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1. INTRO:
2. SPECIALS:
3. ARTICLE:
4. SPONSOR MESSAGE: CheapoAir
5. NEWS ITEM:
6. TRAVEL TIP: Share A Charter On Facebook
7. AGENDA:
8. ADVERTISEMENT:
9. CUSTOMER SERVICE: How To Book With AirStMaarten
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INTRO:
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Dear friends and clients,
I am preparing our next AirStMaarten Newsletter and I need your help because reader's input are always valuable and most welcome.
So before I head over to St. Barths with my digital camera, pen and notepad, tell me what you would like to read and see in the upcoming issues.
If you have ideas, stories, articles, reviews, recommendations, trip reports and photo's you would have like to have published in our newsletter, don't hesitate to email these to me. You can also post these on our Facebook Fanpage.
Ofcourse, it is now hurricane season and many are not venturing down to St. Barths at this time of the year. But if you do, make sure first to read last year's September issue featuring an article about "What To Do If Caught In A Hurricane In The Caribbean".
If we do happen to have a hurricane paying us a visit, you can track it via satellite photo's found on the "Weather" page of our tourist information website at http://www.stmaarten-info.com.
So if you have any ideas, stories, articles, reviews, recommendations, trip reports and photo's you would have like to have published in our AirStMaarten: Destination St. Barths Newsletter, don't hesitate to email these to me.
Happy Readings!
Terrance Rey
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2. SPECIALS: Summer Specials Normandie Hotel St. Barths
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“Romantic Week-end”
450 Euros (for two people)
with
(a) 3 nights at the Hotel; (b) Bottle of Champagne at arrival;
(c) Continental breakfast each morning;
(d) Complimentary wine each afternoon; (e) Rental car;
(f) Dinner for 2 at K’fe Massai on Saturday night.
“Three or More Nights”
Ask about our Special Rates
Room + Welcome Gift + Continental Breakfast + Afternoon Wine
“Family Vacation Special”
1200 Euros
for
2 adults and 1 or 2 children in connecting rooms for 5 NIGHTS;
Continental Breakfast each morning; Welcome Gift; Complimentary afternoon wine & soft drinks; Dinner one night at Le Bouchon;
Plus rental car.
Book via contact@normandiehotelstbarts.com.
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3. ARTICLE:
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by Terrance Rey
Introduction of the NorthEastern Caribbean Aviation Partnership (NECAP)
Introduction of the Virtual Airline Business Model
https://www.airsxm.eu/page.php?page=68
Introduction of a New Role for Travel Agents
https://www.airsxm.eu/page.php?page=74
In my article regarding the new role for travel agents I wrote that with the diversified and widespread island nations throughout the Caribbean with their own identities, cultures and national governments, it is hard to create a unified Caribbean airline, but, that with a virtual airline operation you can create a Caribbean-wide network by working with partners and be able to provide the same service of a full-fledge airline company without the overhead costs and and bureacracy.
With further study and analysis, I have come up with a practical approach to implementing the virtual airline model without the need to address the issue of who the coordinating entity will be. The practical issues will be resolved based on the following key element: Recipriocity.
Recipriocity can be defined in this case as a mutual or cooperative interchange of reservations, clients and passengers, especially the exchange of clients rights or passenger privileges between two airlines or aviation entities.
A practical implementation of this idea can be found in the situation whereby airline and charter operators use the AirStMaarten Virtual Airline reservation request system to seek flights or seats availabilities or book charters on other partner airline or charter operators in the AirStMaarten partners network.
The operational theater for the present moment is in the Northeastern Caribbean area. Hence the intention to set up the North Eastern Caribbean Aviation Partnership. NECAP for short.
NECAP will be an airline aviation alliance set up with the purpose of channeling and guiding cooperation between airlines, charter operators and other aviation partners operating in the Northeastern Caribbean area.
Recipriocity will be achieved and made mutually profitable by having and allowing partner airlines and charter operators, who have limited capacity or no availabilities in their flight schedules or on their aircrafts, especially when these are completely booked out or the aircrafts are down for maintenance or due to a pilot shortage, to utilize the AirStMaarten reservation request system to book their clients and passengers with other operators and receive a percentage of the price or rates the clients have to pay for these bookings.
So, for instance, AirStMaarten normally books its charters with Windward Express. Windward Express can in turn, when its flights are booked out on a particular day or time, book reservations with AirStMaarten and use the AirSXM reservation system to process a reservation with a third party operator for its clients. Windward Express will receive a commission from AirStMaarten for doing this or pay AirStMaarten a net rate. AirStMaarten then settles payments with the third party operators and coordinates the operational matters and see to the proper execution thereof, thereby realizing the role wherein AirStMaarten fulfils the coordinating role in the virtual airline network.
NECAP will be used to give the necessary legitimacy and incorporate the rules and guidelines regulating this joint cooperation and working relationship.
