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News Fred Powell - Portside Team as VP of Product

Welcoming Fred Powell to the Portside Team as VP of Product

We have recently extended our leadership team appointing Fred Powell, an aviation industry technology veteran, as VP of Product. Fred’s arrival will help drive our continued growth as we look to expand our product suite to address critical pain points facing business and government aircraft operators. Alek Vernitsky, CEO of Portside, says, “Fred has over 20 years of experience in this industry and has contributed significantly to the innovation in business aviation. We look forward to working with Fred and leveraging his experience as we continue to better serve our global customer base.”

Portside has experienced triple digit growth since it was founded in 2017, and today, our platform serves hundreds of customers in over 30 countries with a secure suite of cloud-based products such as the Owner Portal, ExpensePulse, Optimizer and others. Some notable operators on the Portside platform include Jet Aviation, Airshare, Wing Aviation, Albinati, and Metrojet. Excited about this next chapter at Portside, Fred commented: “The Portside team is impressive and forward-thinking. I am excited to be working with a company whose customers are enthusiastic about what we have built and look forward to helping Portside further support its customer needs.” 

Fred's success in aviation technology was inspired by his father, Fred Powell Sr, who founded aviation software company Computing Technologies for Aviation (CTA) in 1981, and became the architect of Flight Operation System (FOS). After graduating from college, Fred joined the family business and rebuilt the DOS-based FOS system for Windows. At the time, flight schedules were written on whiteboards and airline operators were skeptical that a software program could be as customizable as a wipeable marker. 

The legendary Neil Armstrong served as Chairman and CEO for CTA, actively supporting the family business for over 15 years. Under Fred’s leadership, FOS became the dominant solution for corporate, charter, and OEM-operations serving over 500 customers and capturing 80% market share for charter operators. FOS evolved to enable industry-leading end-to-end paperless processes for customers, including native mobile technology for flight departments to enter log book information, duty times, and expenses.

CTA / FOS was sold to Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace) in 2011 and Fred worked on integrating FOS with other Collins acquisitions, including Air Routing and ARINC. Joining Stellar Labs in 2015 as VP of Customer and Product, Fred managed products that enabled customers to generate an automated quote, a long sought-after goal in the charter industry.

If you would like to reach out to congratulate Fred or learn more about what he is doing at Portside, you can reach him at fpowell@portside.co

About Portside

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

Connect with Portside

sales@portside.co

May 11, 2022

Latest news

News Portside Acquires Takeflite
Jul 24, 2024

Portside Acquires Takeflite To Bring a Comprehensive Operational Platform to Both Commercial and Business Airlines

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, July 24, 2024 -- Portside, a leading innovator in software solutions for business and government aviation, has acquired Takeflite, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for commercial and cargo airlines. This strategic addition strengthens Portside’s comprehensive suite of aviation software solutions.

Takeflite offers a full set of solutions for scheduled, cargo, charter, corporate and humanitarian operators to allow airlines to manage their complex and highly dynamic operations across all areas of the organization. The platform provides all necessary functions from pricing, internet bookings, charter quotes, and cargo, through to operations, dispatch, crew and aircraft management, along with financial management and comprehensive reporting and data analysis.

“When airlines and other aviation operators are seeking to streamline operations, it is essential for them to have a single system of record that provides visibility into their customers, operations and profitability,” said Alek Vernitsky, Portside CEO. “Takeflite is a leading provider of technology solutions to cargo and commercial airlines, and we are excited to have them in the Portside family.”

Jason Hopkins, founder and CEO of Takeflite commented, “We have been providing enterprise grade aviation solutions since 2005. We’re proud of our long track record of helping our customers with a wide variety of airline operations. We are enormously excited to bring our skills and expertise to create value for not only Portside and Takeflite customers, but also to extend our unified platform to the broader aviation market.”

Takeflite was advised by Traction Advising. “Takeflite's mission critical software is a fantastic business built by great people. The combination with Portside’s platform makes great strategic sense and is good for their customers, employees and investors." Lowell Ricklefs, Founder Traction Advising

About Takeflite: Founded in 2005, over 60 aviation companies around the world depend on Takeflite for planning, pricing, distribution, reservations, departure control, operations, crew scheduling, safety, cargo, and maintenance management. Headquartered in Auckland, NZ and with team members in the U.S., U.K., and Kenya, we are a passionate team of engineers and aviation experts constantly scanning the digital world for insights and solutions that can be applied to aviation to increase your revenue and efficiency. For more information, visit www.tflite.com.

