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| News & Scoreboards |
Hail A Plane
Justin Martin
10/01/2005
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The new category of cheaper-to-operate VLJs will
enable companies to offer regularly scheduled short-hop services, better known
as air taxis.
Two main rivals—and a host of fly-by-nights—have emerged in
this market. Pogo is run by industry veterans Robert Crandall, retired CEO of
American Airlines, and Donald Burr, founder of People Express. DayJet is the
brainchild of Ed Iacobucci, the founder of Citrix Systems.
Pogo has ordered
75 Adam A700s, while DayJet has ordered 307 of Eclipse’s VLJ. Therein lies the
first challenge: air taxi models are predicated on planes that have not yet
passed muster with the FAA. But the stickier challenge may be scheduling. Air
taxi services require very efficient plane utilization, based on complex
computerized scheduling applications. Both Pogo and DayJet are scrambling to
develop these. “It’s a highly speculative market. But if air taxis catch on, VLJ
sales will skyrocket,” says Jens Henning, manager of operations for the General
Aviation Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C.
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