An East Coast-based aviation company has acquired an aircraft charter and management company based at Van Nuys Airport. The purchase of Pylon International Inc. is part of an overall growth strategy by International Jet Management to have operations available across the U.S. and in Europe. What the acquisition brings to IJM is an aviation firm placing an emphasis on the traveler taking short flights to San Francisco or the Central Valley for business or to Las Vegas or Cabo San Lucas for leisure. “Personally, I believe there is an untapped market for convenience travel,” said Andrew Kane, the executive vice president of operations for IJM West, the new name for Pylon. Kane was co-owner, chairman and CEO of Pylon until the buyout. The companies joined because of their similar business strategies and emphasis on quality, safety and service, Kane said. IJM, based in McLean, Va., expects to complete eight to 10 acquisitions, including one in Europe, which will grow the company to revenues of $200 million within five years, said President and CEO Alex Mack. Bringing in high-dollar clients and their airplanes will help IJM West to become a much larger company, said Mack. The Van Nuys operation manages 20 large- and small-cabin jet aircraft. IJM West also maintains jets and brokers deals between buyers and sellers. Kane became a co-owner of Pylon after investing in the firm with its founder, Alan Goodman. Goodman heads the charter business on the West Coast for IJM, and Michael Blakey will be responsible for the growth of the fleet of planes and plane-owner transactions. Kane stands out at Van Nuys Airport because he does not come from the aviation industry. He spent nearly 30 years with Arthur Andersen and later served as CEO of HSBC Private Bank serving high-net worth families and individuals. Mack said Kane was the right person to head the West Coast operations of IJM because of his business sense and savvy. “That is always good in our business to have someone with that credibility,” Mack said. Service with a smile Because many charter and management companies offer similar types of aircraft, customer service becomes a major differentiating factor. Companies make upscale amenities available to passengers and crew and guard the privacy of passengers and their destinations. Another Van Nuys charter and management company, Elite Aviation, prides itself on the steps it takes to boost its customer service, from follow-up phone calls to passengers to seminars on motivational psychology. Like Kane, Elite’s CEO, Neil Shaw, did not come from aviation, instead spending a career as a motivational speaker and consultant to Fortune 500 companies. IJM West creates a concierge-like mentality through hires, such as having employees who used to work for the Ritz Carlton chain handle charter service on the East Coast. Kane admits that while customer service is subjective, that is the industry IJM finds itself in because it doesn’t own planes or buy planes. “It requires the organization to think service,” Kane said. But Mack says safety of passengers and crew is the first priority. Jet owners have asked Mack to make money for them with their aircraft, to which Mack often replies, “No way.” “The best you can do is have a company like mine help reduce their cost of ownership,” Mack said. While becoming part of IJM gives Pylon the ability to offer cross-country flights in larger jets, the short-haul market for business and leisure travelers and for medical emergencies remains its core business. It may not be as profitable on a per-flight basis as cross country treks, but the company is trying to listen to the marketplace, Kane said. “We think the marketplace in Southern California is expanding the amount of convenience flights,” Kane said.
