Avplan Trip Support Credits Increase in Business to Innovative Corporate Structure

Avplan Trip Support, the flight-planning arm of Avfuel Corporation, reports a significant increase in flight planning activity over the first quarter of 2015. Avplan is currently tracking to double that business over quarter two.

Avplan attributes this increase to a unique corporate structure designed to gain a comprehensive understanding of its clients, their operations and needs in order to address them thoroughly.

“We make it our business to have knowledge of missions, aircraft, systems, structure, history, crew and passenger needs,” said Russ Standefer, Vice President, Avplan Trip Support. “This approach results in reliable, customized options backed by high levels of client interaction and strong accountability.”

Accountability is a cornerstone of Avplan’s current structure, which was put in place in 2014 after an evaluation of existing and prospective clients and desired services. Avplan’s teams are not departmentalized and communications channels are not restricted. All staff assume quality-control responsibility, rather than restricting that responsibility to specific members of each team. Standefer also noted Avplan’s passion for creating a memorable service experience.

“Everyone goes the extra mile to create a truly customized experienceand ensure the success of every trip,” Standefer said.

Avplan’s service levels are flexible, tailored to each client’s preference.

“Some clients require minimal, basic services while others benefit from a dedicated account manager,” said Standefer. “Many fall somewhere between, and we’re designed to accommodate.”

Needs vary not only from client to client, but also within individual flight departments. “One of our customers does the majority of their work in Mexica and the Caribbean, which is easily handled by Avplan’s standard 24-hour operations,” said Phil Tyler, Avplan Operations Manager.

"Recently, this client had a more involved trip to South America, which involved several complicated domestic flights within Chile. Avplan was able to assign this trip to a dedicated trip manager capable of managing complex details.”

Tyler said this accommodation plus attention to detail earned Avplan praise from the client. “The vice president of charter sales emailed me personally after the trip, saying ‘Avplan did a phenomenal job handling our last significant and complicated trip. Well done. You’ve outdone the competition by a big margin.’ This type of praise validates our ability to be flexible and properly match resources and personnel with customer needs.”

Client feedback is not taken lightly by Avplan; in fact, it is often sought out.

According to Tyler, “We have a client with an extremely complicated trip to southeast Asia and India. This is one of the most complex regions in which to operate a corporate aircraft and requires unrelenting attention to detail. We have invited this client to be part of our May Operations meeting at our Ann Arbor facilities. She’ll meet the team that supports her and also share prospective and experiences from her years of working as a dispatcher. This is an example of the sort of relationships that are possible with our operations structure and team. “

Avplan’s extensive international expertise provides an advantage, as does its association with Avfuel. Avplan clients are able to harness the global reach and cost-saving benefits of the Avfuel global network, encompassing over 3,000

worldwide Avfuel Contract Fuel locations and over 650 Avfuel-branded FBOs. In addition to providing global fuel and FBO options, “Avfuel is staffed by professionals with decades of experience,” said Standefer. “They know the domestic and international fuel business inside and out. Combined with Avplan’s meteorology and flight planning expertise, this gives our customers indisputable advantages.”

Additionally, Avplan clients benefit from the AVTRIP pilot incentive program, which rewards pilots for purchasing fuel and services within the Avfuel branded dealer network. AVTRIP is recognized throughout the industry for both award value and ease-of-use. The program is entirely administered by Avfuel and involves no complicated redemption process – customers simply purchase fuel and services and awards arrive via mail.