AirIT, the leading provider of innovative information technology products and services to the air transportation industry, today announced that Jack Penning, Director of Market Analysis at Sixel Consulting Group, will be the keynote speaker at AirIT’s 2014 Annual User Conference & Symposium held in Las Vegas, April 28-30.
Mr. Penning joined Sixel Consulting Group in 2001 after making a name for himself as an aviation reporter in the Pacific Northwest for KGW-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland, OR, and Northwest Cable News, a 24-hour news channel covering five Northwest states. During his time as an aviation journalist, Penning received an Emmy and an Edward R. Morrow Award for his outstanding achievements in aviation reporting.
An air service development firm based in Portland, OR, Sixel Consulting Group represents more than 100 airports in North America, leading to the initiation of more than 50 new airline routes in the last five years. In charge of overseeing Sixel’s research and airline recruitment projects, Penning has been instrumental in the growth of the firm. Among his wide-ranging responsibilities, Jack develops case studies for new air service, analyzes passenger trends, forecasts new service impacts, and builds community coalitions in support of new service.
“MIT’s Bill Swelbar delivered a keynote address that focused upon the economics of commercial air transport for our 2013 Annual User Conference & Symposium,” said Betros Wakim, AirIT Chief Executive Officer. “We are extremely pleased to announce that Sixel Consulting Group’s Jack Penning will explore a key variation of that theme as our keynote speaker this year.”
Jack’s background as a respected, data-driven aviation industry broadcast journalist serves him well to address the symbiotic relationship between the need for cost effective airport operations strategies, and airline cost and risk mitigation. His perspectives on how technology solutions are now converging to support these associated business goals will provide intuitive content for AirIT’s airport and airline partners.
In addition to conference attendees gaining valuable insights into the role that emerging solutions like SaaS and mobile applications will play in the near and long-term future of aviation, Jack will focus on the industry’s ability to create operational efficiency and revenue generation by extracting the unrecognized value of organic airport data by seamlessly meshing robust business logic with a powerful Airport Intelligence platform.
Comments Penning, “I am excited to speak at AirIT’s User Conference this year because it has never been more important for airports to ensure they are operating as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Technology is an undeniable force in this area and is an invaluable asset to airports trying to achieve this goal.”
He adds, “As airlines face a multitude of challenges, it is becoming increasingly important for airports to do all that they can to contain costs and mitigate stakeholder risks in order to ensure the long term success of their community’s air service retention and developments efforts. AirIT has helped a number of Sixel Consulting Group’s client airports optimize limited resources to become more competitive through the use of contemporary technology. ”
Mr. Penning earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
About AirIT
AirIT is an information technology firm based in Orlando, FL. The company’s comprehensive portfolio of solutions enable airports and airlines to better utilize and manage resources, enhance the passenger experience, reduce costs, and optimize revenue generation. Our airport operational, passenger processing, and revenue management platforms deliver enterprise-class business intelligence solutions and are the most innovative in the air transport marketplace. AirIT solutions are operational in 30 of the top 50 airports in North America, and as a testament to their scalability, these solutions are at home in another 100 airports and 60 airlines worldwide. For more information regarding AirIT’s Annual User Conference, please visit http://www.airit.com/conference-forms.cfm.
