CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 3, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avantair, Inc. (OTCBB:AAIR) (OTCBB:AAIRU) (OTCBB:AAIRW) ("the Company"), the only publicly traded stand-alone fractional operator and the sole North American provider of fractional shares in the Piaggio Avanti P.180 aircraft, announced today that it enjoyed a record number of flights flown during the Thanksgiving holiday, November 25th - November 30th, in sharp contrast to the overall slowdown in demand experienced by major U.S. airlines.
"Our record demand for flights over the Thanksgiving holiday highlights consistently strong trends by customers who, in these uncertain economic times, rely on Avantair to provide the lowest-cost and most fuel-efficient fractional program in the Light Jet category," stated Steven Santo, Chief Executive Officer of Avantair. "As we continue to show our owners and prospects that flying privately with Avantair can be affordable, without sacrificing high quality service and comfort, we believe we will capture greater market share, as more and more consumers respond favorably to our value proposition."
"We are very pleased to announce that we were able to meet this record, peak travel-time demand with minimal additional expense from third-party charter usage," continued Mr. Santo. "This is a testament to the strength of our business model, continued efficiencies realized from our expanded fleet and the effectiveness of improved scheduling procedures implemented over the past several quarters."
About Avantair
Avantair, the only publicly traded stand-alone fractional operator and the sole North American provider of fractional shares in the Piaggio Avanti P.180 aircraft, is headquartered in Clearwater, FL with approximately 400 employees. The Company offers private travel solutions for individuals and businesses traveling within its service area, which includes the continental United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership. The Company currently manages a fleet of 50 aircraft, with another 59 Piaggio Avanti IIs on order through 2013. For more information about Avantair, please visit: http://www.avantair.com.