Tag: dispatchers

Categories
General Hayward

Meridian Hayward Hosts SONO Meeting

Attendees networking at the Spring 2018 SONO Meeting.

On Thursday, May 10th, Meridian was pleased to host Southern & Northern California Schedulers and Dispatchers Group (SONO) first meeting of 2018. This special event was held at our Hayward facility, located at Hayward Executive Airport (HWD), just outside of San Francisco, CA. The purpose of this event was to create a valuable networking opportunity for business aviation professionals, and to provide an educational forum to enhance the knowledge and experience of our S&D community.
The fun evening featured a “World War II” theme that took guests back in time to the 1940’s. The event featured a variety of activities and exhibits, including The Cosmo Alleycats, a swing dance band with a vintage twist, authentic Mai Tai’s served in tiki drinking glasses, vintage aircraft and vehicles on display in the hangar, and replica war posters and bunting decorating the walls. About halfway through the evening, Jeff Bass, President & CEO of Hiller Aviation Museum located in San Carlos, CA, gave a very interesting and historical presentation about how the local aviation community was developed in California during WWII. At the end of the evening, a drawing took place that offered high-value prizes to several lucky winners.
Amber Salvatore, Charter Sales Executive, posing in front of a vintage Ford vehicle.

In total, there were about 200 guests in attendance, and so far, feedback about the event was extremely positive. Carlos Rodriguez, Meridian Hayward GM, had this to say, “We are honored that SONO had asked us to host their annual spring meeting. We knew that it would be a unique opportunity for us to showcase our new facility here in the Bay Area with a very targeted group of business aviation professionals. We hope that all of our guests and sponsors had enjoyed themselves, and we hope they continue to spread the word about our operations here. I think they will find that we have a lot to offer.”
To see photos of the event, please visit our online gallery: https://photos.meridian.aero/MeridianHWD-SONO-Sp18.
We would also like to give a special thanks to all of our sponsors. Without their support, this event would not have been possible.

Gold Sponsors

Airsure Limited
FlightSafety International
Signature Flight Support

Silver Sponsors

EPIC Fuels
Mente Group
International Trip Planning Services
Castle & Cooke Aviation
World Fuel Services
Eastern Aviation Fuels

Service Sponsors

Hiller Aviation Museum
Go Rentals

Categories
General

Meridian Exhibits at 2018 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference

The Meridian Team at S&D in Long Beach, CA. (Left to Right): MaKayla Gorski, Kirk Stephen, Chris Battaglia, Mike Moore, Bob Platten, Amber Salvatore, and Phil Boyer.
The Meridian Team at S&D in Long Beach, CA. (Left to Right): MaKayla Gorski, Kirk Stephen, Chris Battaglia, Mike Moore, Bob Platten, Amber Salvatore, and Phil Boyer.

This past week, Meridian proudly participated as an exhibitor at the 2018 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2018). This year’s conference was held in Long Beach, CA, from Tuesday, February 6 through Friday, February 9. The event demonstrated once again its continuing value as the premier educational and networking event for professionals involved in business aviation logistics.
The special 4-day show featured more than 550 exhibitors on a sold-out floor and more than 2,900 attendees (150 first-timers). Both numbers set new records for SDC. In addition, the program included dozens of innovative education sessions, various networking events and ample opportunities to give back to the local community.
“This is the place for a scheduler or dispatcher to go for professional development and education,” said NBAA Vice President of Operational Excellence and Professional Development Mike Nichols, “Especially for someone brand new to the industry, it’s one-stop shopping for what they need to know, not only with great education sessions, but also with peer-to-peer learning that happens outside of the education sessions on the trade show floor.”
SDC2018 included many new features, most notably an increased focus on educational opportunities. With more than 30 education sessions offered, SDC2018 had something for everyone. Tyler Austin, Manager of Professional Development at NBAA, made it clear that they were, “strategic in thinking through what we should offer in our 33-session program, and we listened closely to what attendees said they wanted- from the basics of scheduling to operating internationally, to starting their own business.”
Furthermore, SDC2018 also put emphasis on its charitable contributions. This year alone, three charities received support through the Pay It Forward Campaign, including Dress for Success, Pacific Gateway, and Clothes the Deal, all of which help less fortunate men and women in the Long Beach Community. In addition, dozens of monetary training scholarships were awarded at this year’s show.
In order to create brand awareness and draw traffic to our booth, the Meridian team held a raffle with a grand prize giveaway of an Apple iPhone X! Other prizes included Amazon gift cards. The raffle was a huge success as it drew a very large crowd of business aviation professionals to our location. The entire raffle was captured on Facebook Live.
The lucky winners were:

  • Dean Lynch of CTP Aviation (Grand Prize)
  • Shane Yuknis of Lyon Aviation
  • Rob Swan of Harrods Aviation

Congratulations to the Meridian raffle winners at S&D last week! The Grand Prize winner was Dean Lynch of CTP Aviation (3rd from left), with other prizes going to Shane Yuknis (left), and Rob Swan (2nd from right).
Congratulations to the Meridian raffle winners at S&D last week! The Grand Prize winner was Dean Lynch of CTP Aviation (3rd from left), with other prizes going to Shane Yuknis (left), and Rob Swan (2nd from right).

Overall, the event was a tremendous success. It provided an invaluable opportunity for us to learn and connect, as well as network with industry peers. We were pleased with the event’s exciting environment as well as the overwhelming amount of positive energy that surrounded it. Special thanks to everyone who took the time to stop by our booth and to those who made this event possible.
The next Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, which will mark the event’s 30th anniversary, is set for January 29 – February 1, 2019 in San Antonio, TX. We look forward to seeing you there!

Categories
Aircraft Management General Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at S&D’s 25th Anniversary

Team Meridian at Schedulers & Dispatchers 2014 in New Orleans. Pictured from left to right are Bob Platten, Phil Boyer, Amber Salvatore, Jamie Labocki, Mike Moore, Emil Iannone, Kirk Stephen, and Anthony Banome.
Team Meridian at Schedulers & Dispatchers 2014 in New Orleans.
Pictured from left to right are Bob Platten, Phil Boyer, Amber Salvatore, Jamie Labocki, Mike Moore, Emil Iannone, Kirk Stephen, and Anthony Banome.

Meridian, the award-winning private aviation company based at Teterboro Airport, was proud to exhibit at the 2014 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2014), which was held in New Orleans, LA, last week. The company was well-represented by eight associates from various departments, including Charter Operations, Charter Sales, Aircraft Management, FBO Fuel Sales, and Marketing. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the conference, which broke attendance records measured by both registrants and exhibitors. A record 2,671 attended the four-day event, and a record 495 exhibitors participated in the event. “We are thrilled by the momentum this show has gained through the years,” said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s vice president, operational excellence and professional development. “This conference is always high-energy, and this year’s exhibitors and attendees were clearly excited to be in New Orleans to get down to business, share ideas and learn from one another.”

Interestingly enough, Meridian’s own Bob Platten was among the handful of people to attend the first event held 25 years ago. Mr. Platten says, “I can’t believe how much things have changed from then until now. Twenty-five years ago, there were about 60 of us standing in a room and asking ourselves, ‘What do we want this thing to be?’. Now we look around this convention hall, and we see over 2,600 people who are networking and conducting business. It’s great to see how far this has come.”

Adding to the significance of the event, Jamie Labocki, a Meridian Air Charter dispatcher, was among an elite group of recipients to receive the 2014 Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Award. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and its Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Committee recognized the 12 recipients of the Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarships at the show. These training awards promote the career development of current and aspiring schedulers and dispatchers. The Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Program, initiated in 2004, offers opportunities for scholarship recipients to gain access to hands-on teaching initiatives.

The Schedulers & Dispatcher’s Conference is the business aviation industry’s premier event for schedulers, dispatchers and their suppliers. The conference provides exhibitors the opportunity to meet the individuals who are directly responsible for the scheduling and dispatching of aircraft and procuring services for aircraft operations for flight departments and on-demand charter operations throughout the world.

