Jaan Albrecht receives Tony Jannus Award

The award was first given in 1964 by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society, recognising extraordinary accomplishments in the field of commercial aviation. The award perpetuates the legacy of the world's first scheduled commercial airline, initiated and piloted by Tony Jannus on January 1st, 1914 between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida.

In accepting the award, Albrecht stated that he is very impressed by the aims and objectives of the Society: “Not only does it remind people of the pioneering role that early aviators played, the example they’ve set and the ground-breaking progress that is still being made in aviation today. The activities of the society also inspire young people to consider becoming part of it.” Skilled and enthusiastic employees are the backbone of the successful future of the entire aviation industry.” Albrecht pointed out that the founding fathers of Star Alliance needed the same spirit, vision, will to innovate and courage as Tony Jannus, in order to launch this global cooperation which has turned into a respected model for success. “In this respect, it makes me very happy that my team and I in our day-to-day work keep alive the old virtues of the early aviators.”