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News Portside Acquires Professional Flight Management (PFM)

Portside Acquires Professional Flight Management (PFM) to Expand Its Portfolio of Technology Solutions for Private, Business & Government Aviation

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.-- Today, Portside announced it has acquired Professional Flight Management (PFM), a leading scheduling and dispatch software platform for corporate flight departments. The combination of Portside and PFM will provide an enhanced suite of software solutions for private, business and government flight departments.

Portside’s mission is to bring modern technology to business aviation. Today, the industry relies on many disconnected systems and manual processes. From streamlining operator communication with aircraft owners through the Portside Owner Portal; to allocating the fleet and crew effectively with Optimizer; to managing the backend expense and billing processes with ExpensePulseTM, Portside continues to provide its customers with innovative solutions addressing their key pain points.

PFM’s mission is to provide a comprehensive set of scheduling, record keeping and reporting applications for corporate, private, and government flight departments. Founded by Bill Figures in 1983, originally born out of a Fortune 100 Company’s flight department, PFM has been led by Bill and Julie Figures, serving customers for almost 40 years. Today, PFM supports hundreds of flight departments, including many of the largest Fortune 500 corporate fleets in the world. Customers choose PFM because they value the Company’s innovative and resilient solutions, 24/7 customer support, and the ability to meet challenging needs faced by complex flight departments operating globally.

Together, Portside and PFM will continue development of private, business and government aviation technology, advance software solutions available to the industry, and accelerate the process to upgrade software for the increasingly mobile-first and cloud-based business aviation ecosystem. The combined company will have a sizable, fast-growing market opportunity and capabilities to drive significant value for customers and the industry.

“Portside’s competitive advantage is our ability to focus on the customer experience and deliver cutting-edge technologies,” said Alek Vernitsky, CEO of Portside. “With PFM, we now gain a deeper understanding of the needs and expectations for the corporate flight departments which will accelerate our vision to support the broader private, business and government aviation industry.”

Continue development of private, business and government aviation technology

Portside and PFM are deeply committed to pushing the industry forward by developing innovative tools. With Portside’s and PFM’s extensive product set, customers will be able to access a greater set of robust capabilities to support the safety, efficiency and collaboration needed to manage a well-run flight department.

Advance software solutions available to the industry

Operators are challenged with the ever-changing requirements imposed on their operation impacting their ability to scale effectively. Whether it be staffing constraints, asset management, regulation, communication tools or mobile accessibility, there are many processes that are currently managed with excel sheets and phone calls that can easily be solved with the right technology. With PFM, Portside takes another step forward in assembling and creating a comprehensive business and government aviation platform.

Accelerate the process to upgrade software

Upgrading complex legacy systems is no easy feat. With Portside’s expertise, PFM products will have a clear path to cloud-based, mobile-first architecture. This will benefit all stakeholders, as upgraded technology will allow operators to maintain a modern operation, while having the flexibility to operate in a resilient way that’s critical for government and corporate customers alike.

“Portside has a bold vision of building an end-to-end technology ecosystem for corporate flight departments and we have seen them continue to grow their product suite at a fast pace focused on serving the end user,” said Bill Figures, Founder of PFM. “We always prided ourselves in treating our customers as family and are confident that our customers will be in good hands and will get added value as we join Portside,” added Julie Figures.

About PFM

Professional Flight Management, Inc. (PFM) provides the most comprehensive set of scheduling, record keeping and reporting applications for corporate, private and government flight departments. Their products include Corporate Flight Scheduling & Dispatch, Record-Keeping, Request & Corporate Shuttle Systems, Crew Apps, Lobby Flight Status Board, among others which are integrated into many third-party providers so customers can use the vendors of their choice. PFM has expanded to work with over 200 private, corporate and government flight departments worldwide. PFM is headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA with team members located within the US. More information about PFM can be found at www.pfmsys.com

About Portside

Portside is developing a modern, cloud-based operating system for business and government aviation: a set of integrated solutions addressing major industry pain points. The Portside platform supports over 150 operators of business jets, helicopters, industrial and government fleets, as well as fractional jet ownership programs in over 30 countries. Portside is headquartered in San Francisco with team members across the US, Europe and Asia. Learn more about Portside at www.portside.aero

Media Contact: media@portside.co

Oct 12, 2022

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News Portside Expands Fatigue Risk Management Capabilities with Pulsar Integrations
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Portside Expands Fatigue Risk Management Capabilities with Pulsar Integrations into Avianis and Baldwin Safety & Compliance

San Francisco, CA – 10/10/25 – Portside, a leading provider of modern, cloud-based software solutions for business aviation, announced expanded integrations with Pulsar Informatics, the industry leader in fatigue risk management solutions. Pulsar is now fully integrated into Avianis, Portside’s comprehensive flight operations platform, and Baldwin Safety & Compliance, the industry’s most scalable SMS solution.

These integrations build on Portside’s existing connections with Pulsar across BART, FOS, and PFM, further embedding fatigue risk insights into operators’ daily workflows. “By integrating further into Portside’s solutions, we’re empowering operators to address fatigue proactively during trip planning while embedding fatigue data into everyday safety practices.” said Dr. Daniel Mollicone, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder at Pulsar Informatics.

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About Portside

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News Clay Lacy Selects Portside's Avianis
Oct 08, 2025

Clay Lacy Aviation Selects Portside’s Avianis to Streamline Flight Scheduling and Operations

San Francisco, CA – 10/8/25 – Portside, a leading provider of modern, cloud-based solutions for business aviation, today announced that Clay Lacy Aviation, one of the most respected names in private aviation with more than 55 years of excellence in aircraft management, charter, maintenance, and FBO services, has adopted Avianis as its flight scheduling and operations platform. The complex, large-scale implementation underscores Portside’s expertise in delivering seamless, high-value results for leading operators worldwide.

Clay Lacy Aviation operates a growing nationwide fleet that requires a scalable, integrated platform supporting flight scheduling, crew coordination, compliance tracking, and maintenance oversight. By moving to Avianis, Clay Lacy gains a single system that strengthens daily operations – providing an even smoother experience for aircraft owners and charter clients.

“Our clients expect the very best every time they fly with us,” said Ken Webster, VP Flight Operations at Clay Lacy Aviation. “Avianis gives us a modern, unified platform that makes our operations more seamless and ensures we continue delivering the highest levels of safety, service, and efficiency.”

Avianis is a powerful, web-based platform designed to streamline and optimize every aspect of flight operations for operators of all sizes. From its highly customizable Schedule Board to advanced tools for crew compliance, duty limits, and maintenance tracking, Avianis brings all core functions into one connected platform. This comprehensive approach enables operators like Clay Lacy to run more efficient, compliant, and transparent operations while ensuring aircraft and crew are always ready for mission success.

As part of the broader Portside ecosystem, Clay Lacy will also have access to additional integrated products and capabilities designed to drive even greater efficiencies, like fuel management via FuelAssist, and Owner Service optimization tools via Portside Owner Portal. Together, these solutions create a unified platform that streamlines operations, enhances compliance, and delivers measurable value across the organization.

“Clay Lacy is a recognized leader in private aviation, and we are proud to partner with them,” said Alek Vernitsky, CEO at Portside. “This implementation highlights not only the scalability and power of Avianis, but also the expertise of our team in supporting complex projects that drive measurable value for our customers.”

About Portside

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About Clay Lacy

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News Portside Integrates with Levo.aero
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