A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

With its origin as a last-minute happy hour gathering at NBAA-BACE in 2018 by a group of flight attendants, the Flight Crew Mix and Mingle has evolved into a social and networking event and&nbsp;will return to the show after a Covid-induced hiatus.&nbsp;According to organizers Young Park and Christina Depew, this year’s event—to be held&nbsp;in Orlando, Florida, on the evening&nbsp;of Tuesday, October 18—will be double in size compared to the first formal event held in Las Vegas in 2019. That gathering was a success with approximately 100 attendees.

 


Though the event’s creators hoped to build on that momentum at the 2020 business aviation&nbsp;convention, Covid and the cancellation of that year's show, put those plans on hold&nbsp;while engendering other effects.

 


"The pandemic drastically changed the trend of the corporate flight attendant business," noted Park, who is a veteran flight attendant as well as a catering business owner. The number of aspiring corporate flight attendants grew exponentially, creating the demand for additional training focused on viral health. “While the world was locked down, many new and aspiring flight attendants sought individual mentorships and professional guidance from experienced flight attendants.”

 


Park told AIN that this year’s event will focus on connecting mentors to new flight attendants. Organizers have invited lead flight attendants and department leaders from various Part 91 operations and aircraft management companies in an opportunity for them to interact with attendees and scout new talent. For established flight attendants it represents a chance to reconnect with the community for professional development.

 


“This year, as the industry trends back towards normalcy, we feel 2022 is an excellent time to host Flight Crew Mix and Mingle to reignite the flame and reconnect,” Park stated. Free registration opened on September 18 for the event, which is receiving strong multinational industry sponsorship from companies and organizations such as NBAA, AvJet Asia, BE Princess, Created to Cater, Davinci Training institution, the European Catering Association, First Chime Chef Privé, Inflight Crew Connections, Manny's Catering, Primadonna, Sliver Lining Inflight Catering, VVIP International, and Big Chef.

Flight Attendant Gathering Returns to NBAA-BACE

With the world disrupted over the past two years by Covid, the Flight Attendant Mix and Mingle will return to NBAA-BACE for the first time since 2019.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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