About Portside: Portside, Inc. is a premier provider of modern software solutions for the aviation industry. Portside’s cloud-based suite of products is designed to support all aspects of flight operations, including scheduling and record keeping (Avianis, BART and PFM product lines), safety management (Baldwin), fleet and crew optimization (Portside Optimizer), data sharing, reporting and analytics (Portside Owner Portal / Budget & Planning Dashboard), crew recruiting (Staffing Marketplace), and trip planning (Portside Trip Assist). Portside supports over 1,000 customers in 40+ countries, including commercial and cargo airlines, operators of business aircraft and helicopters, medevac, industrial and government fleets, as well as fractional ownership programs. For more information, visit www.portside.aero.
News Portside_Vista Investment social graphic
May 30, 2024

Portside Announces Strategic Growth Investment Led by Vista Equity Partners

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30, 2024 – Portside, a premier provider of modern software solutions for the business aviation industry, today announced a strategic growth investment led by Vista Equity Partners ("Vista"), a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Existing investor Insight Partners also participated in the minority investment. Portside intends to use the new funding to drive continued growth through product and customer expansion strategies.

Portside’s cloud-based software solutions power a diverse range of flight operations for scheduled and unscheduled aircraft operators, including charter, fractional, corporate, medical, industrial, government, helicopter, military and cargo fleets. The company’s product suite is comprised of simple-to-use and highly integrable tools designed to enable core private aviation operations, such as flight and crew scheduling, recordkeeping, safety reporting, compliance, and critical back-office business and administrative functions such as budgeting, invoicing and human resources. Portside’s product offering helps customers achieve visibility and derive valuable insights across financial and logistical operations of their fleets.

“Portside is building a turn-key and scalable operating system that spans the full range of business aviation needs,” said Alek Vernitsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Portside. “Portside has strong momentum, and we look forward to partnering with Vista and leveraging its considerable software and operational expertise as we continue to build our business and enhance our product offerings for customers.”

Vista’s investment in Portside was made by the firm’s Endeavor Fund, which provides growth capital and strategic support to market-leading, high-growth enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled companies that have achieved at least $10 million in recurring revenue. Ben Benson, Managing Director at Vista, will join Portside’s Board of Directors effective immediately.

“Portside is led by an experienced team that understands well the unique opportunity presented by the fragmented software market serving the growing business aviation industry, as well as the diligence and discipline required to bring the company to the next level,” said Rachel Arnold, Co-Head of Vista’s Endeavor Fund and Senior Managing Director. “Portside has built an impressive and differentiated platform that is rapidly emerging as a market-leader in aviation operations software,” added Benson. “We look forward to partnering with Alek and the entire Portside team as they embark on this exciting next phase of growth.”

Jefferies LLC served as exclusive placement agent and Lowenstein Sandler LLP served as legal counsel to Portside. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Vista.

About Portside

Portside, Inc. is a premier provider of modern software solutions for the business aviation industry. Portside’s cloud-based operating system for business and government aviation is designed to support all aspects of flight operations, including scheduling and recordkeeping (Avianis, BART and PFM product lines), fleet and crew optimization (Portside Optimizer), safety and compliance (Baldwin), data sharing, reporting and analytics (Portside Owner Portal / Budget & Planning Dashboard), customer billing (ExpensePulse), crew recruiting (Staffing Marketplace), and crew and passenger travel accommodations (Portside Services). Portside supports over 1,000 operators of business jets, helicopters, medevac, industrial and government fleets, as well as fractional ownership programs, in over 30 countries. For more information, contact us at sales@portside.aero or visit www.portside.aero.

About Vista Equity Partners

Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $100 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista's investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on X, @Vista_Equity.

