AirStMaarten - Monthly Newsletter - November 2010

The AirStMaarten Newsletter is professional with a personal touch, informative and to the point with news, opinions, background information, articles and promotions.

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In this November 2010 issue:

1. INTRO: Crystal Pineapple Award Winner
2. SPECIALS: Remembering Frank DeLisle - LIAT Founder 2/3
3. ARTICLE: Terrance Rey's Work In Tourism Promotion
4. SPONSOR MESSAGE: CheapoAir
5. NEWS ITEM: AirStMaarten Owner Voted Employer of the Year
6. TRAVEL TIP: Spend Christmas & New Year's in St. Barths
7. AGENDA: Christmas & New Year's In St. Barths
8. ADVERTISEMENT: St. Maarten Florist - StMaartenFlowers.com
9. CUSTOMER SERVICE: How To Book With AirStMaarten

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INTRO: Crystal Pineapple Award Winner
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Dear friends and clients,

On Thursday morning, November 12th, 2010, I received an email message containing a letter from the SHTA congratulating me on my nomination as Employer of the Year. My first reaction on reading the good news was to call Maynen. I stopped dead in my tracks as I turned to grab the phone. The realization hit me that I could not call her. As I stood there I could not help myself but cry.

I cried not only because she was not there to celebrate the good news with me but also because the nomination meant finally recognition for the work I put in over the years in building up a company that was unique in the way it is used to promote both the islands of St. Maarten and St. Barths. The latter being the gateway to the other.

Though the nomination is an honour in itself, I resolved at that point to prove that I was worthy of this nomination in the first place and to dedicate it to my late fiancée, Maynen, who was my life partner in the travel business. The winner would be chosen based on the number of votes a nominee receives and also based on the write-ups submitted about the nominees. You can read my write-up in section 3 entitled "Terrance Rey's Work In Tourism Promotion".

The strength of AirStMaarten lies in its customerbase. So who else to call on other than my clients to vote for me? Therefore, I emailed my clients. Many have become friends over the years and I knew I could count on them. Many of you responded immediately and voted for me, like the true friends you are. I thank you!!!

The previous year, the number of votes was less than 3500. This year the SHTA recorded a record-breaking number of votes totalling over 5500 in their online survey. I have no doubts that my family, (Facebook) friends and clients played a large role in the large number of votes casted. Thereby proving that the power of email and internet is a force to be reckoned with. Not only in terms of marketing a business online, but also in terms of shameless self-promotion. Am I the next Donald Trump or what? :-)

On the evening of Friday, November 26th, 2010, at the 5th Annual Crystal Pineapple Award held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino I was announced as the winner of the prestigious SHTA's Crystal Pineapple Award in the category Employer of the Year. And here is the picture to prove it.

Terrance Rey - Employer of the Year 2009-2010
    The Crystal Pineapple Award Winner - Employer of the Year 2010 

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the following persons: Karen Hill-George, Elizabeth "Liz" Peterson, Rinaldo Rogers. Without these persons I would not have been able to be nominated Employer of the Year. I also would like to thank my mom, Cynthia Lloyd-Rey, and my dad, Lorenzo "Lulu" Lloyd, for their unwavering support and love.

In the meantime while I polish and admire my Crystal Pineapple award, you can read the rest of this issue.

Happy Readings!

Terrance Rey

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2. SPECIALS: Remembering Frank DeLisle - LIAT Founder 2/3
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Frank DeLisle - LIAT Founder

This month we remember that Sir Frank DeLisle, founder of the Leeward Islands Air Transport (better known Caribbean-wide as LIAT), the oldest airline in the sub-Caribbean region, died at age 83 on Friday, November 1st, 2002. It was the same day that he was honoured with a knighthood for his outstanding contribution to the aviation industry in Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean as a whole.

A former airline captain, Sir Frank played a tremendous role in bringing aviation to the region. He was born in St. Kitts and went to neighbouring Anguilla as a young man to work in the Agriculture Department. He then migrated to Montserrat where he was employed with the Montserrat Company Ltd.

It was there that his love and interest in aviation developed. With a vision of transforming air transportation in the region, Delisle started the Leeward Islands Air Transport Service Ltd. in 1956, on the island of Montserrat.

In those days LIAT was a privately owned one-man operation with a fleet of one aircraft and a non-scheduled service between Montserrat and Antigua. He also founded Radio Montserrat, the first radio station in the sub-region, which is still operational today.

With the support of the late V.C. Bird, former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, DeLisle’s vision grew and LIAT was moved and headquartered in Antigua. The airline continued to grow and develop with the co-operation of other regional leaders.

