Article From Private Air magazine
FBO Pick : If They Can Make it Here

A new FBO aims to take a bite out of the Big Apple.
By: Nick Kolakowski August/September 2008 , Page 158

If you had to pick the top two trends for business-aviation fliers in 2008, they would probably be the growth of the overseas market and rising fuel prices. (Not necessarily in that order.) ExcelAire, with a newly expanded and upgraded facility at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, hopes to capitalize on both.

Located some 50 miles from Manhattan, ExcelAire is betting it can grab a sizeable share of the increase in private-jet flights expected to be hopping across the pond from New York for the same reason Charles Lindbergh chose to take off for Paris just 33 miles down I-495: Most trans-Atlantic routes in and out of New York take planes directly over Long Island, making ExcelAire a logical alternative to the growing congestion at Teterboro, west of Manhattan, and Westchester, 30 miles to the northwest. Adding to the convenience is an arrangement with Heliflight helicopter service, which replaces what would be a 70-minute drive through heavy traffic with an easy 20-minute flight to the East River Heliport.

Then there's the fuel factor. ExcelAire has adopted some extremely aggressive volume-based pricing practices, which have resulted in discounts of at least 10 cents per gallon compared to the traditional NY hubs. "We're willing to work on a smaller margin," says ExcelAire executive vice president David Rimmer. Given that the facility also charges no landing, ramp or user fees, "we think we provide compelling savings in both time and money."

Still, the transformation into New York's new "overseas gateway" likely never would have happened without a similarly bold real-estate move. Founded in 1985 as Eastway Aviation, the company spent most its life as a humble repair facility of prop-driven aircraft. Then, last year, they purchased a badly outdated, but massive, hangar complex that came on the market next door. "It was a World War II building -- not very plush," Rimmer says. "We invested millions to make it a showplace with accommodations for people both in the back of the airplane and the front." The new additions include a conference room, Wi-Fi, pilot quiet room and complimentary bar with wood-burning fireplace. Services for jets run to a fully equipped maintenance department (some 98 percent of the FBO's maintenance is done in-house) aircraft parking, hangar space and a weather service. The concierge and access to ground transportation are both 24-7.

"We're not the closest airport to New York City, but we think we're the best equipped," Rimmer says. Lindy would surely approve.

Long Island MacArthur Airport
100 Arrivals Avenue
Ronkonkoma, New York 11779
631-467-3210 Radio: 118.0
Runway: 7,006 feet x 150 feet