INFOline Archive 2014
To access the latest ABX Air INFOline (updated twice a month), call (937) 366-4636 or click here. Scripts are posted here within a day or two of each new recording.

INFOline for December 22, 2014
Hello, this is Jeff Walling, Director of Human Resources, with the final ABX Air INFOLine for 2014. Today is Monday, December 22nd.

Safety & Compliance
Yesterday, December 21st was the first day of winter. I would like to remind everyone that slip and fall accidents are the number one type of accident at ABX Air. Please use extra caution when walking in snowy or slippery conditions. And if you see a slippery sidewalk that needs treated and you see a nearby ice melt bucket, take a minute and spread some ice melt around. It never hurts to pitch in and you just might prevent someone from falling.

Employee News
Congratulations to Steve Hanshew, Supervisor of Flight Technical Training, for winning the ABX Air Silver Wings of Excellence. Steve received his award for developing the training course for the Air Transport Pilot – Certification Training Program that ABX is offering in cooperation with Sporty’s Flight Academy. The class was fully sold out for 2014 in just one week when it was first offered last October and we are booking students into 2015. Well done, Steve!

Company News
The annual charity drive finished just shy of our $85,000 goal with a grand total of $84,255. This is an increase of several thousand dollars over last year. I would like to thank everyone who contributed and especially those who helped organize various fundraisers throughout the year. The money raised helps support the United Way of Clinton County, two local food pantries, the American Red Cross, and the American Diabetes Association. The names of the winners of the charity baskets and other charity prizes are posted on myabx.com. And we still have 2014 ATSG cookbooks available for $5. All proceeds go to the charity drive. See Human Resources if you would like to purchase one.

Biggest Loser
The Company is sponsoring a “Biggest Loser” contest during the first quarter of 2015, with the portion of the proceeds being donated to next year’s charity drive. This is your opportunity to lose some extra pounds, get in shape, and maybe win some extra cash. To participant, you will need to join a two-person team and attend the first weigh-in on January 6th between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the ABX Air Human Resources area. The entry fee is $10 per person.

Every Tuesday until March 31st you will weigh in. If you gain weight you will need to bring your wallet as you will need to pay $1 per pound gained. At the end of the quarter, the two-person team that loses the most weight (by percentage) will win one-half the money raised with the other half going to charity. There will also be other prizes awarded and anyone who loses at least 5 pounds will qualify for the Healthy Directions Wellness discount for the second quarter. Please see Judy Branham or Tracey Dykes in ABX Human Resources for any questions.

Health Directions Wellness Discount
And speaking of the Healthy Directions Wellness Program, if you are participating in the fitbit walking program, beginning January 1st you will need to average 6,000 steps a day to earn the quarterly discount.

Remembrance
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the loss of the crew aboard aircraft 827AX that crashed near Narrows, Virginia. A wreath has been placed in remembrance of the crew at their memorial near the foot of the ILN control tower. The crew members were Capt. Garth Avery, Capt. Keith Lemming, Flight Engineer Terry Waelti, and aircraft maintenance personnel Bruce Goettsch and Ken Athey. Please take a few minutes to remember these men and their families.

Happy Holidays
Last, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Thank you for all of your efforts in 2014 and especially during the peak season. John Starkovich will be back with the first INFOline in 2015 after the holidays. Thanks for listening.

Safety
Todd Kramer has joined the Safety Department this week as the new Manager of Flight Safety Progra

INFOline for December 4, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for December 4, 2014.

Safety
Todd Kramer has joined the Safety Department this week as the new Manager of Flight Safety Programs for ABX Air. Todd holds an Airline Transport Pilot license and was a recent employee of AirNet Systems in Columbus, Ohio where he worked as an Air Ambulance Pilot flying the Lear 35. As a pilot Todd contributed to AirNet’s safety culture on a regular basis and will use that experience to become an asset in his new role at ABX. Please welcome Todd aboard at your earliest opportunity.

The Autumn edition of the ABX SafetyLine newsletter is being distributed to the pilot and management group this week. This edition contains several interesting articles and includes a summary of the results of the Safety Culture Survey conducted in October. Please take time to read this important Safety publication. The articles are not only informative and helpful but also serve as a reminder that safety issues may arise from inadvertent lapses that, if caught and prevented by other employees being attentive in their duties, leads to a safer environment for all of us.

Compliance
ABX is currently conducting an assessment of our Management System, Internal Audit / Evaluation Program, and our Corporate Emergency Response Plan, as set forth in our Safety Management System. The results will be presented to and reviewed by ABX senior management and the compliance managers of flight, maintenance, and ground operations during their January meeting.

The FAA AFS Safety Assurance System is the combination of people, processes, and technology that will become the new oversight system for 14 Code CFR parts 121, 135, and 145 certificate holders. This system is replacing the older Air Transportation Oversight System. The new system is scheduled to be effective in April of 2015. Our East Michigan Certificate Management Team will be trained in January and then provide implementation guidance to ABX Air.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for November came in at 98.64% and for the month of December so far is at 98.03%, subject to verification. Similarly, for the fourth quarter of 2014, on-time performance to date is at 98.48%, again subject to verification.

The month of December marks some milestones for a number of ABX Air employees that we want to recognize. Congratulations to Vice President of Flight Bob Gray for 35 years of service; and to Human Resources Director Jeff Walling and 767 Captain Dan Graves who are celebrating 25 years of service. Lead Line Maintenance Representative Juan Montes has hit his 10-year anniversary, and Crew Planner David Forsyth will reach his 5th year anniversary this month. Congratulations to these employees, and thank you for your service on behalf of ABX Air.

While almost all of the events for the Charity Drive have concluded, you can still submit a form for payroll deduction or lump sum contribution to assist those that are less fortunate than we are by contributing to one of the four covered charities. We have not met our goal and your consideration and generosity is much appreciated.

Would like to go off the board a little here and share something that was passed on to me earlier today. I will not the share the name as I did not get permission to even share this story. One of the lucky winners of a charity basket took a look at the Christmas list items that they had yet to get and noticed that one of the electronic items they had won and initially intended as a gift for a family member had been covered in other ways. So the family decided to take that item and gift it to a friend of the family that would not have had the means to purchase such an item. Now that is what the season is about and that is, to me, what a typical ABX Air employee is all about... "paying it forward".

Other News
In a press release out of Singapore on Nov. 6, 2014, DHL announced the launch of an industry first intra-Asia express service. It offers the first one-day express service to and from Vietnam’s capital and connects key growth economies of Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong with flights through Bangkok, Hanoi, and Hong Kong. It is the latest enhancement to DHL’s Asia air network. The flight commenced on November 3, connecting Bangkok, Hanoi, and Hong Kong five times per week. Utilizing a newly converted Boeing B737-400SF freighter featuring a gross payload of 21 tons, the route will be operated by K-Mile Air of Thailand, a partner of DHL. The new route shortens the transit time for intra-Asia shipments to and from Hanoi to one day, allowing businesses and consumers to enjoy earliest arrival time and latest departure time to and out of the city, respectively. Its introduction also eases congestion faced by DHL’s bustling hub in Hong Kong. This intra-Asia flight is DHL’s response to the increased trade opportunities within Asia and its commitment to support customers tapping on these opportunities.

In the November 26 edition of Cargo Facts Update, it was reported in part that a US-Mexico aviation deal could expand North American cargo service. A new liberalized aviation agreement negotiated between Mexico and the US, and scheduled to become effective by January 2016, would remove limits on the number of airlines that can provide passenger or cargo service between destinations in both countries. If ratified, new carriers would be allowed to enter previously restricted routes in the US-Mexico market, while incumbents would gain freedom to fly to additional city pairs. The US Department of Transportation said the agreement would provide "unlimited market access for US and Mexican air carriers, improved intermodal rights, pricing flexibility, and other important commercial rights." The agreement would also have an impact beyond the two countries, due to the inclusion of fifth freedom rights, allowing US and Mexican airlines to pick up passengers and/or freight in the other country and carry on to a third country.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for November 6, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for November 6, 2014.

Safety
As part of our SMS implementation, a Safety Culture Survey was sent to ABX employees. This survey was conducted through Survey Monkey, a confidential and reliable survey vendor, to provide us with a means to benchmark our current safety culture against future surveys and determine areas where additional attention or resources are needed. This survey will be repeated every two years to measure improvements in our organizational culture. The initial survey results have been returned and are in the process of being reviewed. Response level was not as high as I would have liked to see, especially with an outside survey mechanism that was neither time-intensive nor complex. Still, there appears to be enough to get started. We will be getting back to you after the review has been completed.

Compliance
The 3rd Quarter Safety and Compliance Report has been issued and among many other items in the 13-page report, it indicated on the audit front, Maintenance performed 21 audits in the 3rd quarter broken down into 12 internal and 9 external. This included 11 Line Station audits. On the Ground Ops side, there were 31 audits completed last quarter including 11 ramp and 17 station audits. On the Environmental and EPA side, the quarterly storm water samples were taken and found to be within permit limits and the air permits were submitted to the Ohio EPA for their 5-year renewal.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for October came in at 98.37% and for the month of November is at 97.83%, subject to verification. Similarly, for the fourth quarter of 2014, on-time performance to date is at 98.31%, again subject to verification.

As part of its 3rd quarter financial results, ATSG announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with DHL, setting a framework for multi-year commercial agreements covering 767 freighter leases and operating services for another 4 years through March of 2019. This is the first step in arriving at signed definitive agreements and is great news for ABX Air. While there is much yet to be done, this is a critical first step that our valued and largest customer continues to recognize our reliability and service. We can strengthen that trust by delivering excellent service through peak season. Our customers and our customer’s customers deserve the best that we have each and every day and each and every flight.

The month of November marks some milestones for a number of ABX Air employees, and we want to recognize the following employees for their years of service. Congratulations for 25 Years to Capt. Robert Fries and Capt. Brian Shull; and at 15 Years, Line Maintenance Rep. (EWR) Don Johnson. I also would like to congratulate Crew Scheduler Alex Temple who is celebrating his 1 year anniversary as a member of the ABX Air crew scheduling team. Congratulations to these employees and thank you for your service for ABX Air.

ATSG announced its 3rd quarter results including that its net earnings from continuing operations were up 23% from the 3rd quarter of 2013, coming in at $9.6 million or 15 cents per share even though revenues were down 2% at $138.4 million. For the first 9 months of 2014, we are up 9% from 2013 having earned $25.4 million or $0.39 per share diluted from continuing operations.

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATSG) hosted an investor conference call today, November 6, 2014, to review its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014. A replay of the conference call will be available by phone on Thursday, November 6, 2014, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and continuing through Thursday, November 13, 2014, at (888) 843-7419 (international callers (630) 652-3042); use pass code 38393602#. The webcast replay will remain available via www.atsginc.com for 30 days. All ABX Air employees are encouraged to listen to the presentation. The question-and-answer period in my view is generally an interesting and informative aspect of these calls.

