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.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

Redesigned versions of pricing trackers FuelerLinx and FBOLinx, set to go live next month, are being demonstrated by parent company DegaTech Systems this week at NBAA-BACE this week, along with what it believes is the most comprehensive dataset of FBO facility fees.&nbsp;
The company pointed out that the cost of a fuel stop is no longer simply the cost of fuel. Considerations now include ramp fees and overnight parking and handling charges. Additionally, special event surcharges tacked on to major sporting, political, and trade events have proliferated in recent years. These can vary by airport, by FBO, and even by the week, making comparisons between facilities difficult.
“Operators used to compare fuel prices; now they have to compare the whole bill,” said DegaTech CEO Kevin Moller. “A posted price that looks like a bargain can disappear under a parking fee, and a special event surcharge can turn a routine stop into the most expensive leg of the trip.”
He added that his company has spent the past year making sure those fees are in the data before the decision is made, not on the receipt afterward.&nbsp;
As users consider the effectiveness of tankering, FuelerLinx’s improved interactive tech stop map weights those fees along with the fuel price, so the number a scheduler sees is the number the department will actually pay before committing to an FBO.
The program analyzes a flight department’s usage to recommend the best fuel program to suit their needs, and its enhanced reporting feature provides users with a clear picture of their fuel spend, volume, and contract savings, as well as generating compliance reports.&nbsp;
A mobile application will compare FBO receipts at the moment of capture and upload them to the Fuelerlinx transaction module, where they are reconciled against invoices and the fees that were actually charged.
Its products also benefit FBOs, as well as their customers. Part of the revamp is an updated margin template and customer manager to help service providers set fuel margins and keep track of customer-specific pricing.
A new handling services and fees tool allows FBOs to advertise every service they offer, with its pricing, and enables them to customize how and when it applies. On the backend, locations can track every customer order and the services tied to it, including what was completed and by whom, all from one place.&nbsp;

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

Fuelerlinx Tackles Special Event Fees in Product Revamp

The company will introduce new functionality in November

FuelerLinx’s upgraded interactive tech map now considers special event fees in its calculations for FBO cost selection.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Middle East stalemate continues to crimp fuel supplies

Fuel Prices Reach Six-month Peak in September

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Recent panel discussion lists EU policies and the Iran war as factors

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Gaining New Awareness

Avgas set a new peak for the past six months

Aviation Fuel Pricing Continues Upward Trend

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur teams with hydrogen business jet developer 

Beyond Aero and French Airports Prepare for H2 Flights

Partners will prioritize applications in Brazil and the U.S.markets

Hitachi and Eve Team to Provide eVTOL Charging 

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Energy group supported flight pioneers in the 1920s

Air bp Marks Centennial of Aircraft Refueling Service

Chad Trautvetter

U.S. still relies on imported oil from Middle East for jet fuel

World Fuel: U.S. Jet-A Supply at ‘Critical Levels’

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

NBAA-BACE 2026

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