Cramped seats. Surly employees. Long lines. More lost luggage than ever. More canceled and delayed flights than ever. More horror stories about being stuck overnight in a faraway city. Fewer flights to your destinations. Fewer destinations.

And - according to airline analysts - it will only get worse!

So what do you do?

• Buy an airplane for your company and start an aviation department?
  
  This is a viable alternative if you and your executives fly a lot. A rough measure is more than about once a week. Alabama Air Shuttle can help significantly by controlling and defraying your expenses. Ask us how. We are experts in aviation, and aviation is probably not one of your core competencies.
  
  
• Participate in a fractional jet program?
  
  This is a potential solution if your business requires a lot of international flights or domestic flights of more than about 500 miles. Ask your accounting people to look carefully at the terms. Fractional jet programs are more expensive than you might think.
  
  
• Charter aircraft?
  
  This is a good option if you fly only two or three times a month or less. Alabama Air Shuttle is an excellent choice for the up-to- 500 mile trip and for first class service and cost effectiveness - a smart value. Also, we can help you select the best aircraft for a particular trip, and, if one of our aircraft is not the best choice, we can put you in contact with good air charter companies that can supply the best.
  
  
• Use a pilot friend?
  
  This may work for you, but be careful. There are a number of factors to consider:

1. Your insurance. Check your life insurance, travel and accident insurance, disability insurance, and health insurance, among others. Many insurance policies will not pay unless you travel on FAA certificated air carriers, such as Alabama Air Shuttle.
2. Availability. Will your friend be available when you want to travel?
3. Pilot qualifications. Ask around. Is he or she known to fly conservatively? Does he or she have an instrument rating? Is he or she comfortable in flying on less than perfect weather days? Does he or she fly more than about once a month? Flying skills deteriorate quickly.
4. Compensation. By federal regulation, a private pilot may not accept compensation for hire. He or she is only able to accept a financial contribution to less than half of the expenses of the flight.
5. The aircraft. Is the aircraft maintained well? Does it have required annual inspections? FAA certificated air carriers, such as Alabama Air Shuttle, are required to have their aircraft inspected every 100 hours which is almost always more often than annually. These inspections have higher standards than the annual inspections required for private aircraft.

At no cost to you, Alabama Air Shuttle will be glad to discuss various air travel options for making your company more productive and efficient - or for making your leisure travel more fun!

Alabama Air Shuttle combines first class and economy - a smart value. How? By flying cost effective Beechcraft Barons, the best light twin in the world, renowned for quality and reliability. Our aircraft have comfortable leather seats with two seats facing two seats with a pull-down table between them. There are tinted windows to cut the glare, soft headsets with noise canceling technology, and air conditioning. Complimentary snacks and beverages are on board, and special requests are honored. Professional, FAA approved pilots will get you there on time and safely. If desired, we will arrange rental cars for you, and we will do everything we can to ensure your trip is successful.

Our aircraft are capable of shrinking your world chronologically and economically, whether for business or pleasure. For example, the flight time from Birmingham to Mobile is one hour. A small King Air 90 will only get you there 8 minutes sooner and cost you about twice as much. A larger, faster King Air 200 will get you there 20 minutes sooner and cost you more than three times as much.

Here is a table summarizing the comparison:

Birmingham to Mobile Round Trip

For the up-to-500 mile trip, our Barons can't be beat, and we add first class services.

It is not easy to find a charter aircraft that suits your flight length, number of passengers, and budget. Our aircraft can accommodate up to four adults depending on their weight and flight duration. For many businesses, most flights are less than 500 miles in length. As we showed above, Alabama Air Shuttle can't be surpassed for this type of trip.

But even if a particular aircraft type suits your particular trip requirements, an actual airplane and pilot must be available. This is another area in which Alabama Air Shuttle excels because we own our aircraft and our pilots are full time salaried with a backup on-demand pilot. Many air charter companies rely on aircraft that are owned by other people which the charter company may use only when the owner is not using the airplane. Many air charter companies rely on on-demand pilots who work for the charter company only when the pilots are not engaged elsewhere. The result is that Alabama Air Shuttle is more likely to be able to book your trip than other charter companies.

We occasionally get the question: Why aren't your aircraft based at Birmingham International Airport? The short answer is that we would need to charge you more if one of our airplanes were based there. We don't charge you any more to bring in an aircraft from Jasper, and Jasper is only a few minutes away. Our aircraft based at Madison County Executive Airport near Huntsville International is a backup for our Jasper airplane, and the Huntsville airplane can fly to Birmingham International in a little more than a half hour. The two aircraft back up one another, and in this way we are able to serve both the central and northern parts of the state.

Since we own our aircraft and have dedicated pilots and since our aircraft are based nearby, we have an extremely good response time to your requests. We can almost always have an aircraft ready for you at Birmingham International, Huntsville International or nearby airports within two to two and one half hours. Many air charter companies cannot even come close to that.

We often hear the question: Where are you based? People reasonably want to know if we need to position an aircraft from a long distance because that would add to the cost of a trip. If the caller is from the central or northern part of Alabama, we like to reply: We are based wherever you want. If we need to charge because an aircraft is more than a few minutes away from your departure airport, we only charge a nominal amount to cover some of our costs.

Alabama Air Shuttle excels in response time, and we work hard to meet our mission of providing cost- effective air travel.

We now have an aircraft at Walker County-Bevill Field, so it is very convenient for people in this area to drive a few minutes and hop aboard. Shoreline Aviation provides a very nice executive terminal along with a parking lot with a security fence and a password- protected gate. Sanders Aviation provides our aviation fuel.

Simply refer potential customers to us. Then, receive your choice of $100 in cash or a free trip when your referred customer flies with us for 20 hours. *