Merlot.aero opens US office — Exporter Magazine

Merlot.aero, the New Zealand-based software company with the world’s first fully cloud-based system airline operations management system, is to open its first formal international office, on the back of the announcement of a significant multi-million dollar win in the USA.

Merlot.aero already has staff in New York and at two locations in Canada but the Seattle office opening this week signals the company’s strong commitment to the vast North American market.

It adds to booming merlot.aero staff numbers in Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, Romania and the UK, as interest grows in SaaS and cloud potential as a management tool within the aviation industry. 

Mark McCaughan, merlot.aero CEO and President said the contract was also the first for the company in the United States, and it also signals the introduction of merlot.aero’s new FAA 117 compliant software.

“Our cloud technology platform demonstrates a holistic approach for airlines to manage FAA 117 compliance relating to flight and duty limitations and crew rest requirements,” he said.

FAA 117 compliance for ‘Flightcrew Member Duty and Rest Requirements’ becomes operational on January 4, 2014. 

The move is significant both for merlot.aero and its client airline, with the proactive deployment of the new rules, prior to the implementation date, allowing testing and measuring the impact of the new FAA ruling on crew rosters and schedules and across the business

Mark McCaughan said merlot.aero’s airline professionals, understood the raft of implications the FAA 117 ruling will have on operational costs.  

“Our software is designed to be flexible and built on integration, scalability and performance. Because we use a modular approach it can work independently, or together as a fully-integrated system as an optimal management tool.

“Deploying through a cloud-computing solution, using Software as a Service is providing the answers in a flexible manner that meets these changes.

“With the addition of mobile apps, users can access the system on their terms.  It’s a unique and powerful tool that, combined with the use of social web apps, enables airline users to collaborate and communicate in real time, with greater visibility and situational awareness across the airline.”