Everything Flight Schedule Pro

New Billing & Invoicing Add-On!

It makes sense: billing works hand-in-hand with your schedule. Now you can manage your customer & member accounts right within Flight Schedule Pro! It's a perfect fit. The new Billing & Invoicing Add-On works seamlessly with Dispatching, or it can be used separately . . . it's up to you. Track Customer & Member Balances Restrict Scheduling based on Outstanding Balances Easily Manage Invoices, Payments and Refunds Process Credit Cards *requires merchant account All Online with Flight Schedule Pro! Watch the 3 min. Overview Video

New Flight Reports

We added some new reports to help you manage your business. You'll find them on the Reports page in the Flights section if you have Flight Recording w/Dispatching activated.

Flight Hours by Aircraft Summary
This report displays the Hobbs and Tach totals for each aircraft over a selected time period which gives you a bird's eye view of which aircraft are flying and how much.

Reserved Vs. Actual Flight Hours By Customer
This report compares reserved schedule time to actual hours flown for each customer. It will help you see how certain customers & members are utilizing the schedule and gives you a metric to encourage efficiency.

Log Flights to See Flight Reports
Obviously, if you aren't recording your flights in Flight Schedule Pro, these reports won't have any data to work with. There are a lot of benefits to recording your flights in Flight Schedule Pro. To activate Flight Recording w/Dispatching:

• Login and go to Company > System Setup
• Click "Flights" then "Preferences" on the left
• Check the box "Activate Flight Recording with Dispatching"
• The next time you login you'll see the new reports!

It's Finally Here! Springfield-Branson National Airport's New Midfield Terminal Opens!

Sunday News-Leader, (Springfield, MO) Cited as the Entertainment Capital of the Midwest, Branson, MO and the Springfield, MO area, for the first time in more than 60 years, has a new front door.  Midfield Terminal is a "head-turner". The $117 million facility boasts efficient passenger handling and the ability to expand in the future! Not only does the new facility serve commercial aviation, it is open to the General Aviation community, as well.

Customer Service Agents provide prompt, courteous, responsive ground service.  Fuel is competitively priced with attractive discounts and is available 24 hours a day. Agents can arrange transportation for you and your clientele, making your stop in Branson convenient and easy. They'll make sure you have a rental car waiting for you upon your arrival. Numerous services include catering, aircraft tie down, aircraft servicing, a private conference room and a quiet, comfortable pilots lounge.  Check it out at www.flyspringfield.com/ga.

This is a beautiful new facility, long-awaited and greatly anticipated. The Springfield-Branson Area and surrounding communities look forward to welcoming you to Midfield Terminal!

Flight Options Announces an Investment by Directional Capital and Resilience Capital Partners

Isn't it wonderful to see there are those who are willing to invest, even in a time of uncertainty. In a Press Release dated March 26, 2009 (Cleveland, OH), www.fractionalnews.com/flexjet.html , Flight Options announces that Directional Capital, an investment firm led by Flight Options Chairman Kenn Ricci, Resilience Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm, and key members of the Flight Options management team have made an additional investment in Flight Options, a leader and innovator within the private aviation industry. H.I.G. Capital also remains an investor.

Kenn Ricci is the founder of Flight Options and an aviation veteran credited with revolutionizing the fractional aircraft ownership industry. "We are confident that increasing the involvement of Kenn Ricci and the management team that helped pioneer the private aviation industry will result in a stronger company," said Steve Rosen, Co-CEO of Resilience Capital.

Flight Options,www.flightoptions.com, is a leading private jet aviation company with a fleet of more than 110 best-in-class aircraft that provides a full suite of services to businesses and high net-worth individuals. Flight Options provides fractional ownership programs to over 1,400 Owners and Members. Through the years, Flight Options has been an innovator in finding new ways to deliver real value, while always including five-star caliber service and personalized travel options. As the needs of their clients have evolved, so have the services and value-added benefits offered by Flight Options.

"This is an exciting investment for the Flight Options team. We have assembled an investor group and management team that is passionate about the business and is committed to the industry for the long term. While we are aware that the short term continues to contain challenges for our industry, we are confident that with the continued focus on delivering exceptional service and operating efficiently, we will be able to seek out opportunities and markets where we will continue to flourish," said Kenn Ricci, Chairman of Flight Options.

PetAirways now Accepting Reservations

According to the American Animal Hospital Association, approximately 76 million cats and dogs travel with their owners each year.  Serving five cities, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, PetAirways, www.petairways.com, plans to expand nationwide with easily accessible pet check-in lounges to serve its "pawsengers" in major metropolitan cities. A proprietary web-enabled reservation system will allow customers to book pet travel on the web. Owners will be able to track their pet's travel progress online.

