We are a subscription snack company aiming to make it easier to eat healthy on the go. Typically, you can only find us online, but that is beginning to change. airfare is coming out of its e-commerce cocoon and into the real world. I guess that makes us the butterflies of healthy travel snacks. 

A prime example was the wonderful event we had last week at Banyan Air Service in Fort Lauderdale. Banyan invited us to introduce our 50+ healthy snacks to its wonderful staff and customers. We had a ton of fun, so we want to tell you all about it.

Additionally, we have some news to unveil about our upcoming plans, and how you can get involved). Before we get to that...let’s first honor the greatness of Banyan Air. 

What is Banyan Air Service?

Banyan is what’s called a fixed-base operator (FBO), a private airport and terminal for private jets and charter planes. But Banyan isn't just any FBO, it's one of the country’s elite. Check almost any list of best FBOs, whether by pilot’s vote (#5 overall), aviation consulting groups (top 5%), or news publications (#7 overall), and Banyan is at or near the top. Last Friday, Dec. 10, it became very clear to us why this is the case. 

Banyan was started by Don Campion in 1979, and in the four decades since, Don has built a private traveler's dream. Of course, it wasn't always like that. In the early days, Banyan was simply an aviation maintenance facility.

When Don was a charter pilot in the 1970s, he noticed that maintenance for private travel was a struggle. So he rented some hangar space with a friend at Florida Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale, and they slowly added services. In the 80s, he added fueling, then a terminal, and from there the amenities kept coming...a 5000-square-foot pilot shop, a South Beach-themed restaurant, and a lounge for crew and travelers to rest.

“If you come to Banyan, you have access to more services offered to meet your needs than perhaps anywhere else in the world," Don said.

Even better than the facilities is the customer service, something we got to experience first hand. The staff, including Linda, Abby, Isa and Leslie, could not have been friendlier or more helpful. Don credits this to the Banyan culture. 

“We have a very unique culture, one where we really have each other’s backs and know one another’s jobs,” Don said in an interview. “Service is our business, and we focus on assertive service to become an extension of the flight crew. We want to provide a ‘Banyan experience’ that is so memorable that people would be willing to drive farther to use our facilities, simply because of the remarkable service that we provide.”

Our day at Banyan

Next, Linda brought us to our table and helped set up our signage. Then—no exaggeration—she helped us design the layout of the table, including how the snacks would stack up, and took plenty of photos. As if that wasn’t enough, we were then welcomed and pampered by a volley of other friendly Banyan faces like Abby and Leslie. It was the perfect amount of over-the-top hospitality that even the best hotels and restaurants in the world would admire.

With so much support, the rest was easy. We spent the day doing what we love most—talking to pilots, flight crew and travelers and showering them in healthy, on-the-go snacks.

As you can see, it was a blast and truly a great experience. We cannot wait to get back to Banyan in the very near future. Stay tuned.

Next up: Sheltair 

We’re picking up right where we off left at Banyan, continuing northwest 200 miles to Sheltair Aviation Services' Tampa location this Sunday, Dec. 19. We’ll be in the lobby of Sheltair TPA from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., so stop by and get some complimentary snacks and an exclusive discount on all our products. 

More FBOs and how you can help (and get free snacks)

Anyone who helps us connect with an FBO contact will get a free pouch with the snacks of their choosing. So, if you know someone at an FBO, we’d love to start the conversation.

For now, keep snacking, and we hope to see you at Sheltair this weekend.

-Geremy, Justin and the airfare team