Media Contacts

Portside

Lynn Moore

media@portside.co

843-342-3921

Vista Equity Partners

Brian W. Steel

media@vistaequitypartners.com

212-804-9170
News Avianis and PnrGo Enhanced Integration
Mar 25, 2024

Avianis and PnrGo’s enhanced integration includes interactive data transfers for new UK UPT and eu-LISA regulations

Avianis and PnrGo together offer a software solution that has made the daily flight scheduling workload much more manageable. Now, the integration has been enriched to prepare flight operations teams for new interactive PAX and CREW programs that international operators will need to comply with.

Avianis is an industry leading web-based business management solution for aviation operations. The integration with PnrGo allows their customers to easily comply with both local and international regulations on reporting passenger and crew data to the relevant security and border guard units. The benefits are noticeable from the start - less work for flight operations departments, elimination of human error, and a safety net against fines and sanctions for non-compliance with data transfer requirements.

What new regulations do air operators need to be prepared for in 2024?

2024 is set to bring two big changes for international operators - the UK UPT and the eu-LISA.

The UK’s Universal Permission to Travel scheme aims to ensure that all travelers have a valid travel permission before flying to or transiting through the UK. The scheme includes the introduction of ETA (the equivalent of American ESTA), verifiable for operators at the stage of iAPI or GAR submission. On 6th April, the UK will close the option to send GAR (General Aviation Report) via email, requiring all the operators who need to submit GAR to switch to interactive data transmissions.

The European Union’s Entry Exit System (part of eu-LISA) is expected to launch in Q3/Q4 2024. EES aims to replace the manual stamping of passports with a digital traveler registration in a central database. Carriers will need to validate passenger data interactively, prior to the departure.

PnrGo follows closely any changes in international regulations on passenger and crew data reporting and vetting. The company has gained expertise in automating compliance for air operators to help them quickly adopt such new requirements, and the upcoming changes have also become a priority for PnrGo’s integration partners.

Avianis and PnrGo’s integration turns interactive to meet the new regulations

The new regulations require an interactive data exchange where air operators submit passenger information and must receive an instantaneous response from the relevant authorities. This required a more advanced integration model between Avianis and PnrGo and both teams worked closely to develop a two-way system communication enabling PnrGo to securely submit the passenger details from Avianis and then push the approval or refusal status back into the flight management software. The new workflow enables Avianis customers to be compliant with UK UPT, eu-LISA, TSA SecureFlight (via DHS router), Canadian API and PPP, and many other regulations around the world. From now on, the “Permission to Board” statuses are visible directly in the Avianis interface.

"We are excited to advance our integration with PnrGo to handle interactive passenger and crew data transfers that ensure compliance with new regulations, such as UK UPT or eu-LISA. Along with the capability to adhere to TSA Secure Flight, Canadian API and PPP, Avianis business and charter operators can now navigate the complex international travel requirements effortlessly," states Alek Strygin, COO of Portside, the parent company of Avianis.

“We are very happy with our cooperation with Avianis,” says Tomasz Lewandowski, Product Owner at PnrGo. “It’s important for air operators to be ready for the upcoming new regulations and improving our integration is the best way for us to tell our customers: we are here for you to help you face any new challenges on the horizon!”

About Portside

Portside, Inc. is a premier provider of modern software solutions for the business aviation industry. Portside’s cloud-based operating system for business and government aviation is designed to support all aspects of flight operations, including scheduling and recordkeeping (Avianis, BART and PFM product lines), fleet and crew optimization (Portside Optimizer), data sharing, reporting and analytics (Portside Owner Portal / Budget & Planning Dashboard), customer billing (ExpensePulse), crew recruiting (Staffing Marketplace), crew and passenger travel accommodations (Trip Assist), and safety management (Baldwin SMS). Portside supports over 1,000 operators of business jets, helicopters, medevac, industrial and government fleets, as well as fractional ownership programs, in over 30 countries. For more information, contact us at sales@portside.aero or visit http://www.portside.aero.

About PnrGo

PnrGo is an expert in PAX and CREW data compliance through automated transfer, reporting, and vetting. The company has developed solutions that set new standards for data exchange between air operators, border agencies, security agencies, and airports. PnrGo facilitates compliance with the national API and PNR regulations (e.g. eAPIS), international sanctions, various travel authorization programs (e.g. UK ETA), and passenger vetting schemes (e.g. TSA Secure Flight). To learn more about PnrGo, visit pnrgo.com, sign up to our newsletter, or follow us on LinkedIn.