It seems that everytime there are crises in the world with the resulting rise in fuel costs, the search for feasibility and viability in the airline industry and aviation sector is undertaken with renewed vigor. This time around it is not online rising oil prices and the subsequent threat of higher airline ticket prices and skyrocketing airport fees that are the driving engines behind this search for cooperation but also the impending imposition of government taxes on airline ticket prices and revenues and, most urgent of all, are the rising insurance premiums that are slowly but surely becoming unaffordable.
The bottomline is that a charter operator should have absolutely no reason to turn away a good client, but can confidently continue to service this client through the partner network as if he was actually flying the client himself. This way the charter operator can be assured that he will never have to sell a client a 'No'.
When the NECAP is set up, the organisation will consist of the following types of partners in the network:
NECAP and the AirStMaarten Virtual Airline business model will be able to circumpass the different aviation jurisdictions in the Northeastern Caribbean region. The NECAP network will encompass the Dutch, French, British and other Caribbean civil aviation jurisdictions and create one unified virtual aviation territory.
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Next article: "Incentivization As Another Key Element To Resolve The Practical Issues Surrounding The Virtual Airline Model".
Terrance Rey is owner and operator of AirStMaarten, Caribbean's first virtual airline based in St. Maarten; organizing and coordinating commercial flights, shared charters and private charters to and from St. Maarten, St. Barths, Anguilla, Antigua, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao and throughout the rest of the Caribbean. Terrance Rey is also the President of the Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation (APOTCF). Terrance Rey will take the initiative to form the North Easter Caribbean Aviation Partnership (NECAP). Prospective members will be Winair, Windward Express, St. Barth Commuter, TransAnguilla, Anguilla Air Services, Caribe Air Services, Tradewind Aviation, Melmik Aviation, Jetbudget, Island Airways, Rainbow International, Anguilla Express, Air America, MN Aviation, Cape Air, Seaborne Airlines, Westindies Executive Air, SVG Air, BVI Airways, LIAT, Inselair, DAE, Tiara Air, Divi Divi Air, Caribbean Airways, SLM and many more. Once we have a true Pan Caribbean Airline Aviation Alliance, we can form the PCAAA or PCA for short. Or set up ANEWCAP.
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4. SPONSOR MESSAGE: CheapoAir
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5. NEWS ITEM: Private Jet Facility To Be Built In St. Kitts
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Private Jet Facility To Be Built In St. Kitts
BASSETERRE, St Kitts, Thursday August 26, 2010 – Construction of St Kitts’ multi-million dollar private jet facility at the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport is set to begin in February next year 2011.
Officials are expecting the new terminal – estimated to cost between US$15 million and US$20 million – to boost high end tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“It would make the country much more attractive to the high-end travelers, the celebrities, etc who…like to be pampered and like hassle free travel,” Chairman of the Board of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Port Authority (SCASPA), Linkon Maynard, said at the recent contract signing ceremony . “I think that is what the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) facility guarantees to that type of traveler.”
The project is part of the general upgrade plans for the ports. Maynard disclosed that four proposals were submitted for the construction of the private terminal, and the bid by UK-based Veling Aviation Ltd was selected.
“Apart from the profit sharing arrangement to bring more revenue into SCASPA, it is also going to have significant spinoffs into the economy as a whole,” Maynard added, noting that the negotiated contract allows current FBOs access to the facility for their business and first class passengers.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Ricky Skerritt said the construction of the terminal is a significant step forward in the transformation of the country’s tourism product.
“With competition for the global private jet market so intense, this project is designed to facilitate the type of arrival and departure experience that discerning travelers, including entertainment celebrities, sports stars and international investors, expect,” he said. “This new private air terminal will enable St. Kitts to deliver the highest quality of personalized service to passengers on private jets, as well as scheduled VIP arrivals, featuring our genuinely welcoming Kittitian hospitality.”
The terminal amenities will include an upscale lounge, bar, meeting room, business center, showers, open air plaza and other interactive features found in similar facilities. The designers have incorporated green areas that will feature plants, moats and a water fall.
Construction will be done in three phases and is scheduled to start in February 2011 with the first phase completed and operational by August 2012. Veling consultant Michael Dingemans said the construction phase will provide work on site for locals while the FBO itself will employ a minimum of 10 full time persons, with the staff count increasing to 20. The project is a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) project with a term of 30 years.
St. Kitts - St. Barths
Sidebar: St. Kitts is less then 30 minutes flying from St. Barths. This planned FBO facility for private jets on St. Kitts would entail a welcomed alternative for private jets wishing to avoid St. Maarten during the high season. St. Kitts' airspace is not as congested as St. Maarten's airspace during the busy periods. Furthermore, St. Kitts airspace offers direct access to the San Juan airspace without having to go through St. Maarten's air traffic control.