LIAT DeHavilland Heron - Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation

Photos of the DeHavilland Heron provided by the Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation (APOTCF) http://www.aviationpioneers.info

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3. ARTICLE: Terrance Rey's Work In Tourism Promotion
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Terrance Rey's Work In Tourism Promotion of St. Maarten and St. Barths

Terrance Rey officially returned to St. Maarten in August 2007 after living in Holland for 19 years. After organizing various private charters to the surrounding islands, Terrance Rey focussed on St. Barths as a high-end destination with great demand for personalized charter service at an affordable rate. Research showed him that there was a gap in the market between regular commercial flights and private charters to St. Barths. There was nothing in between. Clients who couldn't afford a private charter had only the option of flying commercially or taking the ferry to St. Barths. What Terrance then created was the concept of 'Shared Charters', whereby passengers get all the amenities of flying on a private charter, but instead of paying for the whole aircraft, they only pay for the seat they occupied.

 
This service proved to be a hit. Terrance Rey not only organized Shared Charters from St. Maarten to St. Barths, but also from Anguilla, Antigua and San Juan, Puerto Rico to St. Barths. Because of the unique role he fulfils in this market, he is considered an expert in this field and has a lot of contact with passengers, clients, pilots and St. Barths lovers. He is an active participant in the various online discussion forums, namely www.StBartsTalk.com, www.SBHonline.com, www.TravelTalkOnline.com and www.AnguillaForum.com.
 
Terrance Rey is also a travel writer and contribute to various online publications such as www.StMaarten.org and www.StMaarten-Info.com. Here are some of his travel reviews of The Cliff condo resort and The Bridge restaurant, which were published in the StMaarten.org newsletters. He also publishes his own AirStMaarten: Destination St. Barths monthly newsletter, which currently have over 1340 registered subscribers.
 
Because of his work in tourism promotion for St. Maarten and St. Barths, Terrance Rey has been nominated for the St. Maarten Hospitalilty & Trade Association (SHTA) prestigious Crystal Pineapple Award in the category "Employer of the Year".

 

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4. SPONSOR MESSAGE: CheapoAir
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Cheap Air Flightbanner

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5. NEWS ITEM: AirStMaarten Owner Voted Employer of the Year
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Crystal Pineapple Award 2009-2010 Employer of the Year: AirStMaarten

MAHO--The Crystal Pineapple Awards and Fundraiser, organized by the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), saw a record 5,550 votes cast online for persons who have demonstrated exceptional performance in their field in 2010. The fifth annual event was held at Sonesta Maho Resort on Friday, November 26th, 2010.

"Tonight we recognize and celebrate individuals with the right stuff," SHTA president Emil Lee said, adding that the association believes it is important to recognize and place on a pedestal the members of society who should become role models and inspiration for others to follow.

The event featured 19 categories and 70 nominees. While the majority of the categories were open to the public to vote for their favourite nominee online, there were also four none-voting categories, whose honourees were selected by the board of the SHTA. These four were Outstanding Journalism, the Tourism Industry Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Person of the Year Award. The SHTA also surprised one of their own, Project Manager Valya Pantophlet, with a special recognition award.

Person of the Year

Dennis Richardson and Richard Gibson were awarded with Persons of the Year honours for their work as part of the constitutional team that realized country status for St. Maarten. The award is presented to persons that go above and beyond the call of duty and work for the best interest of St. Maarten. The SHTA opted not to choose one over the other, but to recognize both for "their tireless work and commitment to achieving Country St. Maarten for the people of St. Maarten."

Richardson thanked SHTA for the honour and stressed to the gathering that the work to build country St. Maarten is still to be done. He said he believes in the potential of St. Maarten and asked all present to continue striving for excellence, "do the maximum you can do," he said.

Gibson likened his work with the constitutional committee to a 12-year rollercoaster, an experience of a lifetime that ended on 10-10-10. He said he was especially proud that the dedication displayed by a group of people could come together and form three new countries while dismantling one.

Lifetime Achievement Award

President of The Daily Herald Roger Snow and Managing Director Mary Jane Snow-Hellmund were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and General Manager of Sonesta Great Bay Keith Graham, the Lifetime Achievement Award has been created by the SHTA and used only on very special occasions.

"This year the SHTA decided to dedicate this award to two individuals that throughout the years have taken informing the community to a whole new level. Their unwavering input and work throughout the years have ensured that the people of St. Maarten have had access to an uninterrupted flow of information that is available to everybody – not just an enlightened few – in the form of a daily news publication," Wescot-Williams said.

"These two people moved to St. Maarten at a time when there was a need for a real, general-interest and broad-based local newspaper on St. Maarten. In response to that need, the shareholders of Amigoe started The Chronicle on St. Maarten and these two individuals (who had just retired from the civil service) came here to work for the paper.

"They left The Chronicle in 1990 and started a weekly paper, called Caribbean Herald, in 1991. This publication became popular and there were calls to make it a daily paper, so in 1994 it became The Daily Herald, published Monday through Saturday. The paper grew steadily and now prints over 10,000 copies per day," the Prime Minister said in highlighting the accomplishments of the honourees.

Mary Snow-Hellmund recalled when people would wonder if the public would actually want to read the newspaper on a daily basis. Today, she said, it is gratifying to know that people can't do without their Daily Herald. She went on to thank the SHTA for the honour and the people of St. Maarten for accepting her and her family on the island.

Outstanding Journalism

Unlike previous years when this category was open for public voting, the executive board of the SHTA changed the criteria for 2010. The award was presented based on the journalist's work. The nomination was accompanied by two pieces, published in 2010, reflecting the importance of tourism to the economy.

Michael Granger, journalist with The Daily Herald who has written almost 200 tourism-related articles in 2010, won the award for his pieces on how St. Maarten's competition is outpacing the destination in marketing funding and, by extension, the positive returns on those marketing initiatives. The second piece focused on the effect of the world wide recession on local travel agents and travellers in general on St. Maarten.

Granger said the profession of journalism is "never an easy one, but is made easier when you have good teachers." In mentioning some of those "teachers," he went on to thank Regina Labega, Emil Lee, the SHTA, Valya Pantophlet, Keith Franca and Frank Arrindell.

He also made special mention of Roger and Mary Snow and senior management at The Daily Herald for "giving a head-strong, stubborn young man an opportunity to excel, an opportunity to learn a trade. Exactly 15 years ago you gave me direction. I will forever be grateful for the Snow and De Windt families."

Tourism Industry Award

This award recognizes international industry partners that have made a significant contribution towards the development of St. Maarten's tourism industry. This award category was not included in the public voting, but was decided upon by the SHTA board. This year it was unanimously decided to give the award to Jet Blue Airlines.

General Awards

According to Emil Lee, every winner in the Programme, Hospitality, Community and Trade awards had chosen not to be content with mediocrity, but had chosen to be exceptional. These "exceptional" winners were:

Outstanding Employee Training Programme: The Training and Development Centre of UTS. Outstanding Environmental Achievement: Roderick Halley of Seaside Nature Park. Outstanding Community Service (organizations): The Animal Welfare Foundation. Outstanding Community Service (individual): Rajesh Chintaman for his work with St. Maarten AIDS Foundation and Bishop Ellis Foundation.

Outstanding Achievement with Youth: Isidore "The Mighty Dow" York for his work with the Ebony Steel Orchestra Foundation. Rookie of the year: Jamesly Francoise of Princess Port de Plaisance. Trade Employee of the Year: Arnold Mauricio of the St. Maarten Medical Center. Trade Manager of the Year: Jesse Peterson of the Port de Plaisance Marina.

Employer of the Year: Terrance Rey of Air St. Maarten.

Employee of the Year: Hector Acevedo of Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. Supervisor of the Year: Agnes Cannegieter of Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. Manager of the Year: Joyce Prince of Joyce Prince Tours. Restaurateur of the Year: Dino Jagtani of Temptation and Rare Restaurants.

Hotelier of the Year (small hotels): Edna Evans of Summit Resort. Hotelier of the Year (large hotels): Juan Fernandez of Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort. Outstanding Public Sector Achievement: William Bell of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

Lee also explained that the funds raised at the silent auction, held simultaneously with the award ceremony, "will play a critical role in SHTA's ability to support its efforts to improve the quality of life in St. Maarten. Besides the obvious involvement in economic issues, the SHTA is very active in educational, environmental and social issues," he said.

As published in The Daily Herald on Monday, November 29th, 2010.

Group photo Crystal Pineapple Award Winners 2010

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6. TRAVEL TIP: Spend Christmas & New Year's In St. Barths
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I couldn't think of a better Travel Tip. See the Agenda below...

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7. AGENDA: Christmas & New Year's In St. Barths
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Is there anything better than spending Christmas and New Year's
in St. Barths?

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8. ADVERTISEMENT: St. Maarten Florist - StMaartenFlowers.com
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St. Maarten Flowers - Florist

Visit our website and place your order for flowers, bouquets and giftbaskets online today. We will deliver your orders to homes, businesses, hotels, villas, hospitals, gated communities, schools, universities and funeral parlors anywhere in St. Maarten. Just place your order and we will send you a pro forma invoice with payment instructions. You can pay online with your creditcard once you receive our invoice. After your payment is received, we will process your order and deliver according to your specific instructions. We also do wedding bouquets, boutonniers and centerpieces. http://www.stmaartenflowers.com

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9. CUSTOMER SERVICE: How To Book With AirStMaarten
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Booking Procedure & Reservation Information

Submit a reservation request online at www.airsxm.com. Once we receive your request, we will send you a Reservation Offer for your consideration. Once you accept our proposal, we will require payment. You can use our credit card form to send us your credit card information. We accept all major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. You can also pay by bank transfer, check, cash or Paypal. Once payment is received, we will book the commercial flight or private charter and send you a Reservation Confirmation.

If you have requested additional services such as VIP Transfer Services, we will send you a Final Confirmation containing all details of your travel itinerary and services booked. And that's how you book with AirStMaarten.

Other Customer Service Resources:
Our Shared Charters concept explained in full detail
VIP Transfer Services through Princess Juliana Int'l Airport
Island Concierge Services on St. Maarten and St. Barths
Read what our satisfied clients are saying about our service
Ticket Insurance
We also accept payments via Paypal
St. Maarten Villa Rentals
St. Maarten Yachting and Sailing Charters
Sign up for our email newsletter service

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