Jon Houdyschell |
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Jon’ s own career as a commercial pilot shaped the current business model behind Trend.
Early in his career as a pilot for the major airlines, the industry came under siege as the fall out from 911 triggered a slew of pilot furloughs. This disruption in his livelihood caused great turmoil both personally and professionally, motivating him to chart a new direction in life. These struggles spawned the early idea of Trend as a side hobby— a safety net and a Plan B when alternate sources of income became necessary should his airline career go by the wayside again in the future.
Trend Aviation is revamping the way business travelers think about navigating from place to place in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The days of traditional airline flights has been challenged by a consolidated airline industry underserving many mid-sized business centers with
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overly crowded terminals, delays and an overall unpleasant passenger experience.
Trend was built in 2007 from the ground up based in the Private Terminal section of the Orlando International Airport— focused on aircraft management, private jets and private charters.
In mid 2017, Trend switched its fleet management headquarters to the Orlando Executive Airport— changing its proximity to the Downtown Orlando area, just minutes away. As a result, business travelers can now arrive minutes before their private jet takes flight.
Besides a change in direction, the new business structure eliminated the need to jump through red tape as Trend started managing their own fleet of private jet aircraft.
In the past, business travelers were use to having to leave a day before
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to reach a sales meeting within the Florida area— as there was no efficient way to reach these destinations and bypass typical airport congestion. With Trend, shuttle schedules are built with convenience and cost management in mind.
Trend Aviation is a private aircraft-like process. Even if charged a premium, the monthly payment structure is still cheaper than traditional airlines. Fundamentally, the booking process is no different than calling a cab or scheduling a ride share. It’ s the process that’ s different— flight travel then becomes a time-efficient, personal process to the end user.
The key to success has come to fruition through bringing a lower-priced product to the market and changing preconceived ideas that air travel is not affordable for most people. With more millennials entering the workforce, businesses have quickly
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CHARLIE’ S ANGELS PHOTOGRAPHY |
24 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 4, Issue 1 |