Background: St. Kitts covers 68 square miles of land and is separated by 2 miles of channel from its sister island, Nevis. The population is approximately 44,000 and the main language is English. The islands of St. Kitts and Nevis enjoy a tropical climate with low humidity and an average yearly temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius.
A stable democratic government encourages foreign investment through various fiscal incentives. This offshore financial center is fully modernized and offers major banking institutions. St. Kitts' government is continuing to become one of the world's premiere tax havens.
With tourism, an ever-growing economy, a deep-water harbor, an International Airport with direct flights from Puerto Rico, Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia, UK, Toronto, and most of the Caribbean islands, St. Kitts offers the investor a vacation paradise as well as a secure investment.
For more info on St. Kitts, visit the official St. Kitts website at http://www.stkittstourism.kn.
Related news: St. Kitts Ready For Open Skies Deal With The US
New Aviation Developments in St. Kitts
The construction of a $15 million private jet facility at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in St. Kitts is expected to add a whole new dimension to this vacation paradise. The swanking new terminal, with world class facilities like a trendy lounge, bar, meeting room, business centre, showers and open air plaza, will also include green areas replete with plants, moats and a waterfall. Once complete by August 2012, it would offer unmatched, highly personalized service to passengers on chartered flights and VIP visitors at its arrival and departure lounges in quintessential Kittitian style. The project is expected to make the island more attractive to high-end business travellers that may be keen to exploit the island's investment potential too.
Fly Montserrat
http://www.thedailyherald.com/regional/2-news/12332-airline-price-hikes-catch-montserrat-officials-off-guard.html
Winair board have not resigned yet
http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/12459-winairs-board-members-have-not-resigned-as-yet.html
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6. TRAVEL TIP: Share A Charter On Facebook
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If you are on Facebook, you can also check the AirSXM Shared Charters schedule to St. Barths under the "Events" tab on the AirStMaarten: Destination St. Barths Fan Page. You can RSVP to these Shared Charters Events and see who you will be sharing a private charter to St. Barths with. You can also choose to share a charter with some of your Facebook friends and make it a social event. Highly recommended if you want make it a fun-filled trip to St. Barths.
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7. AGENDA: When Are Restaurants in St. Barths Re-Opening?
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Posted in last month's newsletter about Maya's Closing Party on August 28th. However, now the big question - posed via an email from a newsletter reader - is... "When Is Maya's Re-Opening?" Anyone knows the answer, let me know. As a matter of fact, let me know when all the restaurants that have closed for the season are re-opening.
NEW: St. Barths Restaurants Guide and Reviews hosted by Premium Island Vacations.
Maybe Jim might just allow me to link http://www.sbhdining.com to his St. Barths Restaurants Guide and Reviews page.
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8. ADVERTISEMENT: Save NOW For Your Next St. Barths Trip...
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... and earn 10% in savings.
Last year it was the United States economy. This year it is the European economy. When will they get in sync and recover together?
Right now, you have an opportunity to save some money in anticipation of your next trip to St. Barths. (You know you will be coming again!).
Take advantage of the declining value of the Euro and lock-in your SXM-SBH-SXM travel cost now.
Buy a gift certificate for travel between November 15 and April 15 and save money.
Gift certificates must be used for purchases of single bookings of our shared charters or private charters.
Only the $500 gift cerficates can be used for single bookings for commercial tickets with Winair or St. Barth Commuter.
If you buy now, I will waive the regular 4% creditcard surcharge on all gift certificate purchases. If you buy $1000 or more, I will throw in a gift coupon for complimentary VIP Services worth $125.
Email us to place your order now.
Best regards,
Terrance Rey
PS: If you are a travel agent or villa owner, please email me via sales@airsxm.com for more information about our new incentive programme.
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9. CUSTOMER SERVICE: How To Book With AirStMaarten
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Booking Procedure & Reservation Information
Submit a reservation request online at www.airsxm.com. Once we receive your request, we will send you a Reservation Offer for your consideration. Once you accept our proposal, we will require payment. You can use our credit card form to send us your credit card information. We accept all major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. You can also pay by bank transfer, check, cash or Paypal. Once payment is received, we will book the commercial flight or private charter and send you a Reservation Confirmation.
If have requested additional services such as VIP Transfer Services, we will send you a Final Confirmation containing all details of your travel itinerary and services booked. And that's how you book with AirStMaarten.
Other Customer Service Resources:
Our Shared Charters concept explained in full detail
VIP Transfer Services through Princess Juliana Int'l Airport
Island Concierge Services on St. Maarten and St. Barths
Read what our satisfied clients are saying about our service
Ticket Insurance
We also accept payments via Paypal
St. Maarten Villa Rentals
St. Maarten Yachting and Sailing Charters
Sign up for our email newsletter service
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Ridders