Monaco Air Duluth (Minn.) is courting business jet operators by billing itself as a cost-effective international tech stop for Great Circle flights between the U.S. West Coast and Europe. The FBO has set up an online comparative analysis tool that allows users to choose between four European cities and four cites on the West Coast, with the resulting eastbound or westbound routing showing miles, time and cost savings of going “Direct Duluth” rather than making the traditional stop in Bangor, Maine. The Duluth Airport has a Cat. II ILS for easy access, and the FBO is promising 24-minute quick turns. Until Oct. 31 Monaco Air is offering an 80-cent-per-gallon discount for jet-A purchases over 2,000 gallons. In addition, the facility is giving out $100 American Express gift cards to the pilot and copilot during this promotion period. (A coupon, available through the link to the comparative tool above, is required for the fuel discounts and gift cards.) According to Monaco Air President Mike Magni, “A typical 3,000 gallon top-off will save $2,400 [during the promotion]. And, when the operator pays with a Shell Credit Card, they can save 90 cents per gallon, or $2,700 on a 3,000-gallon purchase.”
