A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

JFI Jets (located here at the Epic Fuel stand, Booth No. C10807) has announced that its JFI JetCenter in Long Beach, Calif., has joined the Epic FBO Network. It has also become an Epic Aviation and UVair branded fuel reseller, and its customers can now earn Bravo Rewards and use the Epic card at Long Beach, said the company.


“We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Epic and UVair and the outstanding service that we can provide together to our customers,” said Robert Seidel, CEO of JFI Jets.


Epic’s network comprises nearly 300 fuel supply points in the U.S. and Canada, while the UVair FBO network represents more than a score of premium independent FBOs in the U.S. and Canada. With the UVair FBO network fuel brand in place, JFI said it can now offer customers using the Epic card and the UVair card preferred fuel pricing as well as the opportunity to earn Bravo Rewards, which are redeemable from more than 45 million reward options.


JFI, with additional facilities in Farmingdale, N.Y., and Moscow, also announced at the show that it has received the Argus Platinum rating, along with IS-BAO Stage 1 registration for its safety management system, using Argus’s combination audit program. “We are delighted to be one of only 96 private jet operators of the 2,106 in the U.S. charter industry to receive this significant rating,” said Seidel. “The rating is an important recognition of excellence in our operational practices and flight safety standards.”


JFI Jets also announced here in Las Vegas the addition of a West Virginia-based Hawker Premier 1A light jet to its charter fleet.

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