Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Signature Flight Support has filed a protest with the Orange County Board of Supervisors over a <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2017-01-26/orange-county-replace-signature-aci-jet-sna">decision that ends the FBO chain’s leasehold</a> at Santa Ana’s John Wayne County Airport (SNA) in California. Citing pricing complaints and a desire to bring in a local fixed-base operator, the Orange County board on January 24 decided to award the leasehold held by Signature at the airport for 20 years to California-based charter, management and FBO operator ACI Jet. At the same time, the board decided to renew the leasehold of the other FBO at the airport, held by Atlantic Aviation.


In a letter to the county, Signature representatives said that decision “must be overturned” because it violates procurement law. “The selection of ACI was improper, illegal and ill-advised,” the letter states. “The decision resulted from one attempt after another to circumvent fair and open bidding and meeting requirements.”


The letter charges that the decision “improperly and illegally ignores its established bidding procedures, rendering illusory any evaluation,” and “violated procurement law by failing to identify the criteria upon which it awarded ACI a contract—a clear abuse of discretion. “


The Signature letter further charges that the county provided inadequate notice of its intended action, concealed business under the guise of a closed-session meeting, and that the winning bidder did not meet certain requirements that show financial capability.


Signature noted that it was the highest-ranked bidder under the airport commission’s request for qualifications ranking system, but the board of supervisors “never articulated a basis for why it made its selection decision. The board never explained why it selected ACI over other bidders or the criteria that the board used to make that selection decision.”


The letter also said that the board clearly discussed the matter in a closed session, even though it was not listed on the agenda as a topic.&nbsp;This is in violation of meeting laws, Signature’s letter added.


Signature, which continues to look at numerous options in its dispute over SNA, has not yet received a response from the county.&nbsp;But the board of supervisors is scheduled to meet next on February 14.

Signature Files Protest over SNA Leasehold Vote

Signature called the decision to award the leasehold it held for 20 years to ACI Jet improper and illegal.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN