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.)