Think this is funny?  PetAirways is partnered with some of the biggest names in the pet care industry. To name a few: PetMeds, America's Largest Pet Pharmacy. Suburban Air has been selected as Air Operations Partner.  Suburban is based in Omaha, NE and flies mainly contracted aircraft for the US Dept. of the Interior, Alaska Fire Service, US Postal Service, DHL, UPS, Airborne and is one of only five carriers worldwide licensed to carry certain radioactive medical materials.

The LaQuinta Chain of Quality Hotels, Nutured Pets, Pets Best Insurance and Kimpton Hotels have also partnered with the airline. Honest Kitchen will provide people food formulated for PetAirways Customers.

To help you schedule a flight for your best buddy, PetAirways is offering an Introductory Fare for a limited time only: $149.00 each way, Chicago to Los Angeles or Los Angeles to New York or New York to Chicago.

Let's hear it for the folks at PetAirways!! This is a service long-past overdue!  Congratulations and best wishes for many years of comfortable flying for all beloved pets!

4 Screenshots of our New App Homepage

In our everlasting pursuit of better performance and usability - we are planning the launch of a new homepage layout.  The result will be lightning fast and easy on the eye.

What are your thoughts? - please post your comments below, we'd like to hear from you

Here are some screenshots:

Current App Homepage:

 

New App Homepage:

(Post Updated 4-17-2009: In response to feedback on this post we've revised the new homepage and inserted a new screenshot here.)

New headquarters for Flight Schedule Pro

We are excited!  We just setup a new office in the recently renovated Cloverleaf Office Park, located in Overland Park.  It's a great spot for us to get down to business.  We're now conveniently located near the Country Club Plaza, Westport, and Downtown Kansas City.

Please update your records accordingly.  Our new mailing address is:

Flight Schedule Pro
6811 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 211
Overland Park, KS 66202

Our contact phone number remains the same.  You can reach us toll-free at 1-866-391-8324

Terrafugia's Flying Car Deemed "Rock Solid"

Officially called the "Transition Roadable Aircraft Proof of Concept", the two-seat aircraft was flown for the first time on March 5, 2009, at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburg, NY, by U.S. Air Force Col. Phil Meteer.  "Stability is always a question on your first flight", Meteer said. "It was just rock solid. It handled like a normal plane and there were no surprises. It was remarkable for being unremarkable. It just flew like a really nice airplane." terrafugia.com/Phil_Interview.html

It was a runway flight, with the aircraft only flying above the runway. The flight from takeoff to landing lasted only about 30 seconds.  Terrafugia said the test proved the Transition is ready for more advanced flying.

Taking less than 30 seconds to transform from plane to car, the four-wheel aircraft resembles a Volkswagen Beetle with wings and a propeller in the back.  Capable of flying 450 miles at more than 115 mph, the front-wheel drive vehicle runs on unleaded gasoline, has a top speed of 65 mph and gets 30 miles to the gallon.

Categorized as a light sport aircraft, buyers will need a sport pilot license to fly the Transition legally. Terrafugia has not said when the flying car will be available, but it is taking orders.  Buyers will have to put up a $10,000 deposit.  The Transition is expected to cost $194,000.

6 Reasons to Dispatch Flights on Flight Schedule Pro

Do you have Flight Recording w/Dispatching activated in Flight Schedule Pro? Once it's activated you can check-out reservations and check them in to record actual flight details such as Hobbs, Tach, Instruction time, etc.

Activating dispatching on Flight Schedule Pro has many benefits:

1. Enforce aircraft and pilot qualification check-out rules at the time of dispatch
2. Keep a log of actual flight times
3. Keep aircraft Hobbs and Tach current
4. Track your aircraft maintenance reminders more accurately
5. Transition into integrated Billing & Invoicing more easily
6. Best of all, it's FREE!

Learn More: Read the Dispatching Overview or watch the Video Tutorial for Dispatching

Here's a visual...

New Reservation Status Colors and Kiosk User Settings

Just Launched!

Select colors for dispatched and completed flights - tell at a glance the status of a flight.

To edit go to Company > System Setup > Scheduling > Reservation Types. 



Note: You must have flight recording with dispatching activated to check out flights and therefore set these colors.

In addition, customers can set up a "Read Only Role".  If a prospective customer wants to demo your site, you can set up a "read only role" and generic user.  They can demo your site, without having access to or the ability to change anything, including the username and password.

Questions:  Visit Flight Schedule Pro's Knowledge Base