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Wonder Woman Lands At Rostock Airport

    Rostock-Laage – a civilian airport closely safeguarded by the German Air Force or for the uninitiated- Luftwaffe, next door, has to date been kind of hidden in all the rip and roar of newly developed gateways in Berlin and other points east in Germany.
    But recently two things have happened to make RLG or ETNL a lot better known and further recognized for great geographical position and ultra low costs as compared to others.
    Air Force One landed here earlier this year during the Big Eight Summit in Heiligendamm – and Maria A. Muller has taken the driver’s seat as the first ever lady in the Position of Managing Director of an airport in Germany.
    Mrs. Muller who is also a pilot – was awarded “Woman of the Year in FlyingTypers for 2006 as a result of her outstanding contribution as director of marketing at Frankfurt Hahn.
    With her credentials and cache garnered over some years at both Frankfurt and building up business for the Hahn she probably could have sat tight and continued along with a familiar and highly public role.
    But Maria is not about rolling over when challenged.
    She is both a soft touch for helping the industry she loves and her friends and also a tough and determined competitor.
    So when the opportunity to make some kind of history landed one day a few months ago on her desk, she accepted it because she feels it is a unique challenge to turn a sleepy, but well-equipped airport into a “loud and busy one.”
    The slogan she created “Let’s Get Loud in Meck-Pomm” is typical for her.
    Down to earth, customer-oriented and believing in “making visits to get results,” are just some of the attributes of this remarkable woman.
    “Meck-Pomm,” for those keeping score of these things is simply a handy abbreviation of the name of the German State in which the airport resides in a part of Germany, folks fondly have nicknamed “the summer bathing tub” of the country.
    Maria brings both attention and a wealth of hands on knowledge to this well-equipped underutilized gateway with endless runways and plenty of room to build and grow just near Berlin.
    Maria knows the global cargo charter market – and knows the right people. Few airport executives of either persuasion can match her inside knowledge of the low cost segment i.e. Ryanair or Mrs. Muller’s creative flair.     As you read this, bet is that Maria, presentation in hand is out on the road to tomorrow somewhere touting a passenger terminal with ample space for airplanes and crowds – and a 2000 m _ cargo warehouse awaiting boxes, pallets, crates, and containers and action galore.
    “We have just begun,” Maria says.
    “In an age where costs and service are major drivers, Rostock-Laage is ready to deliver in every way.
    “That’s something to get loud about!”
Guenter Mosler/Geoffrey

If You Knew Beti Sue

   The first woman who comes to mind when someone says "women in air cargo" is Beti Ward of Pacific Air Cargo.
   Ms. Ward started in the Air Cargo business in the early 1980's when freight forwarders were the best thing going in the shipping industry. Trucking was too slow for our fast moving world.
   Beti started with a small forwarding franchise called "Dynamic Air Freight" which evolved into ABR Express with an office at the Phoenix airport cargo area. With Diamonds Department Stores (now Dillards) and APS as some of her biggest customers she shipped clothing nationwide and ran trucks full of freight out to Wintersburg, AZ where the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was being built.
   From there, freight forwarding was just not enough for her, she began running a business that flew a 747Freighter into Hawaii with flowers and other commodities. This was the beginning of American International Cargo which involved the services of Kalitta Air (a Connie Kalitta Corporation). When Kalitta Air sold out to Kitty Hawk, Beti took some time and moved into semi-retirement.
   This did not last long for Ms. Ward when just a short time later she opened her very own air cargo airline, Pacific Air Cargo, in 2000. The comment was made at that time "Take Beti Ward and add water... what do you get? An airline!"
   Ms. Ward is now the CEO of Pacific Air Cargo (PAC) which provides express air cargo service between Los Angeles and Honolulu using Boeing 747 freighters under contract. PAC is supported by a majority of freight forwarders, integrators, and airlines, both domestic, and international.
   Beti's company shipped over 80 million pounds of cargo last year.