Will Be Included In SummerFest Fuel Promotion

As a token of its gratitude for customers' patience as the company works to refurbish planes caught in a freak hailstorm that blew through Bend, OR last month, Columbia Aircraft announced Thursday it will offer those customers who have had to wait a little longer than planned to fly their new 350s and 400s a special "thank you."

Columbia will include depositors on planes affected by the hailstorm in its SummerFest free fuel promotion currently in full-swing. The promotion guarantees that each new customer (or in this case, current depositor) will receive between $5,000 to $25,000 of free AirBP fuel.

Additionally, each qualified depositor financing through Columbia Aircraft Finance will be offered the interest rate that they likely would have received if financing had occurred at the projected date prior to the hail storm and subsequent delivery delay.

"To say that our customers are being patient is a major understatement," said Columbia VP of Sales and Marketing Randy S. Bolinger. "As a means of saying thank you, we’ve decided to provide free fuel and an interest rate lock to eligible affected depositors."

Upon delivery, each eligible customer will be given one of the coded SummerFest direct mail pieces. Each card is guaranteed to be a winner but the free fuel amount is randomly determined by the coded card. Nonetheless, each customer has the same chance of winning up to $25,000 of fuel but each is guaranteed a minimum of $5,000 in free AirBP fuel.

The much publicized and discussed hail storm affected 66 depositors, who are anxiously awaiting delivery of their Garmin G1000-equipped aircraft. Fortunately, it appears (and Aero-News has confirmed this, in person) that the golf ball sized hail left only cosmetic blemishes on the aircraft.

"It’s just our way of doing something unexpected for the customers who are being so patient," Bolinger said.

FMI: www.flycolumbia.com