Please remember that Open Enrollment for medical, dental and vision coverage is currently taking place November 1 through November 30. You can find the open enrollment information on Employee Self Service under Benefits.

Along with Open Enrollment, the end of the calendar year is a good time to review your 401k plan and consider any adjustments that you feel are necessary as you prepare for next year. Some things to keep in mind are that the IRS announced new 2015 401(k) limits including higher Deferrals to $18,000 (up $500) and a higher Age 50 catch up to $6,000 (up $500).

Other News
Tuesday of next week, November 11, is Veterans Day. Take the time to remember and thank the vet that offices next to you or ones that you know, or see, either at work or away from work. It only takes a minute to show our appreciation for their contributions and service. Thank you.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for October 23, 2014
This is Bob Gray for the ABX Air INFOline for October 23, 2014.

Safety
Karen Mott has been brought on board as a part-time contract assistant for Safety and Regulatory Compliance. Karen has a well-rounded aviation background and will become more involved in support of our many safety programs. Please join me in welcoming Karen to the safety team in her new role.

Compliance
Enhanced IATA Operational Safety Audit (eIOSA) Auditor training was conducted for three days last week for nine auditors and compliance managers in Flight, Maintenance, Ground Operations, and Safety. The course was presented by GHS Vice President George Snyder and Lead IOSA Auditor Jackie Barnes. Only trained auditors can certify the eIOSA Compliance Report used by the sanctioned IATA Audit Organizations to certify full compliance with IATA Standards and Recommended Practices. The renewal audit for ABX is scheduled for June 2015.

Operational News
ABX Air conducted its initial flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu this week for our customer Aloha Airlines. Onboard with Captain Bob Boja and First Officer Dean Cook was an FAA inspector, who was overseeing the proving runs for this route. Captain Boja reported that “all went well” on this first flight.

As of August 1, 2014, any pilot who wants an Air Transport Pilot rating must take an Air Transport Pilot - Continuous Training Program, or ATP-CTP course, before they are permitted to take their FAA exam. This one-week course, which includes 30 hours of large jet transport airline related subjects, and 10 hours of full flight simulation (level C simulator or above), covers aspects related to jet aircraft/airline operations and high altitude flight. Supervisor of Flight Training Steve Hanshew worked with Sporty’s Aviation and Aviation Sales, Inc. (the flight training arms of University of Cincinnati and Sinclair College) and the FAA to obtain approval by the FAA to provide this required course to qualified students through our ABX Air Flight School. ABX Air is only the third training center in the world qualified to teach this course. The first class starts next week and already the first two classes are booked full. With the exposure to the industry that Sporty's Aviation brings we expect a lot of interest in this course.

Our on-time performance for the month of October stands at 98.05 percent.

The following people are celebrating anniversaries with ABX during the month of October: 767 First Officer Doug Wright with 35 years; Captain Joe Langford and Manager of Maintenance Control Gregg Wehrung with 25 years; Manager of Flight Operations Control Alain Terzakis and Director/Controller Tammy Voss with 20 years; General Ledger Assistant Constance Marshall with 15 years; Crew Scheduler David McBlane and Line Maintenance Rep. (SJU) Carmelo Moreno-Berrio with 5 years of service to the company.

Thank you for listening.

INFOline for September 25, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is Eric Plas with the ABX Air INFOline for September 25, 2014.

Safety
The Safety Culture Survey that John Starkovich announced during the last INFOline has been distributed to every ABX Air employee via an ABX ICOM. Please take time to accurately complete the survey and be sure to record your score and keep it accessible so you can compare your score to the company average. The company average and cultural assessment ranges will be included in a future ICOM.

Compliance
As part of our SMS implementation, ABX Air has incorporated Safety and Security reporting procedures into ABX vendor-sponsored training. This will allow vendors such as contract maintenance, deice, fueling, etc. the ability to submit confidential safety reports by email to abxairsafety@abxair.com or to a telephone Safety Hotline at 937-366-3000.

Company News
Jump seat badges: As you may already know, Company I.D. badges with jump seat authorizations are expiring at the end of this year. Beginning October 3, 2014, replacement jump seat badges will be sent to your work location. Pilots will be able to receive their new badges from the Night Duty Officers at CVG and from Kate Velez in MIA. Aircraft Maintenance employees and other employees with jump seat badges will receive their badges from their supervisor or a company representative. You will need to turn in your expiring badge to receive your new badge. The deadline to return expiring badges is Wednesday, November 26. ABX Air is responsible for ensuring the receipt of all expiring badges, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions about the jump seat badges, please contact Tina Reed in Human Resources at (937) 366-3033.

Flu Shots: Walgreens is offering flu shots at Wilmington Air Park (ILN) in the Administration Building on Wednesday, October 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and again on Monday, October 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You and your covered dependents (14 years old and over) can attend. The cost of the flu shot is covered by our United Healthcare (UHC) insurance. You must have your UHC Insurance card with you. If these dates are not convenient for you, or if you are employed at an out-base location, flu shots are generally available at any participating UHC pharmacy or physician. Please contact Beth Allen in Human Resources at (937) 366-2157 if you have any questions.

Performance
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of September, subject to verification, is 98.45 percent. Similarly, for the third quarter of 2014, on time performance to date is at 98.39 percent, all subject to verification.

Other news
DHL Parcel will soon launch a unique pilot project on the North Sea island of Juist. For the first time worldwide, medications and other urgently needed goods will be delivered to the island at certain times of the day by DHL parcelcopter. This research project represents the first and only time in Europe that a flight by an unmanned aircraft will be operated outside of the pilot's field of vision in a real-life mission. By taking this step, DHL Parcel has moved to the next phase of the parcelcopter research project it launched in December 2013.

Our people
It is with both regret and gladness that we bid farewell to Safety Analyst Dean Weaver. Dean has been with us only for a couple of years but his insightful data analysis and superior communication skills have added a new dimension to our Safety Department that is at the core of Safety Management System design. ABX Air’s loss will be the FAA’s gain as Dean will begin a new career with the FAA starting at the Eastern Michigan Flight Standards District Office. Please wish Dean and his family prosperity and happiness in his new career.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for September 11, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for September 11, 2014.

Safety
Safety Promotion refers to the collection of activities undertaken by our organization to promote a positive safety culture. Safety has been a Core Value at ABX for many years. Our implementation of a Safety Management System will refresh and improve our commitment to that core value. As part of our SMS implementation, a Safety Culture Survey will be conducted and every ABX employee will be invited to participate. This survey will conducted through Survey Monkey, a confidential and reliable survey vendor. The Safety Culture Survey will benchmark our current safety culture against future surveys and determine areas where additional attention or resources are needed. We will repeat this survey every two years to measure improvements in our organizational culture. Please look for the survey in your email. It will be distributed next week.

Compliance
ABX Air has established an SMS Safety Hotline that includes email and voice mail capabilities. This service can be used by ABX employees, vendors, or contract employees. Confidential safety reports can be sent to abxairsafety@abxair.com or by calling the SMS Safety Hotline at 1-937-366-3000 and leaving a voice mail message. All reports will be kept confidential. Emails and identified voice mail messages will receive a reply. Completely anonymous reports can be submitted to WeTip, a neutral third-party service providing 24-hour, 365-day service at 1-800-782-7246 or by visiting their web site at www.wetip.com.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of September, subject to verification, is 98.41 percent. Similarly, for the third quarter of 2014, on time performance to date is at 98.38 percent, all subject to verification.

The month of September marks some milestones for a number of ABX Air employees, and we want to recognize the following employees for their years of service. Congratulations to Maintenance AOG Specialist Vince Elliot for 35 Years and to Reliability Analyst Ross Stewart for 25 years. Celebrating 20 years are Flight crewmembers Steve Hart, Tom Jones, Damiene Nelson, Ray Rapert, Gunter Reitmeister, and Kendall Shumaker. LAX Line Maintenance Rep. Peter Elody is marking 10 years with ABX Air.

Flu shots will again be available on-site at Wilmington Air Park (ILN) in the Administration Building on Wednesday, October 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Monday, October 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You and your covered dependents (14 years old and over) can attend. You must have your UHC insurance card with you and a completed form. Flu shots also are available at any participating UHC pharmacy if these dates are not available for you.

Today marks the 13th year since the tragedy of 9/11. Please kindly take a moment to honor the heroes, victims, and families with a moment of reflection. It is a time for remembering those who died, those who served, those who carry on, and the lessons learned. Never Forget.

Other News
In the September 5 edition of the Cargo Facts Update, it was reported that cargo traffic and yield rose in July. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its air freight market analysis for July 2014, showing an overall 5.8 percent increase in worldwide cargo traffic. The growth came on the back of a 6.4 percent increase in international traffic, while domestic traffic was up 1.9 percent. For the first seven months of 2014, IATA reported total cargo traffic up 4.4 percent.

In another article in Cargo Facts Update, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) reported that its member carriers’ July freight traffic was up 1.0 percent year-over-year. This is an improvement over the 1.2 percent decline in June, but well down from the 6 to 7 percent gains reported in the first quarter of 2014. Two major trade lanes – the North Atlantic and the Asia-Pacific – account for 70 percent of European carriers’ freight traffic. In July, they showed quite different results, with traffic up 3.3 percent on the North Atlantic lane, and down 0.9 percent on the Asia-Pacific lane. For the first seven months of 2014, AEA member carriers’ freight traffic was up 3.6 percent.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for August 28, 2014
Good afternoon, this is Steve Janasov with the ABX Air INFOline for August 28, 2014.

Safety
A few years ago, a couple of ABX Air managers and I attended a safety course at the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City. One of the instructors spoke about safety metrics; in other words about how to put a yardstick on the effectiveness of safety programs. He postulated that P x QE = APE, or Safety Programs (P) multiplied by their Quantifiable Effects (QE) yields Accident Prevention Effort (APE). Therefore, the more employee participation in established safety programs, the more effective they are, so long as the participation has a positive effect on the organization. At ABX Air:

• We have established Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) for Pilots, Mechanics and Flight Operations Officers.

• We participate in an FAA-approved Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program; and a monitoring team from Flight Management, APA 1224, Engineering, and Safety meet monthly to review events.

• We have a Fatigue Focus Committee that meets monthly to discuss fatigue events and ideas to reduce the impact of fatigue on our operation.

• A Safety Committee also meets monthly to discuss General Safety Reports, FAA InFOs (Information For Operators) and SAFOs (Safety Alerts For Operators), and their impact on our operation.

The quantifiable effects of these programs are policy and procedure changes, corrective actions, engineering orders, gatekeeper contacts, Flight Safety Bulletins, and sharing what we learn with our employee groups. All of that stated, we know at the end of the day the safety metric that really matters is a safely conducted operation, and this is something we can measure with great accuracy. The front-line employees who make that safe operation possible are pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, loadmasters, and employees at all levels who work daily to ensure that every ABX Air flight operates safely. Thanks to all who work to keep our operation safe, compliant, and profitable. We need all three to prosper!

Compliance
Beginning this month, ABX Safety began using WBAT (Web Based Application Tool) for entering Internal Evaluations and Findings. In the future, an Internal Evaluation Review Board comprised of company executives from Senior Management, Flight, Maintenance, Ground, and Safety will assemble to plan Internal Evaluation Program priorities, review conducted evaluations of functional areas and programs, and monitor the corrective action process for findings. Keeping this information in a searchable database brings us another step closer to full Safety Management System compliance.

Company News
Our on-time performance for DHL for the month of August to date is 98.3%, subject to verification. Similarly, for the 3rd Quarter, of 2014, performance to date is 98.39%, again subject to verification.

Employee anniversaries this month include Captain Tony Kralich with 35 years; Maintenance Controller Tim Borror with 25 years; and Maintenance Field Supervisor John Castro with 20 years of service to ABX Air. Congratulations to all!

Thanks again to all who participated in and made the ATSG Car Show possible. I attended, and it was good to see great weather and some really nice cars. The final numbers reveal that there were 114 cars entered; and more importantly, $5,600 was raised to benefit the American Diabetes Association, American Red Cross, United Way of Clinton County, and local food pantries. Please check out the pictures and winners who are posted on the myabx.com web site.

Business News
I recently read an article on the DHL web site named "Delivering Tomorrow: Logistics 2050 – A Scenario Study". This article promotes the search for robust strategies and the widening of business perspectives to ensure a solid place for DHL in the future world’s marketplace. DHL outlines five impressions of the future:

1. When the world is driven by materialism and faces frequent natural disasters,

2. When megacities become epicenters of green growth,

3. When individualization becomes pervasive, and 3D printing dominates manufacturing and households,

4. When globalization is reversed and protectionist barriers are raised, and

5. When frequent catastrophes lead to a paradigm shift away from efficiency maximization to vulnerability mitigation and resilience.

A quote from Oscar Wilde is included in the introduction: "to expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect." To me, this is an interesting read, and it’s good to see business leaders hypothesizing the future. I believe if we think about the future and where we fit, we’re likely to be a participant; but if we’re looking for the end of road, we’re likely to find exactly what we were seeking, a dead end.

That's all for this week's Infoline. Please enjoy the Labor Day weekend, and thanks again to all who keep our operation safe, compliant, and profitable.

INFOline for August 14, 2014
No transcript available.

INFOline for July 31, 2014
Hello, this is Tammy Voss, with the ABX Air INFOline for July 31, 2014. I hope everyone is doing well.

Safety & Compliance
Let me start this week with a great Safety report. ABX has not had an OSHA recordable accident in 296 days. This is an important accomplishment and we need to stay focused on safety. We have now entered into what many consider to be the “101 Critical Days of Summer,” a time when people are much more active, and we see a rise in accidents, both at work and at home. When someone experiences an “accident” and escapes serious injury, you will often hear the words, “that guy was lucky.” Having a good safety program in place is not a matter of luck. Luck has nothing to do with safety. It takes a combined effort of everyone doing their part to create a safe working environment. Remember to be alert and aware, slow down and don’t work beyond your physical capabilities. These are just a few tips to keep in mind as you strive to create a safe work environment for your fellow employees, your staff, and your customers.

People
We have a number of anniversaries to celebrate this month. Captain Tony Kralich is celebrating 35 years with ABX. Aircraft Maintenance Controller Tim Borror is celebrating 25 years with ABX. Aircraft Maintenance Field Supervisor John Castro is celebrating 20 years of dedicated service. Congratulations!

We would also like to welcome new hires DC9 Simulator Instructor Ron Corbi, Crew Scheduler Donna Fritz, and Line Maintenance Representative Jie Wang to ABX.

Performance
July has been very challenging. Our on-time performance for July 2014 stands at 98.48%. We have encountered a number of issues this month. With a continued focus on performance, we are all working hard to insure that August is our best month this year.

Business Update
ATSG will host an investor conference call on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings time to review the financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014.

Bloomberg Business Week has reported that Mike Parra, the Deutsche Post (DPW:GR) unit’s U.S. chief stated that "six years after DHL quit the American market for domestic-only shipments amid heavy losses, DHL Express has begun winning new business among U.S.-based outfits that source goods and export their finished products abroad." Parra went on to say that the company plans to double its U.S. sales force over the next two years and that the company now focuses exclusively on moving packages to and from the U.S., a business that offers higher margins and not the "pennies on the dollar" that domestic-only packages usually average. Parra said, "We’re back to being focused on doing what we do best."

AMES announced that it has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform heavy and line maintenance services on Airbus family aircraft. Congratulations to AMES on expanding their core competencies to include a new aircraft type.

Other News & Information
Defined Benefit Pension Plan statements will be mailed to participants this week. The statements provide an estimate of the future benefit when the participant reaches retirement age. These statements are issued every three years and should be saved with other important documents. If you have any questions, please contact Vicki Hurt at extension 62531.

Over the past six months, Aircraft Maintenance Representative (BWI) Kim Dean and ABX Crewmembers have been pulling money together to deliver over 150 dozen donuts to U.S. Service men and women at Gitmo. Each trip, Kim collects donations from the ABX employees assigned to the flight and then makes a quick stop at Krispy Kreme to pick up fresh donuts to hand out at GITMO. Thanks to Kim Dean and ABX Crewmembers, the U.S. Service men and women get a special care package from back home. Gestures like this occur at ABX everyday but hearing this story reminded me that we are lucky to work beside such caring, hardworking, and professional people.

That is all the news we have for this week. Thank you for your time and all that you do for our Company.

INFOline for July 17, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for July 17, 2014.

Safety
As we have advised in the past, Safety is treated as one of our highest priorities at ABX Air; and in March 2014, our Safety Policy was updated and accepted by the FAA as being Safety Management System (SMS) compliant. One pillar of SMS is Safety Promotion, which means safety is emphasized in our culture, our training, and our communications. The management here at ABX Air is committed to communicating our safety policy and to implement and operate under a Safety Management System. My signature and the signatures of our senior management team alongside our Safety and Compliance management is intended to reflect and demonstrate our common goal and our unity to improve safety practices here at ABX Air.

Read ABX Air's signed Safety & Security Policy online at www.myabx.com/employee policy/policies/safetyandsecurity.htm.

Compliance
In previous INFOlines you were advised that the Department of Defense (DOD) through the Air Mobility Command (AMC) out of Scott Air Force Base did an audit in ILN of ABX Air operations as part of their mission to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant service by its vendors for the US military. The final written results of that audit arrived this week and confirmed that ABX Air successfully completed the audit and met the DOD’s requirements in all respects. Thanks to everyone for all of the hard work in preparing for the audit and in providing the information that the three-person audit team required during their visit. Your efforts are much appreciated, and the results confirm that ABX Air is doing things right.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of July--which starts the third quarter--is 98.52%, subject to verification. Similarly, for the second quarter of 2014, on-time performance came in at 98.78%, all subject to verification. We finished June with a 98.92% on-time performance for DHL, subject to verification.

The Ice Cream Social sponsored by ABX Air as part of the ATSG Companies’ Charity fundraising events that was held on July 14 was huge success. I would like to thank Tracey Dykes and Judy Branham and their helpers for all of the work that they did preparing for and coordinating the event. They held the event during the day and then came out later in the evening, too, which was much appreciated by the employees. Just as important is a thank you to all of the employees of all of the companies who contributed and enjoyed an ice cream sundae. Over $700 was raised, and your generosity is much appreciated. Additionally, on July 3, $171 was raised in a Pre-4th of July Dessert Raffle. Our thanks to all who contributed desserts to the cause and to those that bought tickets.

Please mark your calendars for the Community Charity Car and Bike Show scheduled for August 9 (rain date of August 10), which will be held at the Welcome Center Parking Lot here at the Air Park. Spectator admission is free, and there will be food, raffles, door prizes and, of course, food and drinks. So plan on attending and visiting, and bring your appetite. Brady Templeton and Jim Savastano each took a turn at cooking up some great burgers last year, and everyone who attended had a great time. If you have questions or wish to volunteer, please call Tanya Woodford at 937-218-2218.

Some time in the next couple of weeks, all past and present eligible participants in the ABX Air Defined benefit pension plan who are not yet currently receiving benefit payments will receive in the mail an estimate of their pension benefits. These estimates are required by law and are issued every three years. Please look for it in the mail, and keep it in a safe place with your other important papers. If you have questions, please contact Human Resources.

ABX Air had another first occur this week. Quentin Smith, a quality control specialist in Maintenance, retired on Friday, July 18, with 40 years of service. He is the first 40-year employee to retire and one of four who have marked 40 years of service for ABX Air so far. Steve Veness, Eric Plas, and Mike Wisniewski also celebrated their 40th anniversaries this year and will continue to rack up more time. To put that in perspective, 40 years ago gold hit a record of $121.25 an ounce; it is now running over $1,300 an ounce. The book Jaws was first published. The Six Million Dollar Man made its debut on television. Watergate and the Patty Hearst kidnapping dominated the news. And in December, Archie Griffin from Ohio State won the 40th Heisman Trophy. For those of us who were not very long out of high school at the time, it does not seem that long ago, but time sure seems to have “flown” by for us. We want to thank Quentin’s family for “sharing” him with ABX Air for all of these years, and we wish Quentin the very best for a long, happy, and healthy retirement, and thank him for all of his contributions to ABX Air.

Other News
In a June 23 press release, DHL Express announced a $177 million infrastructure investment in the Middle East and North Africa. The announcement included five new facilities to be on-stream the 4th quarter 2014 with the intent of strengthening its market leadership status in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The new best-in-class facilities represent a major milestone for DHL’s fast growing Middle East and North Africa network bringing innovative new services, increased staffing, and air capacity. Together the investment allows DHL to offer customers in the region an unrivaled competitive advantage via best access to the global economy. Last year, DHL introduced two new flights to its Middle East network to Lebanon and Qatar, and DHL also has unveiled plans to grow its presence in Morocco. DHL has been a pioneer in the Middle East and North Africa logistics industry for more than 30 years, and currently operates over 260 service centers and service points across 15 countries in the region along with over 5,000 employees across the Middle East.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for July 3, 2014
Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is Bob Greene, Manager of Ground Operations, with the ABX Air INFOline for July 3, 2014.

Safety
ABX Air has participated in the FAA Voluntary Safety Program for pilots known as ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Program) for over two decades. Recently, ABX sponsored an ASAP for Flight Operations Officer employees of Global Flight Source while supporting operations of ABX aircraft. ASAP is a voluntary, self-reporting program designed to identify and reduce possible flight safety concerns. ASAP uses redacted employee input to identify significant safety concerns and issues, operational deficiencies, non-compliance with regulations, deviations from company policies and procedures and unusual events. On the Flight side, we’ve been using the FAA-sponsored WBAT (Web-Based Application Tool) database since 2010. This database allows for detailed analysis and trending of events, helping to determine root causes and comprehensive fixes for known problems. In June we received our 500th Pilot ASAP report using WBAT. ABX now sponsors WBAT ASAP reporting for Pilots, Mechanics, and Flight Operations Officer employee groups. Instructions for reporting can be found at website: http://abxairsafety.wbat.org.

Compliance
ABX Air complies with federal corporate guidelines established by the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act and the Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act; more commonly known as Sarbanes–Oxley or SOX, through the ABX Compliance Committee. This committee meets quarterly and is led by ABX Controller Tammy Voss. Other committee members include the Directors of Sales and Human Resources; the Compliance Managers from Flight, Maintenance, Ground Operations, and Safety; along with the ATSG Compliance Manager. The goals of this committee are to ensure enforcement of the corporate ‘Code of Conduct’, communication of compliance objectives to all employees, the establishment of proactive and reactive compliance measures, and the appropriate management of non-compliance incidents. Employees are reminded they can use the ‘We-Tip” program to anonymously report any known or suspected safety, compliance, or business ethics violations at www.wetip.com or by calling 800 782-7463.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of June, subject to verification, was 98.93%. For the second quarter of 2014 we achieved 98.76% on-time performance, also subject to verification.

DHL News
According to the July 2014 issue of the industry publication Air Cargo World, as a global logistics provider, DHL “is intent on embracing a future strategy which, it believes, will establish beyond all doubt that it is truly top dog.” In what he calls DHL’s “Strategy 2020,” CEO Frank Appel says, “we are drawing on our past achievements and our strengths to seize new opportunities to generate additional organic growth in a changing marketplace . . . we are ready to take our next growth steps and have many initiatives planned for the future.” DHL’s main growth target will be emerging markets, which currently generate 22 percent of DHL revenues, but, as Appel explains, “by 2020, [DHL] wants 30 percent of our revenues to be generated by these dynamic emerging countries.” Appel continued that “the future belongs to logistics and we intend to set the standards in the industry.”

Industry News
An article in the June 2014 issue of the Cargo Facts industry newsletter says that, even though cargo traffic is up 3.2% in April, IATA is still cautious.

“The International Air transport Association released its air freight market analysis for April 2014, showing an overall 3.2% increase in total traffic worldwide compared to April 2013. In recent months, the overall gains have been driven by growth in international traffic, while domestic traffic has been generally flat with last year. In April, however, domestic traffic was up 3.7%, while international traffic was up 3.1%. For the first four months of the year, cargo traffic worldwide was up 4.2%, led by 4.5% growth in international traffic.

“Overall, IATA remained somewhat cautious in its commentary, saying that while developed economies are still maintaining post-recession momentum, there has been an economic slowdown in emerging markets, particularly China. IATA pointed out that ‘in the second half of 2013, acceleration in air freight demand was supported by improvements in the business environment, which included a pick-up in world trade growth. During more recent months, however, data show weakening in business activity measures and a pause in trade volume expansion, which is consistent with the flattening in the air freight growth trend.’ However, IATA Director General Tony Tyler did say ‘the expectation is for a stronger finish to the year.’”

Human Resources News
The Past & The Furious Community Charity Car and Bike Show taking place August 9 (August 10 Rain Date) with registration for car/bike from 9 a.m. to Noon and awards at 3 p.m. Admission is free to the public. Anyone wanting to volunteer should contact Rhonda Stevens or Tanya Woodford. A DJ will be on-site as well as food, vendors, a bake sale, door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, a corn-hole tournament, and awards to the top 25 vehicles (Best GM, Best Stock, Best Import, Best Engine, Best Rod, and so on). See posted flyers for all the details.

ABX Air is hosting an Ice Cream Social on Monday, July 14 for all ATSG Employees from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 to 11 p.m. (covering all shifts). This event is taking place behind the Administration Building at ILN. We'll have your favorite vanilla ice cream with toppings including but not limited to brownies, pies, hot-fudge, granola, bananas, and more. Picnic tables and a few cornhole boards will be set up. Ice cream is all for donations benefiting our charities. See flyers posted for this event.

June's 50/50 (spilt the pot) winner was Richard Ratliff, who won $68.50, with the other $68.50 going to charity! Thanks to all for participating this month and purchase your tickets are now for July's drawing at the beginning of August. Buy tickets from Tanya Woodford or Tracey Dykes (ABX), Courtney Zimmerman (ATI), Stacy Gerber (LGSTX) or Paul Cunningham (ATSG).

I-9 Training was sent last week to designated Managers, Directors or Lead personnel who may be involved in the processing of newly hired employees. This training is conducted annually through Adobe Connect and should be concluded by July 9. For more information on this contact Joyce Dean (ext. 62373) or Tracey Dykes (ext. 62134) in the Human Resources department.

Congratulations and thank you to the following employees who have anniversaries in July:
- 40 years: Eric Plas, Director, Business Development; and Quentin Smith, QC Specialist
- 35 Years: Brad Hamlin, Director, Line Maintenance; Capt. Greg Maltese; Capt. John Restrepo; and Capt. Mike Woodford, Manager, Flight Crew Standards
- 30 Years: John Chiaffitelii, Manager, Line Maintenance-Europe & Asia; and Capt. Bruce Onken
- 25 Years: Capt. Bryant Whittaker; Capt. Mark Mullis; and Capt. Thomas Graffius
- 15 Years: Len Mayberry, Line Maintenance Rep. (DFW); and Barb Brooks, Ground Training Instructor
- 10 Years: Vickie Hurt, Human Resources Coordinator

That’s all the news for this week. Thank you for all you continue to do for our Company.

INFOline for June 19, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for June 19, 2014.

Safety
ABX recently initiated a process to complete and document required employee OSHA Training using Adobe Connect software. The current process entails the training module to be mailed to department management (director/manager), who in turn emails the link to their respective employees. For those without email, the process requires using the ABX Site Map on any ABX computer and selecting Adobe Connect. Remember that your sign-in and password is your employee ID. The Heat Stress Module was issued in mid-May and to-date we are 45% complete. Let’s please bring this figure to 100% by the end of June. The June training modules will be issued next week, and it’s important not to fall behind.

Compliance
On June 13, the Operational Security (OPSEC) programs of ATSG and ABX Air were the subjects of annual security vulnerability assessments by the U.S. Defense Security Service (DSS). These inspections, which assess the companies' handling of classified information and administration of facility and personnel clearances, reported no security vulnerability and noted the effective OPSEC programs in place at both companies. Oversight of OPSEC at ABX Air is the responsibility of Terry Wilkin who holds the position of Facility Security Officer (FSO) for both ATSG and ABX Air.

The Department of Defense (DOD) through the Air Mobility Command (AMC) out of Scott Air Force Base was here in ILN this week on an audit of ABX Air operations as part of their mission to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant service by its vendors for the US military. The review went well with the final written results due within 4 to 6 weeks. Thanks to all for all of the hard work in preparing for the audit and in providing the information that the three-person audit team required during their visit. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of June, subject to verification, is 99.01%. Similarly, for the second quarter of 2014, we are at 98.76% on-time performance to date, all subject to verification. We finished May with a 98.82% on-time performance for DHL.

As we have done in some of the past years, the Company is mailing Total Compensation reports to full-time and part-time employees this week. These reports are designed not only to report the direct compensation earned in 2013, but also to highlight the value of the benefits package. The idea is to keep you informed because the value of benefits is often overlooked yet it adds significantly to what is considered part of an employee's total pay package. Please kindly take some time in reviewing your personalized report. Direct any questions or concerns about the reports to Human Resources.

Brady Templeton, President of AMES, has extended an invitation to the employees of all ATSG companies to the grand opening of AMES' newest facility, Hangar 1006. A brief ceremony in the new hangar will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26. The Governor of Ohio, the Honorable John Kasich, is scheduled to be in attendance. On behalf of ABX Air, we congratulate AMES for this huge step in its business strategy and its partnership with the Clinton County Port Authority.

Around the last week of July, estimates of your pension benefit are scheduled to be mailed to your homes. This mailing will go to all ABX Air employees that have a benefit under the now frozen plans and includes the pilots under their plan as well. These estimates are required by law and are sent every three years. Please take the time to review these statements when they get to you. We will remind you again as the date draws closer.

Other News
In an article in last week's Cargo Facts, and as Cargo Facts had previously reported, "Amerijet is developing air hubs at Rickenbacker Airport in Columbus, Ohio (LCK) serving the Eastern US, and Reno/Tahoe International in Nevada (RNO), serving the West. Amerijet will feed cargo to and from the hubs by road, and operate a single 767 freighter on the 1,950-mile route between the hubs daily." Amerijet has now clarified that the road feeder service will operate to/from the Columbus hub and five cities in the Eastern US (Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Newark, and Atlanta); and to/from the Reno hub to four cities in the Western US (Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix). Most of the distances involved are relatively easily covered in a single day by truck, although some, like Seattle-Reno (700 road miles) and Phoenix-Reno (740 miles) will push the one-day envelope. Nonetheless, Amerijet says origin-to-destination times will be 1 – 2 days, and that customers will "benefit from late local cut-off times, typically between 7-9pm, and early recovery times, including Saturdays." In addition, the new network also will connect to Amerijet’s Miami Hub, allowing customers to move freight between the carrier’s domestic and international routes."

Amerijet has been a long-time customer to the many services that ATSG companies provide. Both ATI and ABX Air have flown for them in charter and wet lease arrangements in the past; and CAM has leased them aircraft including a recent lease of two 767-300's. Our congratulations to Amerijet.

In a press release issued by DHL, it was announced that DHL found an even better route for meeting urgent delivery commitments in the midst of traffic gridlock. A new helicopter service now provides early morning delivery services for several major banking customers in the downtown Los Angeles area. DHL Express introduced the helicopter service into its Los Angeles operation as a way to guarantee early morning 9:00 a.m. delivery service regardless of traffic bottlenecks. Used by specific financial services customers, this service will expand to include additional customers in the Los Angeles area.

"DHL is always looking for innovative ways to move our customers’ shipments with the greatest speed and reliability," said Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express U.S. "When business demands early deliveries at the ‘speed of yellow’, DHL Express brings additional assurance with a first-of-its-kind helicopter service to the L.A. market." A DHL helicopter service is also used in New York, providing lifts from the DHL JFK gateway to prime US bank headquarters and Federal bank locations, making stops in downtown Manhattan and at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport to speed deliveries of important financial and legal documents.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for June 5, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is Phil Flowers with the ABX Air INFOline for June 5, 2014.

Safety
The Safety Department in conjunction with Flight Standards and Management soon will issue Flight Safety Bulletin 14-4: Guatemala City Terrain Awareness. This bulleting summarizes a Ground Proximity Warning System alert that occurred approximately 10 miles west of La Aurora VOR and offers information learned from the crew and air traffic control concerning operations at Guatemala City. All crewmembers should read this immediately as well as all the Flight Safety Bulletins posted on the FlightWeb under the blue Safety tab. Safety Management System ideology promotes that Safety doesn’t come from just audits and inspections, but from improvements of the processes and procedures we use every day. This is a good example.

Compliance
Final preparations for the Department of Defense audit have been made in Flight, Maintenance, Ground Operations, and Safety. The required flight audit was completed earlier this year on a DOD charter mission to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The team from Scott Air Force Base includes active military members and Department of Defense civilian employees. The Operations Team will evaluate our infrastructure, internal audit, Safety, flight operations, flight planning, aircrew records training and performance, scheduling, ground operations, load planning and loadmasters, and security. The Maintenance Team will evaluate maintenance management, quality assurance, maintenance control, inspections, training, manuals and records. We’re looking forward to the team’s arrival on the 16th and satisfactory completion of this important audit.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of May, subject to verification, is 98.82 percent. For the second quarter of 2014, we are at 98.70 percent on-time performance to date, all subject to verification.

Employee Anniversaries
Company anniversaries for the month of June are Materials Management Repair Controller Karen Sholler with 25 years; Maintenance Program Specialist Ron Spendlove with 20 years; First Officers Mark Belknap, John Cunning, and William Towne with 15 years; and Charter Loadmasters Miguel Castellanos and Raul Gerena with 10 years. Be sure to congratulate these employees on their milestone anniversaries the next time you see them.

B-767 Information
Over the years, many people have asked the Aircraft Maintenance staff questions regarding our B-767 fleet. Here are a few interesting questions and answers regarding our fleet.

The first B-767 revenue flight was aircraft 767AX. It was flight number 1402 and flew ILN - LAX on October 13, 1998. Since then, we have operated B-767 aircraft a total of 652,162 flight hours and 260,856 landings.

We’re often asked questions regarding the main tires on the aircraft. The main tires have a tire pressure of 200 psi of nitrogen and weigh 283 pounds. Using our fleet average, they last 185 landings, which equates to each tire being changed every 102 days.

That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for your dedication and hard work; it’s greatly appreciated.

INFOline for May 22, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for May 22, 2014.

Safety
The 2013 Safety Summary was presented by the Director of Safety at the ABX May Management meeting. ABX exceeded the established OSHA Case Frequency Goal, but the slip-and-fall accidents remain the number one cause for injuries. Please be attentive at all times and especially so when the weather or walking conditions are less than ideal. Steve Janasov briefed that our Aviation Safety Action Program, Flight Operations Quality Assurance and Aviation Safety reporting remain strong and, as part of our Safety Management System implementation, efforts are underway to enable all ABX employees to submit a General Safety Report using WBAT, the Web Based Application Tool used by pilots and mechanics to submit ASAP reports. In addition to the summary, Safety Analyst Dean Weaver in coordination with Flight Standards issued two Flight Safety Bulletins. Flight Bulletin 14-2 outlines a Ground Proximity Warning System Event in Bogota, Columbia; and Safety Bulletin 14-3 provides Tail Strike Awareness information. Please take the time to read these bulletins and if you have questions contact Flight Standards.

Compliance
The West Air Sweden audit was completed early this month with no findings and only one observation. The compliance managers have completed an internal audit using the Department of Defense checklists for Operations and Maintenance. These checklists and several of our departmental manuals have been made available to the auditors on our updates QuickPlace. Thanks to all who assisted in completing the West Air audit and preparing for the DOD audit.

Key ABX personnel conducted the annual Aircraft Mishap Response Plan tabletop exercise last week. The exercise included exercising our 911 messaging system and then a review of the plan by chapter and appendix. An after-action summary will be published and a revision completed to incorporate suggested improvements from the exercise.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of May, subject to verification, is 98.46%. Similarly, for the second quarter of 2014, we are at 98.52% on-time performance to date, all subject to verification. We finished April with a 98.53% on-time performance for DHL.

Please kindly be reminded that June 2 is the deadline for getting the initial written performance evaluations completed. This will provide time for review prior to sitting down with your folks and to be able to complete all the administrative steps in a timely fashion. Your timely compliance is expected and required.

Saturday, May 24 is National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day. It was designated to honor all of the professionals who ensure the safety and security of our airborne aviation infrastructure and to recognize the life and contributions of Charles Edward Taylor, the aviation technician who built and maintained the Wright Brother’s engine used to power their flying machine on Dec. 17, 1903. Thank you to all of the ABX Air, AMES, and contractor maintenance techs that do such an exemplary job in keeping our aircraft safe and operating at such a high reliability level. We cannot do what we do without you, and your efforts are greatly appreciated.

ATI is hosting a fundraising event that is a double elimination Volleyball Tournament slated to begin on Wednesday, May 28. You may recall that it was decided to try to spread out our fundraising activities rather than try to jam them together during a 6-week period in late fall of the year. Meanwhile, there's still room for one more team! Contact Courtney Zimmerman (ext. 65085, Courtney.Zimmerman@airtransport.cc) by this Friday, May 23, if you'd like to play. Registration is only $5 per person, and proceeds benefit the ATSG Charity Drive. If you have questions or are willing to volunteer your time to help with any or all of the charity events, please contact Rhonda Stevens at ext. 62011 or Tanya Woodford at ext. 62318.

Other News
In a press release issued on May 15, 2014, Deutsche Post DHL reported higher revenues and earnings in the first quarter of 2014. At nearly EUR 13.6 billion, revenues generated in the first three months of the current year rose more than 1 percent above the previous year's level. Adjusted for negative exchange-rate effects and other inorganic factors, the revenue increase would have been more than 5 percent. The company also continued to improve operating earnings: In the first quarter of 2014, consolidated EBIT increased by more than 2 percent to EUR 726 million. The company's consolidated net profit also rose during the first quarter of the year and totaled EUR 502 million, a slight increase over the previous year's level.

"We performed well in the first quarter," said Frank Appel, the CEO of Deutsche Post DHL. "Despite negative exchange-rate effects and the continued sluggish global economy, we once again generated profitable growth. We got off to a good start in 2014, in line with our expectations and market circumstances.”

In the May 5 edition of Air Cargo News, it was reported that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) surveyed air cargo execs which confirmed the growth in airfreight volumes over recent months. More than half of those responding expect an increase in demand over the next 12 months. That’s the good news. The “not-so-good news” is that cargo yields are reported as having declined in the 1st quarter of 2014 with 59% of those responding expecting to see no change over the next 12 months and almost 25% expecting to see yields fall.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, as we approach another Memorial Day holiday on Monday, please take a moment to remember all of those in the military that bravely gave their lives to preserve our interests and way of life in the US. We owe them and their loved ones a great debt that can never truly be repaid. A moment of remembrance is the least that we should do regardless of how busy we think we are.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for May 8, 2014
Hello, this is Jeff Walling, Director of Human Resources, with a special ABX Air INFOLine for Thursday, May 8.

Safety & Compliance
In Safety and Compliance news, during the first quarter of 2014, ABX had zero reportable OSHA accidents and zero lost time cases. There were three minor non-OSHA reportable accidents during the first quarter -- all related to the winter weather. Thank you for working safe during this past winter season.

The ABX Safety department is compiling OSHA training modules into Adobe Connect, our online training software, and will be issuing a new training module for employees to complete. The software will maintain our records in an electronic version and is searchable. In addition, employees who are certified, competent or qualified in specific types of work will receive additional training based upon the individual work requirements.

Business News
In business news, the annual stockholder meeting for our parent company, Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), was held earlier today here at the Wilmington Air Park. At the meeting, stockholders approved the re-election of James Carey and Christopher Teets to one-year terms to the Board of Directors. The Company also recognized board member Jack Geary who retired today after ten years of service to the Company. We would like to thank Jack for his guidance and wisdom over the last ten years and wish him well in his retirement.

Stockholders also ratified the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company’s independent public accounting firm and approved an advisory vote on executive compensation.

At the meeting, ATSG President and CEO Joe Hete, Chief Financial Officer Quint Turner, and Chief Commercial Officer Rich Corrado, gave a presentation to stockholders concerning the company’s business strategy and financial results for the first quarter. A copy of the stockholder presentation will be available on the ATSG web site later today or tomorrow.

Earlier this week, ATSG reported first quarter earnings from continuing operations of $6.5 million, or $0.10 per share, which were lower than earnings of $8.5 million, or $0.13 per share a year ago. Revenues were $143.6 million, flat with a year ago.

In addition this week ATSG executed an amendment to its primary credit agreement with its banks that extends the term of the agreement for two additional years until May 6, 2019; reduces interest rate pricing; adds a $50 million accordion feature; and improves its ability to execute stock repurchases and pay dividends to shareholders.

Other ATSG news announced this week include two new business agreements: Dry-leases for two Boeing 767-200 freighters to Cargojet, a Canadian airline, for terms of up to three years beginning in the second and third quarters this year. These aircraft are in addition to the two 767-200 freighters Cargojet currently leases from CAM.

Dry-leases for two Boeing 767-300 freighters to Amerijet, a Florida based airline, under six-year terms beginning in the third quarter this year. Amerijet currently leases three 767-200 freighters from CAM. More information on all this news is available on www.atsginc.com.

NASA at Wilmington
Capt. Mike Woodford, Manager of the ABX Air Part 142 Flight Training Center reports the following:

The ABX Air Part 142 Flight Training Center just concluded successful training sessions with NASA in support of their DC-9 and DC-8 test aircraft. The training consisted of issuing type ratings (4) to the NASA pilots for the DC-9 and DC-8 and issuing Flight Engineer ratings to two NASA Flight Engineers. The simulator portion of this training was at the ABX Air Flight Training Center in ILN in the DC-9 and DC-8 simulators. Because the ABX DC-8 simulator is a Level B full flight simulator and not a C level like the DC-9 and 767 simulators the flight test portion had to take place in NASA’s DC-8-72 series aircraft. This training included ABX instructors Kevin Garrison for the DC-9 training, in ILN; Joe Proffitt and Larry Skinner giving flight checks on the actual NASA DC-8-72 in Palmdale, California. Present to oversee the training were NASA and FAA national representatives. Our own EMI FAA Training Center Program Manager Paul Dolza also pitched in to make the flight check a reality. These aircraft are critical to the NASA mission, and the Johnson Space Center and Armstrong Flight Research Center personnel were impressed by the professionalism of both our Ground and Flight Training instructors but also greatly impressed by the Flight Simulator Support folks that keep the simulators humming. As a side note there are only two certified DC-8 full flight simulators remaining in the world, one in Norway and the other in here in ILN. We hope to enter into a long-term training program with NASA in support of their varied and vital missions. I think NASA DC-8 Project Manager Frank Cutler said it best when he said, "We expected good service from a training facility dedicated to a respected 121 carrier, but what we got via our training experience was much more than we expected."

AMES 5-Year Anniversary
Five years ago, on May 4, 2009, Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services (AMES) was established to provide fully integrated aircraft maintenance, overhaul, and repair services to airlines and aircraft operators, including ABX Air. Today, AMES has doubled in size and has over 600 dedicated employees. AMES will soon be opening a new hangar in Wilmington to meet the market demand for their services. A celebration for employees to mark AMES’s 5th anniversary was recently held here in Wilmington to mark this occasion. Congratulations to AMES President Brady Templeton and all the employees at AMES for reaching this milestone. And speaking of the new hangar, there is a time-lapse video showing the construction of the new hangar on the AMES web site.

May Employee Anniversaries
Congratulations to Accounting Supervisor Tanya Woodford and Component Research Analyst Tricia McIntire who are both celebrating 30 years of service with the Company this month. Lead Line Maintenance Representative Ismael Roger is celebrating 15 years. Ground Training Instructor Steve Miller is celebrating 10 years, and Maintenance Controller Larry Maki is celebrating one year this month. Be sure to congratulate these employees on the milestone anniversaries the next time you see them.

Charity Drive News
Volleyball Tournament Starting Soon: Have fun with your co-workers and raise money for charity by entering ATSG's upcoming charity volleyball tournament, sponsored by ATI. Matches will be held at the volleyball court at ILN on Wednesdays starting May 21. The registration period is now through May 16. Register a whole team of six, or sign up as individuals to be assigned into teams, by emailing Courtney.Zimmerman@airtransport.cc. The entry fee is $5 per person.

Monthly 50/50 Raffle for Charity: Our new monthly 50/50 raffle is your chance to support charity and have a chance to win cash, too! Simply buy some raffle tickets each month for $1 each (or 6 for $5). At the end of each month, we'll draw a winner to receive half the pot, with the rest going to charity, then start the next monthly raffle. To buy tickets, see Rhonda Stevens (AMES), Tanya Woodford (ABX), Courtney Zimmerman (ATI), Stacy Gerber (LGSTX), or Paul Cunningham (ATSG).

Mother’s Day
Finally, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Be sure to call, visit, or remember your mother this weekend.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. John Starkovich will be back in two weeks with the next INFOline. Thanks for listening.

INFOline for April 24, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for April 24, 2014.

Safety
The first sentence in our Safety & Security Policy provides that "ABX Air is committed to ensure a safe and secure environment in our workplace." Training in the proper performance of a job is one way for us to address that commitment. It is time and money well spent since an effective program of safety and health training for workers can often help employees remain more vigilant, which results in fewer injuries and illnesses, better morale, and lower insurance premiums, among other benefits.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) often looks to the employer to train employees in the safety and health aspects of their jobs. Other OSHA standards designate certain job assignments be performed by those who are certified, competent, or qualified--meaning that they have had special previous training, in or out of the workplace. The term designated personnel means those selected or assigned by the employer or the employer's representative as being qualified to perform specific duties. It does not end there. Keeping a record of safety and health training provides evidence of the employer's good faith and it's compliance with OSHA standards, and also serves as documentation if there is an accident resulting in injury that the injured employee was trained to do the job. But most importantly it helps our folks to do their jobs safely and correctly with no injuries.

To assist in the effort, the ABX Safety department is compiling OSHA training modules into Adobe Connect and will be issuing and maintaining our record in an electronic version that is searchable. Each month there will be a new training module released for all employees to complete. For employees who are certified, competent, or qualified in a given type of work, additional training also will be released based upon the individual work requirements. The program has been delayed and has just got up and running, so the next few months there may be a few extra training sessions per month until we catch up.

Compliance
On the compliance front, ABX Air has a Department of Defence (DOD) audit scheduled during the week of June 16 and preliminary steps already are being taken to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of April, subject to verification, is 98.54 percent. Similarly, for the second quarter of 2014, we are at 98.54 percent on-time performance to date, all subject to verification. We finished the first quarter with a 98.53 percent on-time performance for DHL.

ATSG’s annual shareholder's meeting will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. It is tentatively scheduled to be held in the new AMES hangar. You are invited to attend the event. Speaking of the new AMES JUMP hangar, despite the delays due to the inclement weather here at ILN, the new AMES hangar is progressing quickly. You may recall that the hangar includes two bays, with one bay sized to accommodate maintenance on a B747-400 or B777-300ER. The side nearest 1005 includes a 15-ton overhead crane system. The other side of the hangar is sized to accommodate aircraft as large as a B767-300. There is some flexibility in combining the bays, and with various parking configurations it will afford AMES the opportunity and capacity to further build their business. With the current progress being experienced and subject to authorization from the City of Wilmington, ATSG plans to conduct the Annual Shareholder's meeting in the new hangar on May 8, as was previously mentioned.

This shareholder's meeting will be the last one with Jack Geary on the ATSG Board of Directors. Mr. Geary retired as President and CEO of Midland Enterprises, Inc. and has been a Director on the ATSG Board since January 2004. He has been a member of both the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Jack is known for his direct, no-nonsense, get-to-the-issue type of approach and his real-life hands-on operations business experience. We thank Mr. Geary for his contributions and service over the last 10 years and wish him and his family the very best.

Tomorrow, April 25, 2014, AMES is hosting a Charity Pancake Breakfast fundraiser event from 6 to 9 a.m. in the ILN Hangar 1005 Break Room. You may recall that it was decided to try to spread out our fundraising activities rather than try to jam them together during a six-week period in late Fall of the year. So bring your appetite and be generous in your donation while enjoying some camaraderie time with your co-workers here in Wilmington. Other charity events being planned are a summer volleyball tournament; an ice cream social; the 2nd annual car show; and more to come. If you have questions or are willing to volunteer your time to help with any or all of these events, please contact Rhonda Stevens at ext. 62011 or Tanya Woodford at ext. 62318.

Other News
Deutsche Post DHL announced in an April 4 press release its "Strategy 2020." That strategy is based upon three key words--Focus, Connect, Grow--which represent its three pillars: concentrating on core strengths; extending the company’s quality leadership; and seizing opportunities in new growth areas. Emphasis will be on organic expansion, emerging markets, and eCommerce-related logistics. CEO Frank Appel observed, "We are building on our achievements and seizing new opportunities for additional profitable growth." Group targets are an average annual EBIT increase of more than 8 percent through 2020 with DHL expected to see an annual EBIT growth of around 10 percent and MAIL EBIT to increase by around 3 percent.

In the April 4 edition of CargoFacts Update, it was reported that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures for worldwide cargo traffic for January and February were up 3.6 percent. The Middle East was up 11.3 percent, with Latin America up 6.9 percent, Europe up 5.7 percent, and the Asia-Pacific region up 2 percent. North America was basically flat with 0.2 percent.

That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for April 10, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is Jan Woolums with the ABX Air INFOline for April 10, 2014.

Safety and Compliance
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released 2013 commercial aviation safety performance figures last week. Their report indicates the 2013 global Western-built jet accident rate was 0.41, the equivalent of one accident for every 2.4 million flights. This was a step back from 2012 when the rate was 0.21, the lowest in aviation history. Over the five year period (2009-2013), 2013 shows a 14.6% improvement on the five-year average of 0.48.

IATA accident analysis reveals the most common type of accident over the past five years is the runway excursions, where an aircraft departs a runway during takeoff or landing. Loss of control in-flight accidents, while few in number are almost always catastrophic, with 95% involving fatalities to passengers or crews. These represented 10% of the accidents over the past five years. Controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accidents are also a concern, and there were six in 2013. Most CFIT accidents occur in the approach and landing phase of flight. From 2009 through 2013, 52% of the CFIT accidents were known to involve the lack of a precision approach.

Airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit registry (IOSA) experienced six Western-built jet hull loss accidents. The total accident rate (all aircraft types) for IOSA-registered carriers was more than two times better than the rate for non-IOSA carriers, 1.4 versus 3.60. The IOSA registry includes 240 IATA airlines and 151 non-member airlines, a clear indication that IOSA is the global benchmark for airline operational safety.

The report quotes IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler as stating, “Accidents, however rare, do happen. We release this data as the world continues to focus on the search effort for MH 370. The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators are in the beginning of the journey to unravel this mystery, understand the cause, and find ways to ensure it never happens again.”

Company News
Our DHL on–time performance for the month of March was a respectable 98.52%. Thank you much very for your efforts.

Employee anniversaries this month include Steve Veness with 40 years; QC Specialist Paul Schimanski, Maintence Field Supervisor Jack Kondratick, Capt. Tony Pogribnichenko and Capt. Larry Wooden with 25 years; Regional Field Maintence Manager Fasiel Flash with 20 years; HR Coordinator Beth Allen with 15 years; and Professional Load Masters Adam Mediana and Isadore Sylve III with 5 years. Congratulations to all of you!

March is the start of the severe weather season. Check with your supervisor to know where to take shelter in the event a tornado warning is issued while in the workplace. Whether practicing in a tornado drill or sheltering during a warning, the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness encourages Ohioans to DUCK:

D - Go DOWN to the lowest level
U - Get UNDER something
C - COVER your head
K - KEEP in shelter until the storm has passed

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all your efforts and be safe.

INFOline for March 27, 2014
No INFOline recorded.

INFOline for March 13, 2014
Good evening. This is Bob Gray with the March 13, 2014 ABX Air INFOline.

Safety
On January 7, everyone working at the Wilmington Air Park was advised that the procedure to be used for a medical emergency is to dial 9911 on all company land lines to contact Emergency Medical Services and then notify ARFF and Security of the situation and whether Emergency Medical Services are in route (ICOM:14-05). This procedure is still in effect, but we recently discovered that there is a slight delay in the phone system when dialing 9911 from landline phones on the Air Park. Dialing the first 9 programs the system to connect to an outside line. Then the system is programmed to look for a seven digit number. When we dial 911 after the first 9, there is a delay of about seven seconds as the system waits for seven digits to be entered. After that short wait, the phone system programming takes over and the 911 call is connected (ICOM:14-25). Please keep this in mind when dialing 9911 from a company landline phone. Cell phones are obviously not affected by this programming delay, so just dial 911.

Compliance
Last week ABX completed the European Union directed Emissions Trading Scheme audit. The audit was conducted by a Price-Waterhouse Coopers accounting firm auditor, sanctioned by the European Union. The comments made by the auditor were very favorable in terms of ABX compliance. Much thanks to Brian Laycock, Frank Kennedy, and the ABX / ATSG audit and environmental group who collected the data and generated the report now verified by the required external audit. The next external audit on the horizon will be the Department of Defense audit, tentatively scheduled to start on June 16.

