Aiming At Small Teams Of Corporate Executives
Air-taxi operator Linear Air this
week launched its new luxury charter service from Hanscom Field, 15
miles west of Boston in Bedford (MA), flying to almost 200 cities
along the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts. The company says its
service is ideal for business travelers, particularly those who
travel in small teams.
Unlike most air charter companies that charge thousands of
dollars per occupied flight hour in a typical aircraft, Linear Air
will charge only $750 per hour for its aircraft. Passengers will
fly in a brand new Cessna Caravan, an eight-seat executive
airplane, which will be staffed by two pilots.
"We've broken the charter price barrier with our concept of
affordable private air travel," said William E. Herp, president and
CEO of Linear Air. "The big roadblock for most people in choosing
charter service is the expense. But we've created an entirely new
paradigm that combines affordability with personalized service in a
private setting. That makes for a better overall travel
experience."
For a limited time, new charter customers can receive an
additional discount of up to 30 percent off by taking advantage of
Linear Air's unique Fly Buy - program. Fly Buy offers discounts for
volume purchases ranging from 10 percent on $500 to up to 30
percent on $5,000. Charter passengers can choose to fly to dozens
of cities in 14 states from Maine to Virginia. Some of the
destinations that can be served by Linear Air include from Hanscom
Airport include Augusta and Portland, Maine, New York City and
Syracuse, N.Y., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and Arlington and
Fredericksburg (VA).
Linear Air says it is able to charge lower rates due in part to
the company's extensive use of technology, including a proprietary
web-based scheduling system. "Customers are able to get better
rates because we don't have to hire an army of people to be on the
phone for reservations," said Herp. "And these days more customers
prefer to do business online."
Herp noted that the charter service is particularly welcome at a
time when long check-in lines and indirect travel have made for a
frustrating experience for business and vacation travelers. "Over
the years, the airlines have become tied to an inconvenient
hub-and-spoke system that requires regional travel to go through
major hubs," he said. "Our name is taken from the concept of
traveling in a straight line to your destination."
Herp noted that the Cessna Caravan can be configured for 12
passengers, but that the company opted to make it eight passengers
for increased comfort and spaciousness. "The plane also has
state-of-the art avionics systems and the capacity to carry lots of
baggage," he said.
The launch of the air charter service comes about two weeks
before Linear Air will introduce private weekend service to Cape
Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 6. "We look forward to
offering some routes that are more vacation-oriented with our same
concept of affordable private air travel," said Herp.
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