Charter Business Lands in Van Nuys

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Charter Business Lands in Van Nuys
Dreamline’s Mark Schmaltz on the charter business’s Gulfstream jet.

The recovery may be weak, but it’s had enough lift to get a new charter air business off the ground.

Dreamline Aviation LLC received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration this month to begin service at Van Nuys Airport. It’s rising from the ashes of JetDirect Aviation, a Berwyn, Pa., charter company that operated out of Van Nuys but went bankrupt in 2009.

The new company is the latest of about 30 charters operating at the airport, where the recession slashed customer traffic as much as 50 percent, said Todd Kunkler, co-founder and marketing vice president of the Hermosa Beach firm.

Recent months, however, have seen an upswing in demand.

“It all comes down to the confidence in the economy perceived by business leaders,” Kunkler said. “If they see their bottom line and prospects improving, they’ll fly – if they’re worried, they won’t. The activity level has noticeably improved.”

Dreamline is targeting high-income customers including “entertainment industry people, corporate executives or just wealthy individuals” flying to second homes, conducting business throughout the state, or escaping to places such as Aspen or Vale, Colo., for quiet vacations, Kunkler said.

The company charges $4,500 an hour plus landing, ramp and parking fees for use of its 14-seat Gulfstream jet. Eventually, Dreamline hopes to expand its fleet to offer prop aircraft for as little as $1,300 an hour and larger jets for up to $7,000 – all prices close to industry averages.

Dreamline was founded after the collapse of Jet Direct, which had purchased Van Nuys-based Spirit Aviation in 2006. Spirit’s founder, Mark Schmaltz, and three other former Spirit employees – including Kunkler – joined with aviation entrepreneur Michael Binder to form Dreamline.

Binder had been in the process of creating an airline charter of his own – called Altitude Aviation – when he decided to partner with the three Spirit veterans instead.

“Business is ramping up,” Kunkler said. “We’re pretty much breaking even at this point but anticipate that, as we add to our fleet, we’ll start getting busy.”

Cyber Theft

Law enforcement officials at the Port of Los Angeles are reporting a dramatic upswing in cargo thefts – and modern computer technology is being blamed.

The same Web-based systems that allow trucking companies and freight forwarders to efficiently schedule and track shipments is providing opportunities for criminals.

By hacking into a trucking company’s website, they can obtain such useful information as what a particular cargo contains, where it will land and when it will get there. Then they can create “dummy” companies to pick the stuff up early.

“They have the information, they show up and everything is there. They don’t need papers because everything is electronic,” said Ken Huerta, a sergeant with the Los Angeles Port Police.

From a handful of cases five years ago, the number of Internet cargo thefts has increased by as much as 15 percent annually to more than a dozen each year.

“They sell a lot of it on eBay,” said Huerta, who estimated that the annual worth of goods pilfered from the port and other locations at more than $200,000.

Huerta is part of an interagency task force that has made some arrests and helps educate handlers. He declined to name any companies that have been hit but offered up his main advice.

“Know who you’re dealing with. If someone says they’re from UPS and they’re not in a brown truck, call customer service and check the person out,” he said. “It only takes a couple of minutes.”

Streetcar Desire

The proposed resurrection of Southern California’s famed Red Cars in downtown Los Angeles is gaining some traction.

Los Angeles Streetcar Inc., a group of property owners, developers and civic leaders that began pushing for a scaled-down version of the historic streetcar system last year, has announced its first major fundraiser for Sept. 30.

The evening event at L.A. Live will be hosted by City Councilman Jose Huizar, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, developer Rick Caruso and AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke.

“The significance is that these various leaders are coming together to encourage support,” said Andrew Posey, a spokesman for the non-profit.

Current plans call for the streetcar to make a four-mile loop traversing most of Broadway from First Street moving south. The streetcar railway has an estimated price tag of $100 million. The project has received a $10 million grant from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. Los Angeles Streetcar has applied for an additional $25 million from the Federal Transportation Authority.

“What this shows is that both the public and private sectors see its importance,” Posey said.

Staff reporter David Haldane can be reached at [email protected] or at 323-549-5225, ext. 225.

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