Having made the decision to improve its facilities, Inflite The Jet Centre at London Stansted airport made sure the well-appointed lounges were ready in time for the London Olympics, with the whole facility fully operational in October.

"We decided that it was time to up our game and improve the facilities, not just for our customers but also for the crews," says Pauline Monksfield.

"After much thought, the decision was made to build the new FBO in our existing location. It is 9,978 sq ft which incorporates individual vvip lounges, one having the capacity for 220 passengers for corporate charters, crew lounge, briefing room and en-suite restrooms.

"Since it opened we have received many positive compliments about the décor and ambiance from our customers, but the appreciation, we feel, has come from crew as they tend to spend the time with us."

Despite handling more flights in 2012 than in previous years, Monksfield observes that typical seasonal patterns underwent some changes: "Months in the past that we had been busy were fairly quiet and vice versa."