Next year’s S&D Conference is scheduled for February 3-6, 2015, in San Jose, CA.

Categories
Aircraft Management Executive Terminal (FBO) General Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference

Team Meridian (Left to Right: Betsy Wines, Andrew Ladouceur, Maria Bochman, Mike Moore, Edvina Floed, Anthony Banome, Estrella Reynoso, Kirk Stephen)

Teterboro, NJ – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) held its 24th Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2013) in San Antonio, TX from January 22-25, 2013. The annual event provides NBAA members an opportunity to meet the individuals who are directly responsible for the scheduling and dispatching of aircraft at flight departments of all sizes throughout the world. Meridian was one of 425 exhibitors that participated in the conference, and it was well-represented by eight associates from both its Charter and FBO businesses.

Betsy Wines, Meridian VP of Customer Service & Human Resources, was both a first-time attendee and a guest speaker for one of the panel sessions held on Friday, January 25. The session, entitled “Great Expectations…and the FBO”, was designed to be an interactive forum to answer questions about customer expectations of an FBO, including things like fuel pricing, customer service, and FBO amenities. Ms. Wines shared the panel with Michael Heilpern of Monterrey Jet Center and Curt Epstein of Aviation International News. She had this to say about the show, “As a first-time attendee, I found Schedulers and Dispatchers to be a far more intimate venue than NBAA (Annual Convention & Meeting), which gave me an opportunity to meet new people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I also really liked the educational component.”

The conference, which was held in the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, drew more than 2,400 attendees and included over 30 education sessions that were developed to educate and inspire attendees. The Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference is designed to benefit all members of flight departments who share the responsibilities of scheduling and/or dispatching business aircraft, including dedicated schedulers and dispatchers and other influencers and decision makers – including chief pilots, directors and department managers. Exhibitors must be members of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in good standing, and exhibits are limited to products and services directly involved with scheduling and dispatching business aircraft.

Categories
General Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at NBAA 23rd Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference

Team Meridian at S&D (From left to right: Andrew Ladouceur, John Frangipani, Stalin Fernandez, Mike Moore, Anthony Banome, Phil Boyer, and Kirk Stephen)

Teterboro, NJ – The NBAA held its 23rd Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Conference in San Diego, CA from January 15 -18, 2012. The annual event provides NBAA members an opportunity to meet the individuals who are directly responsible for the scheduling and dispatching of aircraft at flight departments of all sizes throughout the world. Meridian was one of 425 companies that participated in the industry event as an exhibitor, and was represented by seven Meridian Air Charter associates in attendance.

The conference, which was held in the San Diego Convention Center, included over 30 education sessions that were developed to educate and inspire attendees. The Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference is designed to benefit all members of flight departments who share the responsibilities of scheduling and/or dispatching business aircraft, including dedicated schedulers and dispatchers and other influencers and decision makers – including chief pilots, directors and department managers. Exhibitors must be members of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in good standing, and exhibits are limited to products and services directly involved with scheduling and dispatching business aircraft.

Categories
Executive Terminal (FBO) General

Meridian Teterboro Voted Best of the Busiest Worldwide on AIN FBO survey !

Meridan Teterboro was voted the best of the busiest FBOs worldwide as well as taking the #5 spot in the U.S. and Canada FBOs surveyed.

The survey results include the U.S. and Canada top rated facilities according to the responses of  pilots, dispatchers and users of FBOs. The catagories that users were asked to rate were line service, passenger amenitities, pilot services, and facilities

According to AIN: ” Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at # 5″.   .

Teterboro airport was again voted the busiest airport  for business aviation and Meridian earned the higest FBO rating at Teterboro .t u

he categories that users were asked

to rate were line service; passenger amenities; pilot services; and facilities
 
 

Meridi

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As written in AIN :

“Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list, with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at number 5.”

 

As written in AIN :

“Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list, with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at number 5.”

 

sers were asked

to rate were lamenities; pilot services; and facilities

he categories that users were asked

to rate were line service; passenger amenities; pilot services; and facilities