Our People
There are a number of company anniversaries to celebrate during the month of March. In a first for ABX Air, we have a 40-year employee to recognize. This month we celebrate Mike Wisniewski’s 40th anniversary with the company. Also celebrating company anniversaries are Keith Hill with 35 years; Greg Parsons, Capt. Brent Simoneaux, and Capt. Larry Strom with 25 years; Ken Becher, Bob Hudson, Matt Kluck, Paul Kowalewsky, Jeff Parrott, David Powers, and Aaron Shemper with 20 years; Eric Eminger and Randall Riesbeck with 15 years, and Lisa Mangus with one year of service to the company.

The ATSG year-end 2013 investor conference call took place on Thursday, March 6. You can still access that call, for up to 30 days afterward, by following the directions on the ATSG website at www.atsginc.com.

Thank you very much.

INFOline for February 27, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for February 27, 2014.

Safety
Members of our Safety Management System (SMS) Implementation Team met this week with our Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate Management Team (CMT) members to conduct an SMS calibration meeting and to familiarize all with the documentation of SMS compliance using the FAA’s web-based application tool. In addition, ABX Air provided the CMT principals with a MITRE-developed draft Safety Management System Manual that will evolve into our own manual as we progress through Level 2 of the Pilot Program. The target date for achieving Level 2 compliance remains August of 2014.

As we learned in our recent Safety Management System training, the foundation for implementing a successful SMS is a positive culture. Safety culture is typically defined as an organization’s values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, philosophies, and how we react to day-to-day activities and other more significant events. In other words, safety culture is how people accomplish tasks when no one is looking. ABX Air has held safety as a ‘Core Value’ for many years. As we continue to implement our SMS processes and procedures, please keep in mind that attributes of a positive culture are; one that stays informed, reports problems without fear of reprisal, learns from mistakes and errors made, and is just in terms of understanding acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Compliance
The ABX Internal Audit and Evaluation Program was designed and implemented to encourage an open sharing of operational safety and regulatory compliance information at multiple levels within our organization. At the heart of this quality assurance program are departmental audit programs where we measure ourselves internally against our own internal and external standards. For instance in the fourth quarter of 2013, a dozen internal audits were conducted by maintenance auditors with seven external audits of repair vendors, outbased maintenance stations, de-ice, refueling, and tool calibration vendors. Ground Operations completed two internal audits and forty-seven ramp or station audits. Three Special Audits or Compliance Checks were conducted by flight, ground, and maintenance auditors to investigate submitted safety reports. The results of these audits are briefed at the Monthly Safety Committee meetings. The IAEP will anchor the Quality Assurance portion of our Safety Management System. Much thanks to our auditors for the good job they perform in support of this program.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of February to date, subject to verification, is 98.85 percent. Similarly, for the first quarter of 2014, we are at 98.59 percent on-time performance to date, all subject to verification.

ATSG has announced an investor conference call to review fourth quarter financial results and financials for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013. The call will be Thursday March 6, 2014 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. The Company will release the financials after market close on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. The release will be available on the company web site at www.atsginc.com, and you also can listen to a webcast of the investors call at that website. Alternatively, the call–in number is 888-895-5479 with pass code 36742250 or you can listen to a recording of the webcast for up to 30 days, again, via the www.atsginc.com web site. I encourage all ABX Air employees to please take advantage of these resources and the opportunity to hear from our senior executive management on the state of ATSG as a whole.

Representatives from ABX Air and the APA Teamsters Local 1224 met in Columbus this week to begin discussions on changes to the current collective bargaining agreement. While agreements under the Railway Labor Act do not expire, our agreement with the pilots union is amendable at the end of this year, December 31, 2014. As part of the current agreement, the parties agreed to begin negotiations one year prior to the amendable date.

Our sister company AMES through its Line Maintenance group recently began providing line maintenance activities on several daily flights for National Airlines 757 passenger aircraft at Miami International Airport and on-call line maintenance services for Allegiant Airlines in CVG. AMES Component Repair and Overhaul group was recently awarded a B737 wheel and brake contract with Southern Air.

Other News
It was reported today that DHL Express U.S. has appointed Mike Parra to be CEO. Mike had served as the Senior Vice President of Network Operations for the DHL Express Americas Region and will replace Ian Clough. Stephen Fenwick, CEO of DHL Express Americas, observed that: “Mike is a proven leader. . . . His commitment to service excellence and extraordinary customer-centric approach will serve us well as we continue to invest in our U.S. network for global customers. I am confident that Mike will continue to build upon the success of DHL Express US and reinforce our status as the international specialists.” ABX Air congratulates Mike on his promotion, and we look forward to working with him.

THE LOADSTAR, an email bulletin service, recently reported on Cargojet’s successful bid for a seven year contract with Canada Post worth an estimated C$1 billion in revenue. It reported that the deal calls for Cargojet to provide nationwide lift for the postal agency’s traffic, including volumes of Canada Post subsidiary Purolator, the largest express parcel operator in Canada. Cargojet is a Canadian all-cargo carrier that provides overnight linehaul on trunk routes across Canada to the major integrators. Cargojet “is going to add six 767-300 freighters as well as three more B757-200F’s to its line-up” as a result of being awarded the bid according to the article. As an aside, you may be aware that our sister company CAM currently has two B767-200’s under lease to Cargojet.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for February 13, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone! This is Terry Scherz with the ABX Air INFOline for February 13, 2014.

Safety and Compliance
As the 4th Quarter closed, ABX Air not only met, but exceeded its goal to reduce on-the-job personal injuries. The goal is established by the company President and calculated, monitored, and audited by Safety and Environmental Health Specialist Don Florea. An industry recognized formula that takes into consideration the number of employees and hours worked is used to determine a total reportable incident rate. The status is reported to senior management monthly, and is also broken down by major departments. I would be remiss if I did not point out that Aircraft Maintenance was the only department that did not have a reportable injury for the entire year. A first! Congratulations to everyone at ABX for making safety a workplace priority in 2013, and let’s focus on making 2014 even better.

The ABX Safety Department has been invited by the FAA to make a presentation at the ASAP/FOQA Infoshare Conference in Seattle, Washington during the week of March 3. ASAP is the acronym for Aviation Safety Action Program, and likewise FOQA stands for Flight Operation Quality Assurance. This conference is sponsored by the FAA, and the purpose is for governmental and industry representatives to share aviation safety concerns and discuss current aviation and safety issues. The present plan has a presentation being made by Safety Analyst Dean Weaver and First Officer Jeff Parrot, Airline Pilot Association Safety Committee member.

Industry News
In a February 10 press release, DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, announced the launch of a new temperature-controlled air freight service between Brussels and Cincinnati. The DHL Aviation Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft will operate the eight-and-a-half hour flight six times per week in each direction and offers reserved space for Life Sciences products. Real-time tracking and temperature measurement data is available on each flight and can be accessed via a dedicated web portal. The aircraft employed on the route will have four controllable temperature zones that are monitored constantly.

The February 7 edition of Cargo Facts Update and cargofacts.net reported that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said worldwide scheduled air freight traffic rose 1.4 percent in 2013 with international traffic up 1.2 percent and domestic traffic up 2.5 percent. Most of the growth took place in the 2nd half of the year; and this, plus the slow return of the U.S. and European economies, raises hope that the trend will continue in 2014. Cargo Facts attributed the growth in the domestic traffic to the express sector, noting “particularly China where the explosion in online shopping is driving huge growth in express package delivery.” The article also noted with respect to 2014, “IATA said that while freight traffic growth would likely continue, we can still expect that 2014 will be a challenging year.” Further in reference to the passenger business, it observed that “rapidly increasing belly capacity robs cargo carriers of pricing in the cargo market, pushing down yield despite the growth in traffic.”

An internet article from the Motley Fool noted a Pentagon release announcing the awarding of an $805 million dollar contract to a group of carriers dubbed the “Patriot Team” to provide international airlift services to the U.S. Transportation Command for the U.S. military. ABX Air is one of the members of the team.

Company News
Closer to home, late last year ABX entered into a partnership with EmpowerMX to develop an electronic logbook (ELB) or sometimes referred to as an electronic technical log (ETL). EmpowerMX is an industry-recognized, U.S.-based software development and consulting services company staffed primarily with I.T. and Aircraft Maintenance Specialists. The purpose of this undertaking is to replace our traditional on-board paper logbook with an electronic tablet operating on a windows platform, which will be cloud-based. A primary benefit of the ELB is that paper will be virtually eliminated, but more importantly it gives us the ability to more efficiently capture and store data and reduce the risk of data errors. Also Flight and Maintenance Control, along with Aircraft Records, will have real-time information. We plan to test the ELB on a limited number of our aircraft in the 2nd Quarter. After a comprehensive test plan we anticipate FAA acceptance by the end of the year. Presently only a small number of airlines in the world are using a fully functional electronic log book. ABX Air very well could be the first in the U.S., although there are a couple U.S.-based airlines that presently have a similar interest. I would like to extend my special thanks to Jerri Ray from our I.T. Department, along with Karen Sholler and Gregg Wehrung from Aircraft Maintenance, for their tireless ongoing efforts towards making this project a success. More to come as the year goes by.

The weather this winter has certainly negatively impacted the scheduled completion of AMES new hangar. Brady Templeton, AMES President, believes with some help from Mother Nature, it is possible to complete it sometime this May.

Our DHL on-time performance for the month of January was a respectable 98.4 percent, especially given our challenging weather. Thank you very much for your efforts.

Employee anniversaries this month include Capt. Bill Storer with 35 years; Dave Hopper in Aircraft Maintenance and Capt. Jason Skeels in Flight with 25 years; First Officers John Downy and Rod Ebbe with 20 years; and First Officer James Gallagher with 15 years of service to the company. Congratulations to all of you!

Lastly, you should be receiving your new UnitedHealthcare card mailed to your home this week.

That is all I have for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all your efforts and be safe.

INFOline for January 30, 2014
Good afternoon everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for January 30, 2014.

Safety
Last week, 15 attendees participated in the five-day SMS Training course. The group included ABX Air employees, two AMES employees, and three of our flight crewmembers who also act as representatives on the APA Safety Committee. The course was taught by Kent Hollinger from the MITRE Group. These folks are the subject matter experts for SMS, and we will be relying upon them to help guide us through and get comfortable with using the SMS model. My thanks and appreciation to those of you that attended the five-day course or either of the one-day courses. This worthwhile program has our full support and will help us improve the managing of safety and risk here at ABX Air.

