Aviation expertise backed by decades of industry experience
AirInsight brings together aviation, aerospace, market research, and data expertise to provide independent analysis and consulting across the industry.
Our Team
President, AirInsight Group
Ernie Arvai
Ernie Arvai is a consultant, entrepreneur, executive, and board director. Over the last 44 years, his work has focused on strategy, markets, competitive dynamics, and finance for aircraft and engine manufacturers, airlines, business aviation operators, industry suppliers, and financial institutions.
He is currently President of AirInsight Group, which he co-founded in 2007. AirInsight has a media presence via a specialized aviation news site (airinsight.com), and a consulting division focused on strategy and market analysis (airinsightresearch.com). His focus is on the consulting side of the business, where he works with a variety of clients across the industry.
He is also a Board Member at Nanotech Sciences, Inc., an innovative start-up with proprietary technology that enables cost-effective insertion of carbon nanotubes into polymers without clumping, creating a new class of composite materials.
Prior to co-founding AirInsight, he was President of The Arvai Group, Inc., a boutique consultancy he founded in 1991 focused on forensic analysis and litigation support. Previously, he was Vice President of Technology Management at Battelle Memorial Institute, director of North American Consulting, and global head of the airline and aviation practice at Arthur D. Little, Inc.
Mr. Arvai holds a BSE degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MS in Industrial Administration from the Tepper School at Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a CPA certificate but is no longer in public practice. He is married, an instrument-rated pilot, and enjoys golf and skiing.
Aviation & Travel Analyst
Addison Schonland
Addison Schonland is a consultant in travel and aviation with a strong interest in emerging media. Born in South Africa, his career has spanned aviation market research, data systems, and industry analysis.
He completed his initial college education at the University of Cape Town, where he graduated with degrees in Sociology, Economics, and Management Finance. After college, he worked at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Shell South Africa.
Once in the United States, he changed the course of his career by joining a market research firm, where he worked on the US Department of Commerce’s Survey of International Air Travelers. This project exposed Addison to the airline and aviation world and required regular interaction with 75 international airlines, including McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and Airbus.
While working in travel and aerospace, an interest in large databases led to the development of an online insurance claim system and a system that validated airline passengers in the aftermath of 9/11, the latter system running its validation within six seconds of generating a PNR.
In 2008, Addison completed a doctorate in business administration at Rushmore University, focusing on customer satisfaction. This dovetailed with the emergence of social media and its usefulness as a customer satisfaction tool and a method of acquiring feedback. Addison lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Commercial Aviation Expert
Jim Speich
Jim Speich is a 47-year veteran of the commercial aviation industry, with extensive experience spanning commercial engines, aircraft programs, engineering, product marketing, and business development.
Former Director of Marketing for Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. In that role, he had marketing responsibility for all Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines worldwide.
Speich joined Pratt & Whitney in 1973 and held numerous positions, including Advanced Programs, Propulsion Systems analysis, Boeing 767, 747, and MD-11 flight test performance engineer, Manager of Product Marketing, Airbus Customer Engineering, and airframer business contracts management.
He was the PW4000-100 Program Manager responsible for certifying the PW4170 Advantage70™ engine on the Airbus A330 aircraft.
Speich holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hartford and a Master’s in Business Administration from Boston University. He completed PW/UTC Leadership training at Darden School of Business and Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point.
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