Florida First, Then Six Other States; Other Regions In The Works

On Monday, DayJet announced that business travelers in the Southeastern United Sates -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee -- will be the nation's first to benefit from "Per-Seat, On-Demand" jet service when it takes flight later this year.

The company said it will launch its service in Florida with an intra-state, point-to-point, on-demand network connecting communities that today have little or no scheduled air service.

The announcement was made today by DayJet President and CEO Ed Iacobucci at a press conference with Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Enterprise Florida Inc. (EFI) President and CEO John Adams, Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Raburn, and state and local leaders.

As part of an innovative public-private partnership, DayJet outlined plans to make Tallahassee home to a Very Light Jet (VLJ) Center of Excellence, the world's first center dedicated to VLJ service education. DayJet also announced that its corporate headquarters will be based in Palm Beach County, FL.

"Florida continues to emerge as a state of innovation. We're thrilled to welcome DayJet to Florida, and I join in applauding the company on their innovative business plan, including the use of very light jet aircraft and sophisticated technology," said Governor Bush. "DayJet is a good example of the cutting-edge, technology-based company that Florida is committed to fostering. The strength of Florida's storied aviation and aerospace sector, including the availability of a highly skilled workforce, played a large role in recruiting DayJet's fleet, training and world headquarters operation. I congratulate and thank all those involved in securing this project for Florida."

"Each day, thousands of regional business travelers struggle to get their important meetings inserted into their overcrowded work schedules," said DayJet's Iacobucci (right). "Just think of what DayJet has created as Tivo(TM) for Travel. Our 'Per-Seat, On-Demand' service will get you between those hard-to-reach locations on your schedule, instead of the networks' schedules."

In a separate statement, DayJet also announced results of an extensive market research study that indicate 64 percent of 1,350 surveyed Southeastern business travelers are ready to try "Per-Seat, On-Demand" jet service for its many workstyle/lifestyle benefits, including the ability to conduct day trips.

DayJet's plans call for a region-by-region service rollout. Within a given region, the company will offer "Per-Seat, On-Demand" jet service between specific airports, called DayPorts, which will be announced on a market-by-market basis.

The company's first DayPorts -- to be announced early in the third quarter -- will be located in Florida and operational before year's end. DayJet's initial service network will inter-connect central, southeast, southwest, north and Panhandle Florida communities with efficient and convenient point-to-point air transportation. Within 12 months of launch, DayJet will expand its service network to as many as 20 DayPorts in four Southeastern states.

"Per-Seat" means customers only pay for the seat(s) booked, not the whole aircraft. "On-Demand" means customers only fly on their individually negotiated schedules. The company will never publish schedules, nor operate on fixed schedules. DayJet flights will be tailored to each customer's needs, and priced at a modest premium to equivalent regional full-fare coach airfares.

"The Eclipse 500... has spurred the creation of a new class of service provider that will stimulate economic development by providing a new layer of air transportation," said Eclipse's Raburn. "DayJet will enable more people and organizations in towns across the State of Florida and in the Southeast to realize the full economic and productivity benefits that come with convenient air travel."

Headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, DayJet has developed the new "per seat, on demand" industry's first real-time operations system. The company aims to fly as many as 309 Eclipse 500 very light jets.

(Aero-News would like to ANN reader John Hunt for the photos in the above article.)

FMI: www.dayjet.com