'Success From The Word Go'

On the day before the official start of the 2005 NBAA Convention, Universal Weather And Aviation announced their plans to make flight planning easier -- and potentially much cheaper -- for its customers.

"We want to ensure that we continue to offer the latest technology to serve the growing needs of the business aviation industry," said Universal Trip Support Services VP Jeff Briand. "We're especially excited to be launching our new services at NBAA, where attendees can log on to our demonstration units and witness firsthand how the new tools will help then achieve a successful trip."

Universal Weather And Aviation demonstrated their customer portal, UVflightplanner.com, to press conference attendees. During the demonstration the company created a simulated flight plan, displaying the ability for a customer to access their saved information, crew complement, and equipment type -- and to then plug the information in to whatever route the customer chooses.

With the UVflightplanner website, a customer may even select services they wish to receive on the arrival and departure point of each leg of their trip (the customer may select as many as they want) such as lav, fuel, rental car, and lodging. Other online scheduling services include:

• Creating and modifying trips
• Checking status of service requests and confirmations
• Filing flight plans (below) and obtaining weather briefs
• Requesting PPRs and landing permits
• Tracking real-time fuel estimates and worldwide arrangements, including international overflight and landing permits
• Obtaining security briefs

Ideally, a customer could schedule their entire trip and file their flight plan online, without ever speaking to a Universal rep -- and while there's no denying they're friendly folks to talk to, the online method IS likely cheaper.

Universal is inviting customers interested in the online flight planner -- or any of the company's flight scheduling services-- to stop by Booth #5784 and tell company representatives, in the words of Sales and Marketing Director Pete Lewis, "what their definition of what a successful trip is."

"We're hoping to engage our audience in an enjoyable way that gives us more information about what 'success from the word Go' means for our clients," said Lewis.

FMI: www.universalweather.com