Compliance
ABX Air is tentatively scheduled for a Department of Defense Audit during the week of June 16. Also, just a reminder to everyone that there are a number of avenues available to ABX Air employees to report issues and concerns, including compliance matters, that they may have with respect to the Company. The simplest and best is to talk to your supervisor. If for some reason, you are not comfortable doing so, you can go to Human Resources or to me or one of the Vice Presidents or any company officer. If you wish to remain anonymous and have a concern about violations of the Code of Ethics, Corporate Guidelines for Conducting Business, or the commission of any crime concerning ABX Air, ATSG or any of the subsidiaries, you can call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME. And last, but certainly not least, the Hetehotline@ABXAir.com remains active and available.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of January, subject to verification, is 98.21%. Similarly, for the first quarter of 2014, we are at 98.21% on-time performance to date, all subject to verification.

ABX Air employees who have spouses covered by the ABX Health Plan will be receiving a form to complete and sign regarding whether their spouse has a healthcare benefit program available to them at work. If your spouse does have such benefits available, he/she needs to be removed from ABX Air coverage. Please complete the form and return it signed no later than February 14.

The annual CAP contribution based on annual earnings was deposited into your individual 401K accounts on January 29. Please look for it in your Fidelity account and contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

My personal thanks and appreciation to everyone who contributed and took part in the Fall Charity Drive. The total contributions exceeded $80,000 for all ATSG companies, which surpassed our set goal.

W2’s have been distributed. If you have not received yours within a week or so, please email payroll at APR@atsginc.com and provide your name, employee number, and address; and Payroll will get back to you.

UnitedHealthcare cards also are being distributed, and you should receive yours in the next 10 to 14 days via US mail. When you get your new card, it would make sense to destroy your old cards so as not to get confused. If you need duplicates of the current card, please go to www.myuhc.com and order them online. Other News
On January 27, 2014, it was announced that DHL Express extended its arrangement with Southern Air under a Flight Services agreement to continue to operate four Boeing 777s currently being operated by Southern in support of DHL’s international air express network. The announcement was accompanied by the news that DHL has a 10-year aircraft lease agreement for the four 777 freighters. Stephen Fenwick, CEO of DHL Express Americas, said: “Southern Air continues to be a highly reliable and efficient partner. They share our passion for performance excellence, superior customer service, and environmental responsibility.”

In the January 24 edition of Cargo Facts Update it was reported that The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the results of its quarterly Business Confidence Survey, and for cargo the results are mostly positive. In the survey, IATA asks airline CFOs and heads of cargo departments for their views on the last three months, and for the twelve months ahead. We look here at some of the predictions for the coming year:

• Growth in cargo volumes is expected to pick up over the next 12 months, reflecting recent improvements in world trade growth and increases in business confidence. More than 66% of respondents said they expected an increase in demand, and IATA said this is the biggest expected rate of increase since mid-2010, which was a very strong year for cargo.

• Cargo yields are expected to remain unchanged during the year, despite the expectations of strong volume growth. Regarding this latter point, respondents to the survey said that while yields had declined in the fourth quarter of 2013 as a result of excess capacity and weak load factors, the outlook for 2014 “shows potential for slight improvement, and at the least, no further decline is expected.”

Please keep in mind that this was only a survey as to what is expected, but if volume were to increase as expected perhaps yields will increase too.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for January 16, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is Eric Plas with the ABX Air INFOline for January 16, 2014.

Safety
ABX Air will be conducting Safety Management System Training this week and next. There will be two one-day workshops this week with a five-day workshop following next. Forty-five personnel in senior management or safety related positions are scheduled for this workshop. The training will be facilitated by MITRE Engineer and author of the book 'Safety Management Systems for Aviation Practitioners: Real World Lessons,' Kent Hollinger. We're looking forward to meeting Kent and gaining a better understanding of Safety Management System processes as our ABX Air Safety Management System evolves.

Compliance
ABX Air currently is evaluating a series of safety enhancements sponsored by CAST (the Commercial Aircraft Safety Team). CAST is an FAA and Aviation Industry collaborative formed in the late 1990's.

The CAST model:

• Identifies the top safety areas through the analysis of accident and incident data.

• Charters joint teams of experts to develop methods to fully understand the chain of events leading to accidents.

• Identifies and implements high-leverage interventions or safety enhancements to reduce accident rates in these areas.

The CAST model has been extremely successful in the United States. Safety experts report that by implementing the most promising safety enhancements, the fatality rate of commercial air travel has been reduced in the United States by 83 percent over the last ten years. Concurrent with this ten-year reduction, CAST has analyzed data from approximately 500 accidents and thousands of safety incidents worldwide developing 47 safety enhancements to reduce the leading cause of commercial aviation accidents in the United States. ABX Air has submitted it's first safety enhancement for review and will be evaluating our compliance with the remaining safety enhancements with our Certificate Management Team as part of our monthly interface meetings.

Company news
Celebrating Anniversaries with the Company this month are Capt. Rob Boyd in the Flight Department with 35 years; Linda Whited in Airport Affairs and Mike Nees in Aircraft Maintenance with 25 years; First Officer Pedro Mudafort in the Flight Department and Jim Nappo in Aircraft Maintenance with 20 years; Mark Detroit in the Flight Department with 15 years; and Jean Radcliffe in Administration with 10 years. Congratulations to all on these milestones!

Reminder from Human Resources: If you haven't done so already, please be sure to visit Employee Self Service and review your 2014 benefit elections for accuracy. Please report any discrepancies to Beth Allen in Human Resources at ext. 62157.

New hangar update: Progress continues to be made on the new hangar here in ILN. While the weather has presented some challenges, three sides of the structure are almost completed. Once the sides are done, the next steps will be to install the roof and then the floor will be poured. The hangar will be capable of handling large aircraft including the Boeing 777 and 747 models, and will be equipped with a 15-ton crane. This is going to be one big hangar and will provide AMES with space for growth and the capability to attract a wider range of customers as it builds its MRO business. Mid-April is the current hangar completion date with the offices coming in early May.

MIA Flower season: In MIA we are coming into the busy Valentines flower season. In the period from late January through the first week of February our flights to and from BOG for MIA customer SAS will increase significantly. Estimates are that Columbia will ship around 500 million flowers to markets around the world with the majority coming to the U.S. through MIA. This makes the MIA cargo hub a very busy place for a couple of weeks as the flowers are processed and dispersed to vendors like Walmart and other large and small distributors. So when you order flowers for that special someone chances are they came form Columbia and could have been on one our ABX tails.

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Stay safe and stay warm. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.

INFOline for January 2, 2014
Good afternoon, everyone. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Air INFOline for January 2, 2014.

Safety
On Monday, January 6, 2014, the Safety Management System (SMS) Implementation Team will be meeting to review and act on a range of items which includes preparation for the 2 one-day SMS training courses for Safety-related positions and the in-depth five-day course for the Safety Department and the representatives from the various ABX Air departments. We also are pleased to advise that some AMES employees will be attending the training and an invitation has been extended to GFS participation as well. Training will be done by MITRE (MIT Research) Engineer and SMS Instructor Kent Hollinger and we are looking forward to the sessions. Compliance
Portland (PDX) recently successfully completed an OSHA audit, so thanks to those folks for a job well done.

Also, a friendly reminder to everyone. Here at ABX Air our focus is understandably and by necessity on operations. Yet from time to time, ABX Air/ATSG has on-line surveys and training/testing that need to be completed. With all of the outside audits, it becomes easy to put these aside with full intentions to complete them later but other events take up attention and the on-line matters go unanswered or become untimely. There are only a few reasons that justify less than 100% timely completion of the surveys, training & testing. Please kindly take all steps necessary to ensure that you get them done appropriately. As always, your timely compliance is expected and appreciated.

Company News
Our on-time service performance for DHL for the month of December, subject to verification, was 98.68%. Similarly, for the fourth quarter of 2013, it appears that we finished at 98.75% on time performance to date, all subject to verification.

Fall Charity Drive: The formal part of the Fall Charity Drive is over, and I am very pleased to see that ATSG has exceeded its goal and raised over $80,000 for the various charities that we support. My thanks and appreciation to each and every ABX Air employee that thoughtfully considered what they could to do in contributing to those less fortunate than ourselves. Thank you for your generosity, support, and goodwill throughout the drive.

Upcoming Fund Changes for the Capital Accumulation Plan: The Company is making some changes to the fund line-up in the Capital Accumulation Plan. Effective Feb. 4, the State Street Global Advisors Target Retirement Date Fund family will replace the Fidelity Freedom Funds. The State Street Target Date funds are similar to the Freedom Funds, except that they use an indexed approach to investing rather than active management. The State Street Target Date funds will become the new Qualified Investment Default Alternative for the plan. The DFA U.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio will be replacing the Lord Abbott Small Cap Value Fund and the Conestoga Small Cap fund will be replacing he Morgan Stanley Small Company Growth Portfolio. Additional details about these changes and the new funds have been mailed to you by Fidelity Investments. Depending upon you Fidelity mailing preference, you will receive the mailing via email or the USPS.

UnitedHealthcare Insurance ID cards: UnitedHealthcare recently mailed an informational letter about the 2014 insurance cards with the new co-payment amounts. Please take this letter to your medical appointments until you receive your new ID card in the mail.

Spousal Insurance Affidavit: Human Resources will be sending out the Spousal Affidavits to employees who have their spouse enrolled in the company-sponsored health insurance. Please complete the form and return it to Human Resources by the deadline. As a reminder, if your spouse becomes eligible for health insurance at any point during the year, he or she would no longer be eligible for coverage under our plan. If this happens please notify Human Resources as soon as possible – but no later than 30 days after the event.

Review your 2014 benefit election: Please be sure to visit Employee Self Service and review your 2014 benefit elections for accuracy. Please report any discrepancies to Human Resources right away.

Other News
In a press release issued from Bonn, Germany on December 10, DHL Express announced a 150 million Euro investment that doubles the capacity at its European Hub in Leipzig for future growth in express shipments and creates 400 additional jobs by virtue of the expansion. The company plans to invest EUR 150 million to construct additional warehousing, sorting and office facilities. The installation of a new shipment sorting system will increase the processing capacity of the hub by 50%, to more than 150 000 shipments per hour. Work on the new facilities will begin in December 2013, with the new, expanded warehouse expected to be operational from the fourth quarter of 2014. The expansion will incorporate the building of a new warehouse, effectively doubling the current footprint, and the installation of a material handling system. It will also add a parking yard for trucks and office space. As part of DHL’s GoGreen program, the facility will also incorporate green technologies, reinforcing the company’s stated commitment to environmental sustainability in its operations.

John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express Europe said: “Our European Hub in Leipzig is a critical part of our express infrastructure and one of three global hubs that form the backbone of the DHL network. Since we established operations here 5 years ago, it has been a driver behind DHL’s ability to help customers in Germany and other European markets who are trading internationally expand and grow. This investment will allow us to support our customers’ future growth requirements, while further strengthening both DHL’s service capabilities and our economic contribution to Leipzig and the surrounding region.”

That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX Air a success. Take care.