Story ID: 
Feras promoting customer loyalty plan
By: Didier Daoust
Caption: Prague-based Feras executive ground handling organization is using the EBACE show to roll out its new StarJet customer loyalty program.
Word Count: 667
Prague-based Feras executive ground handling organization is using the EBACE show to roll out its new StarJet customer loyalty program. StarJet is aimed at providing various value enhancements for frequent users of the Feras network, which now covers more than 100 stations in Europe, Russia and the CIS countries.  

The new StarJet program ensures that existing high-volume users (representing around 100 flights per year) get the most value out of Feras services. There will be different levels of membership, from bronze to platinum.

However, the program will also offer new and lower volume Feras clients an opportunity to quickly “spool up” into a program that promises to give savings, value and improve efficiencies for the clients.

StarJet gives regular Feras customers guaranteed lowest contract fuel pricing, flat fees for slots and overflight/landing permits, electronic billing, detailed airport fee and estimate analysis, and airport fees discounts. 

StarJet also provides some timesaving benefits, such as electronic billing, Web-based services, landside arrangements and, of course, consolidated transparent billing.

The program has been offered in priority to high-volume Feras customers, such as fractional ownership providers and fleet management companies. The program will be running in full scale from June 1. At EBACE, visitors to the Feras exhibit (Booth No. 103) will be able to get a sneak preview of the program and its benefits.

Feras Offers More Facility Enhancements

“Our strategic focus has always been to be the service leader. However, we also offer our services at a competitive price,” explained Chris Cartwright, Feras managing co-director.

“Contract fuel with best rate guaranteed is something not offered by competitors who tend to charge each client a different price,” said Cartwright.

Among other enhancements is a standardized VIP catering service. It involves Jeppesen-size menus in English with pictures of the meals. About 80 percent of the orders are standard throughout the network and the rest will be customized to meet customer demand. 

“The aim is to make it predictable,  simple and easy to use for the cabin crew. Catering seems like a small part of the flight but this is often what makes a flight successful,” noted Otto Wright, Feras new sales director. He recently joined Feras after having previously worked at Sun Microsystems.

“Feras is now 14 years old and is entering its next level in terms of company size. This creates a lot of challenges to meet in terms of customer demand, change in marketplace and business expansion opportunity,” said Wright.  

Feras covers a large territory spanning from Frankfurt to Vladivostok, where the company provides its own ground handling services. The latest destinations added to the network are located in Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.

Feras has recently returned to the key location of Almaty, Kazakhstan. The company has its own personnel on the ground there with handling requests taken 24 hours per day via its operations center in Moscow. Feras is the only executive handler at Almaty and looks after several home-based aircraft including a Gulfstream G200 and a Cessna Citation X, as well as visiting executive jets.  

Furthermore, Feras is able offer competitive fuel prices in Almaty, based on the large volume of fuel it handles. Indeed, the company has a contract to refuel FedEx DC-10s on daily basis.

For next next month’s World Cup soccer tournament Feras will have additional handling personnel and VIP Mercedes vehicles at all its German locations. Crew lounges in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt will feature all the latest slot procedures and parking information daily for all German airports during the month-long tournament. 

Finally, all Feras crew lounges in Germany feature free wireless Internet, coffee, soft drinks, snacks, TV and Internet.