tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35464542819795281292008-07-22T07:39:27.111-04:00Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-58847126289415544962008-07-22T07:35:00.002-04:002008-07-22T07:38:58.830-04:00

Pilot, publisher, and writer Rich Karlgaard of Forbes Magazine has an interesting article in the July 21 print edition and an expanded version of the article on his blog. It's entitled "Beating America's Airlines." It starts as follows: "Only a fraction of you share my enthusiasm for small airplanes. But there is a larger story here. With fuel prices going to the moon and the airlines cutting

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-85134683738118494902008-07-16T13:25:00.002-04:002008-07-16T13:29:31.427-04:00

Last week, DayJet announced the addition of two more DayPorts and 14 DayStops. Orlando and St Petersburg-Clearwater were the latest DayPorts added. New DayStops included multiple locations in the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. With the addition of the two Dayports, 83 % of the state of Florida's population lives within 40 miles of a DayPort. The map to the right of 60 DayPorts (

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-52416979550446673112008-07-15T02:16:00.002-04:002008-07-15T09:13:33.817-04:00

Launched today, Door2DoorAir.com in conjunction with FlyPorts.com represents a significant advance in the air taxi marketplace. Billed as the Orbitz or Travelocity equivalent for a number of air taxi and charter services, the website portal allows you to enter your origin, destination, number of passengers and date of travel. It then provides you in a matter of seconds with a number of aircraft

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-82603685861741298822008-07-14T22:16:00.009-04:002008-07-14T23:13:57.143-04:00

Several weeks ago Skyway Air Taxi opened for Part 135 air taxi operations flying out of Manassas, Virginia in the Cirrus SR-22. Skyway Air Taxi is another success story of true determination, hard work and "sweat equity" by CEO Carol Scott and her team. I first met Carol at the International Air Taxi Convention earlier this year where she was featured on my legal panel as a "Part 135 applicant."

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-23597598463147873852008-07-02T18:37:00.011-04:002008-07-02T19:42:43.596-04:00

In addition to BlueSkyTaxi (discussed in Part I earlier in the week) flying Cirrus SR-22s and operating on the true "air cab" model, there is another leading air taxi and charter operator in Chicago with a number of aircraft platforms including 6 Eclipse aircraft. North American Jet, led by CEO and President Ken Ross, has a solid presence there and now even has one of its Eclipse aircraft in Boca

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-6549814703209177502008-06-29T21:27:00.014-04:002008-07-01T08:29:36.501-04:00

I have spent a good deal of time discussing the air taxi companies on the East Coast as that is where the majority of the initial companies are located. In spite of the economy and fuel prices, others are out there and more are coming. One has been flying in the Chicago Metropolitan area since January of this year. According to its CEO Jerry Zak, BlueSkyTaxi started with 3 Cirrus SR22-G3s and

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-38793096923220597912008-06-27T22:47:00.007-04:002008-06-27T23:34:09.491-04:00

More recent photos of the Cirrus Jet (right). It is quite similar to the eye with the single engine Eclipse 400 (below). It will be interesting to see if they are considered for the air taxi market or become more attractive to individual owners in light of their single engines. AvWeb is reporting that Cirrus has received more than 400 refundable $100,00 deposits for The Jet. One notable

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-23472685185418628602008-06-25T11:53:00.012-04:002008-06-27T07:50:58.718-04:00

I have been a little busy lately and have spent some time in our major airports traveling for client matters. I have experienced lost luggage, long lines and an unexpected layover in DC due to multiple cancellations. Most of the trips have been long hauls outside the practical scope of an air taxi. I have noticed my airfares creeping up rather substantially and have read a lot of newspapers while

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-3973243448630176182008-06-14T06:57:00.015-04:002008-06-27T07:50:05.284-04:00

News of the Eclipse engine throttle inspection emergency order issued by the FAA this week as the result of the NTSB report on a recent Eclipse June 5 incident was surely widely publicized. However, it would appear that the magnitude of the national publicity in articles like that in the New York Times ("Federal Agency Grounds Light Jet Used as Air Taxi") was somewhat overdone, so to speak. With

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-11301086107311104282008-06-05T17:04:00.014-04:002008-06-06T08:32:12.877-04:00

I am sitting at New York's LaGuardia Airport (my flight is delayed) after a couple days of business in New York City and having attended the American Bar Association's Section of Aviation Litigation Seminar. Yesterday's USA Today's article entitled "Small Jets Spur Concerns" was rather disappointing. It demonstrates the continued lack of understanding of the very light jet industry and air taxis

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-91413898798644777852008-06-01T22:55:00.010-04:002008-06-01T23:34:18.034-04:00

