his CFI, he returned to Meridian as an instructor pilot, moving up the ranks to Chief Pilot. In 1994, he was promoted to Director of Operations, overseeing the daily operations of Million Air Charter, when the company was part of the franchise. Iannone also spent some time during his early career flying for a private flight department. He is type rated in Gulfstream, Learjet and Cessna Citation aircraft.
In 2000, Mr. Iannone was offered the opportunity to take his talents and expertise to a New York City investment banking firm. As Senior Vice President, he oversaw the daily operations of several key areas of the company, including security, purchasing, and ground transportation. His managerial skills translated well from aviation to this environment and he spent a successful tenure there. In 2013, the allure of aviation brought him back to Meridian, when he rejoined the company as Director of Operations.
“We are very pleased to have Emil managing the day-to-day operations of Meridian Air Charter,” adds Ken Forester, CEO. “He has the operational experience and people skills to help navigate the challenges of the ever-changing charter landscape. Having operations, sales and marketing under his leadership will help us to compete more effectively in today’s marketplace. Emil’s new position will also allow Dennis greater bandwidth to focus on the other key areas of the operation. Together, they will be a powerful team in moving the business forward.”

Emil Iannone has been named COO of Meridian Air Charter

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Aircraft Management Charter Operations Executive Terminal (FBO) General Hayward Marketing

Meridian Earns Top Spot at 2019 FlightSafety Golf Tournament

Team Meridian finished in 1st place at the 2019 FlightSafety Golf Tournament.
Pictured left to right are Nehemias Camacho, Herb Knight, and Bob Platten.

Meridian was proud to sponsor FlightSafety’s 22nd Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament held on Monday, June 24, 2019. The company sent a team of people to meet and greet golfers at the sponsored hole, as well as a foursome to play in the tournament. Meridian sponsored the ‘Closest to the Pin’ contest hole on the Meadows course, which was hosted by two representatives of the company, Francisco Cabrera from Owner Services and Matthew Barclay from Marketing.
Francisco and Matthew welcomed golfers throughout the day, offering them water bottles, power bars, sunscreen, and Meridian golf balls. The Meridian foursome included Bob Platten, Nehemias Camacho, and our guest, Herb Knight. (The fourth golfer, Chris Battaglia, was recruited to play on another team at the last minute.) This year, Meridian took first place, scoring a 60 in the scramble format. The Meridian team finished 4 strokes better than last year.

Meridian sponsored the 5th hole, a par 3, on the Meadows course.

Overall, there were 154 golfers and over 220 total attendees that participated in the annual tournament.  In addition to a fun day on the links, there was also a charitable component – FlightSafety raised over $1,000 for Corporate Angel Network. Corporate Angel Network is the only charitable organization in the United States whose sole mission is to help cancer patients access the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer by arranging free travel to treatment across the country using empty seats on corporate jets.

Camacho attempting to sink a putt at the Meridian sponsor hole.

Michele Posey, Director of Sales and organizer of the event, had this to say, “The annual FlightSafety Golf Tournament is a fun way for us to thank our valued customers each year by providing a relaxing day on the golf course followed by a dinner with awards and prizes. We also want to thank our sponsors, like Meridian, for their generosity and support. Now that the 2019 tournament is behind us, we’re already planning for next year.”

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Charter Operations Customer Service General Human Resources Line Service Marketing

Meridian Participates in Hasbrouck Heights Career Day

Meridian spent the day at Hasbrouck Heights High School to talk about careers in aviation.

On Friday, April 12, Meridian sent four representatives to share their experiences and promote the diverse opportunities within the aviation field.
Line Service Manager Nehemias Camacho spoke of the role of the Line Service Technician, as well as the Customer Service Representative. He painted a picture of the day-to-day of both positions and spoke of the unique skill sets these positions build.
Emil Iannone, Director of Operations, stressed the diversity of career paths within the Dispatch, Customer Assurance and Sales positions. Emil spoke on the many different factors in ensuring that each flight goes according to plan, and how each role contributes to the flight’s success.
Celine Martinez and Matthew Barclay spoke about the aviation-specific aspects of their roles within Human Resources and Marketing, respectively, and how the industry needs business employees as well as aviation-specific ones.
For the past few years, it has been the goal of the business aviation industry to attract youth into the aviation field. Meridian has and will continue to reach out to our local community to welcome the next generation into the industry.
As a small token of thanks, the faculty of Hasbrouck Heights High School gave gifts to all that presented.

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Aircraft Management Charter Operations Executive Terminal (FBO) General

Meridian Hosts NATA Industry Town Hall

On Wednesday, April 3, Meridian welcomed local representatives from all walks of business aviation to hold a roundtable discussion on the current state of the industry, and speculate on where it’s headed in the future.

Industry representatives from all aspects of Business Aviation met to discuss the state of the industry.

The first topic was the “State of the Charter Industry” and the rising popularity of the ultra-long range jet. The attendees surmised that this is due to either business taking people further than before, or that larger jets are chosen to accommodate more passengers at once.
The industry’s efforts in recruiting young talent are beginning to bear signs of success. More and more young pilots and engineers are lining up to begin their careers in Business Aviation. The challenge we face now is getting them qualified to fly.
One issue that NATA Vice President, Ryan Waguespack, brought up was the increasing popularity of “Gray Charter” and the safety issues that accompany it. NATA has been working to advise and inform the FAA on what “Gray Charter” is, and what to look for to uncover it.
Finally, to wrap the meeting up, representatives discussed what they’ve been doing to reach out to the youth and get them interested in the industry. From career days to 5Ks, there were plenty of different community engagement methods being utilized.
Our CEO, Ken Forester (Second Left) poses with NATA Vice President, Ryan Waguespack (Second Right) and Meridian CRSs Lauren Campbell (Left) and Jose Navarro (Right).

Overall, the event was a tremendous success and all that attended left with a better picture of the industry, and a greater understanding of its future. We cannot wait to see what the next meeting holds in store for us.

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Aircraft Management Charter Operations Customer Service Executive Terminal (FBO) General Maintenance

Meridian Hosts Students From North Bergen High School STEM Academy

Students were welcomed by FBO President, Steve Chandoha and Line Service Manager, Nehemias Camacho.

On Tuesday, March 19, Meridian hosted students from the North Bergen High School STEM Academy, a preparatory school for students pursuing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
Students learned about the many facets of business aviation and FBO operations, and the various factors involved to ensure that everything runs smoothly.  Many students were surprised to learn how much was involved in business aviation.  Our VP of Jet Maintenance, John Langshultz, gave an overview of jet maintenance and spoke about how diverse our jet mechanics’ skillset must be in order to keep a jet flying.
The students were also given a tour of our Teterboro FBO and met with our CEO, Ken Forester.  The Academy told us that they thought very highly of the tour and felt the trip to Teterboro was among their most exciting.  We hope that we’ve sparked an interest in the Business Aviation industry, and hope to see them again in the future!
Our CEO, Ken Forester, spoke at length about the aviation field, and the career opportunities available for STEM specialists.