Flight Options Press Release

Flight Options Announces Commencement of European Operations

October 9, 2000-New Orleans, NBAA, Flight Options Chairman and CEO, Kenn Ricci, announced today the company would begin offering service in Europe utilizing new Citation Excel aircraft.  The first Citation Excel is scheduled to be operational in August 2001.  In the interim, Flight Options will be providing service using Hawker 800 aircraft. 

The European strategy has been developed through an exclusive agreement with the UK’s largest charter/management company - Chauffair.  Chauffair’s owner and Managing Director, Nick Probett, stated, “For nearly 20 years, Chauffair has provided uncompromising quality in European air charter transportation.  We have consistently invested our resources where it mattered most – from in-house maintenance facilities to our own catering chefs on-staff to the purchase of Citation Excels for the European marketplace.  Flight Options has also done an exceptional job of providing superior quality service in the United States.  We are looking forward to working together to expand our respective operations.”

Kenn Ricci, Flight Options Chairman and CEO, said, “Flight Options and its aircraft owners operate in a global marketplace.  By creating this relationship with Chauffair, the Flight Options Europe program allows us to expand our service area to include the vitally important business centers within Western Europe.  All 500+ owners in the Flight Options program will have the ability to access the European fleet.”  

Chauffair has a firm order for seven Citation Excel aircraft with an option on two additional aircraft.  All aircraft will now be outfitted in the Flight Options livery.  The Citation Excel offers a spacious stand-up cabin, a large external baggage capability, a 2,000-mile range, and excellent short field performance.  Both Chauffair and Flight Options believe the Citation Excel to be a perfect mix of capabilities for the European operating environment.

The Flight Options Europe program will be available to North American customers in share increments of 10, 25 and 50 occupied flight hours.  Unlike other fractional programs in Europe, there are no acquisition costs or up-front deposits.  Each participant will pay a monthly management fee appropriate to the share size together with an occupied hourly rate for each hour flown.

Flight Options International, Inc. is located in Cleveland, Ohio and operates with an emphasis on bringing pre-owned jets to the fractional ownership market. Flight Options began operations in October 1998 and offers fractional shares in its fleet of 80 aircraft, which includes the Citation II, Beechjet 400A, Citation III, Hawker 800, Falcon 50, Challenger 601 and Gulfstream IV.

Chauffair Limited is the largest operator of private jets in the UK and is located in Farnborough, England.  The company also operates a maintenance facility and catering operation.  With the order of seven new mid-size Citation Excel aircraft, Chauffair will be one of the top five business jet operators in Europe."

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