Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

An air charter company contacted AIN to warn about a customer who scammed $220,000 worth of charter flights through fraudulent credit-card payments. According to this company, which does not want to be named, the customer booked a trip from California to Utah and then to Arizona, claiming to be traveling with a well known rap performer.


The company brokered the trip, but the customer’s credit card was declined. When the customer was told about the credit-card problem, he set up a conference call with his bank, which provided an “authorization code,” allowing the payment to go through.


While in Arizona, the customer “suddenly” decided to fly to Hawaii, and the company again brokered a jet for the trip. (The rapper never showed up.) The credit card was again declined, but the bank again approved the payment. When the customer returned to California, he asked for another trip, which was flown in a light jet, but then the company received information that the credit card was fraudulent.


“I really hope we can help prevent this from happening in the future,” the company told AIN in an effort to warn other operators to be on the lookout for this scam.

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