JetSuiteX Pushing Forward Despite Santa Monica Foot-Dragging | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.12.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.13.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.14.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-05.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.16.25

Sat, Jan 28, 2017

JetSuiteX Pushing Forward Despite Santa Monica Foot-Dragging

Low-Fare Flights Will Begin On Schedule Feb 6, CEO Says

With or without permission from the City of Santa Monica, JetSuiteX plans to begin scheduled operations out of Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) on February 6.

That's the position of JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox, who says that the company has "a federal right to operate" to and from KSMO even if the city does not grant the company a certificate for such operations.

The city, however, says JetSuiteX is selling tickets for a service that they legally have no right to offer.

The southern California newspaper The Argonaut reports that JetSuiteX will operate as a "public charter" as allowed in Part 135 of the FARs. That is different from a commercial operation. The company made that distinction to KSMO manager Stelios Makrides in a letter dated January 17, which prompted a closed-door meeting between the city council and the city's interim attorney.

While no action was taken at that meeting, Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole said that the city plans to "vigorously work to keep them from beginning what we consider — until a [commercial] permit is considered — an illegal operation.”

Cole said that the "opinion" of the company is moot. "We are the regulatory body and they don't have a permit," Cole said. The city says it has not approved the permit on the grounds that JetSuite provided "incomplete information" in its application.

The FAA hasn't been much help. They sent a one-line response to various requests for clarification. The agency said in the brief statement that its role "is to ensure that airport sponsors comply with federal obligations,” citing the 20 pages of rules for "Assurances: Airport Sponsor" for grant recipients.

FMI: www.jetsuite.com, www.smgov.net/departments/cmo, www.faa.gov

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.16.25)

Aero Linx: International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) IFATCA is the recognised international organisation representing air traffic controller associ>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.16.25)

“The BlackBird is more than a demonstrator—it’s a flying testbed for the future of aviation. To see it take flight in such a short time is a testament to our team>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.16.25): Glideslope Intercept Altitude

Glideslope Intercept Altitude The published minimum altitude to intercept the glideslope in the intermediate segment of an instrument approach. Government charts use the lightning >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 05.13.25: Merlin Tests, Dronetag Accuses, Flying Car?

Also: MQ-9B UAS MTC, FlightSimExpo, New JPL Director, Japanese Lunar Lander Preps Merlin’s flight testing campaign continues to rapidly progress with its certification-ready >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Jabiru's New J170-D - An Upgraded and Fine-tuned LSA

From 2017 (YouTube Edition): The Airplane From Down Under Is A Proven Trainer… Jabiru was one of the early light sport aircraft (LSA) brought into the U.S.A. when the sport >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC