A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

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James Wynbrandt

Comlux Aviation and Crystal AirCruises announced here at EBACE that Fly Comlux, the group’s executive airline division, will manage and operate Crystal’s Boeing B777-200LR, which is currently undergoing completion by Greenpoint Technologies. The executive-configured airliner is scheduled to enter service this fall and Comlux will operate the aircraft under an Aruba registration.


“It was an easy search” for an operator, said Richard Ziskind, v-p and managing director, Crystal AirCruises. “Comlux is a fantastic group to manage the aircraft. The support they give is second to none, and having the aircraft registered in Aruba is a dream come true for us.”


Comlux (Booth V96) is “fully committed to providing the best service to Crystal AirCruises and their VIP customers,” said Richard Gaona, chairman and CEO of the Zurich-based group. “Our operational teams are already working together with their counterparts at Crystal AirCruises, in order to prepare for the first Crystal AirCruises flight.”


The aircraft has 88 lie-flat seats, a lounge/bar area that seats 26, and extra large lavs. Onboard service will be provided by Sky Butlers, trained to high butler standards. Comlux will make the aircraft available for charter when not in use for Crystal AirCruises luxury tours.


BBJ president Greg Laxton said he was “confident the airplane will serve very well with its 9,000 miles of range,” and he added that Boeing is “ecstatic to be associated with these two great companies.”

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