Continued need for NextGen

Albany International Airport was victim to weather twice in two nights in the month of October.  Heavy snow and rain took out the ILS, diverting two planes to other airports. 

The airport manager was able to get his technition out to fix the ILS as soon possible, the down time was no more than 45 minutes both IFR nights.  The airport manager said that the equiptment does not go out on a regular basis and that they fix any problem as fast as they come up.  Albany will always have heavy snow and rain.  The ILS is bound to go down again.  One solution: get rid of the ILS.  The implementation and use of NextGen will eliminate failed ground equiptment as it is satellite based...snow does not stand a chance.

Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel

When Dan Wiesel, Alysa Binder, and their Jack Russell, Zoe, moved to Florida, Dan and Alysa got to sit in the cabin of the aircraft getting their complementary pop and peanuts, while Zoe was down with the luggage with no one to talk to, hot temperatures, and just a load and scary environment.  After seeing Zoe after the flight, Dan and Alysa decided that is was unacceptable, and thought it was horrible that they did not have any other option but to do that to Zoe. 

So they decided to make a brand new option for all concerned pet owners.  They created and co-founded the first-ever all-pet airline.  Pet Airways operates out of 8 cities in the U.S.  They fly Beechcraft 1900s, a 19-seater with no seats to make room for 50 carriers for the pawsengers.  Each flight is pressurized, temperature controlled, has a flight attendant, and makes multiple stops for pee-breaks and dinner.  Pet Airways have many reputable partners such as 1-800-PetMeds and Best Friends Animal Society. 

Dan Wiesel is the CEO, Chairman, and co-founder of Pet Airways.  He works with his wife, Alysa Binder, who is the Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer, and co-founder of Pet Airways.

The background of this team is one with experience.  Dan Wiesel is an amateur plane builder and pilot and, therefore, has knowledge of aviation.  He has his MBA in entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. He has over 25 years’ experience growing companies from the ground up, including real estate investment companies, real estate development companies.  He founded a women’s swimwear company.  His wife, Alysa Binder, has over 20 years’ experience founding and managing businesses in services and retail, founding her own retail jewelry operation growing it to include custom pieces for clients such as Guns N’ Roses.  She has worked with Palm Computing, maker of the Palm Pilot PDA, she has also helped build the management team of eBay.  Both Alysa and Dan’s experience in management, entrepreneurship, and founding helped pave the way to Pet Airways.

I think that Dan and Alysa have contributed considerably to the aviation industry.  Obviously, creating and developing something brand new has a huge contribution.  Aviation speaking, their idea has created jobs for pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, and mechanics (someone had to rip the seats out and develop an FAA approved carrier arrangement).  They have also gave people a better option for their four legged family members to get to their destinations.  It gives people peace of mind knowing that their pets are safe and comfortable.  Pet Airways has gained huge support from pet organizations and look good in pet lovers’ eyes.