In addition to offering 50% off flights at its two newest DayPorts - Jacksonville and Sarasota - DayJet is also offering a Friends & Family Program during the month of June. With the addition of these two locations, 62 percent of Florida's 18 millions residents now live within 35 miles of a DayPort. For those of you who have an acquaintance, business colleague or a family member who is a DayJet

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-5421402443255846162008-05-28T23:45:00.003-04:002008-05-29T18:49:34.645-04:00

Last week, more negative news out of Capitol Hill related to commercial air travel and the costs of delays in a report entitled "Your Flight Has Been Delayed Again" and released by the Joint Economic Committee ("JEC") Majority Staff chaired by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) on May 22. At the beginning of the year, I discussed other statistics released by the DOT related to the costs of delays.

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-12798137137477862472008-05-26T08:44:00.014-04:002008-05-27T21:42:04.675-04:00

Today's Memorial Day edition of The Washington Post contains the latest in a series of articles highlighting the challenges faced in light of fuel costs and the economy for air taxis. Written by Kendra Marr, the article is entitled "Takeoff Turbulence for Air Taxis -Fuel Prices, Distressed Economy Create Head Winds for Start-Ups," and includes some good information on Linear Air and a video clip.

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-20378101510491387562008-05-21T07:16:00.011-04:002008-05-27T21:42:58.695-04:00

There is a good article in yesterday's New York Times discussing a number of US operators entitled "Air Taxis Fly Into Financial Turbulence." It includes a discussion on Dayjet's recent inability to secure another round of financing and its need for market expansion to obtain a critical mass for continued future operations. The most interesting part of the article confirmed that need for

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-16808989865291134112008-05-12T19:27:00.013-04:002008-05-27T21:40:48.633-04:00

A Flight International article has a great update highlighting some of the more than 16 different European air taxis operators who are flying now or plan on doing so by 2010. In an informative article entitled "Will the emergence of VLJs as air taxis transform air travel?" authored by Kate Sarsfield, it is clear that the European air taxi marketplace is far from being defined and in that way will

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-12507547670354194522008-05-09T07:00:00.005-04:002008-05-27T21:38:43.795-04:00

With DayJet's scale back announcement, I have been asked repeatedly what I thought and what this meant for the air taxi marketplace. I have also spent the past few days reading most of the news reports and analysts' statements. Here is what I think, much of which has been stated in one way or another in previous posts this year. This is an emerging market based on disruptive technology. It will

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-56729710985040375122008-05-04T22:54:00.022-04:002008-05-05T22:14:04.801-04:00

It has been a while since I have discussed the status of European operators, but an article in Time magazine recently highlighted the efforts of both Blink and Jetbird. The article entitled "Private Jets: Air Pressure" discussed again the projections about the number of vljs operating in Europe in the future and how that might impact airspace traffic and congestion - especially at the higher

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-77532990282605829332008-05-02T01:41:00.016-04:002008-05-03T08:49:54.523-04:00

I have -- since I flew my first flight on SATSair -- been a significant proponent of the company. Serving primarily the Southeast and based in my home state of South Carolina, SATSair has just released a press release of some rather impressive numbers for 2007 and the first quarter of this year. I attribute that success to a number of factors: reliability, excellent customer service, a fleet of

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-19238768683469003532008-04-22T03:00:00.004-04:002008-04-22T03:03:03.255-04:00

A strong group of aviation professionals with significant ties to JetBlue formerly announced the creation of JetSuite in a press release yesterday. Led by Alex Wilcox, one of the original founders of JetBlue and later the COO of Kingfisher Airlines, JetSuite plans to operate Phenom 100s in a managed owner aircraft model concept. JetSuite plans to serve the West Coast and start by early next year

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-42572141207560319472008-04-21T23:46:00.000-04:002008-04-22T09:03:40.207-04:00

I spent a large part of last week at the NBAA Maintenance Management Conference in Florida where I had the honor of appearing on the agenda to speak on maintenance risk and legal issues both from the litigation and regulatory perspective. As always, NBAA put on a great conference. In preparing for my comments, there was needless to say a wealth of relevant news and information on maintenance

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-76500777849353441342008-04-13T19:30:00.009-04:002008-04-14T00:10:51.672-04:00

In 2001, James Fallows published in hardback "Free Flight, From Airline Hell to a New Age of Travel." In 2002, he toned down the title of the paperback release to "Free Flight, Inventing the Future of Travel." I suspect the majority of the traveling public the past few weeks would think the original title was more appropriate. Regardless, I have posted before about James Fallows' book and Dr.

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-15231224477731120772008-04-12T12:52:00.002-04:002008-04-12T12:56:07.120-04:00

"It is, by far, the easiest solution to traveling there and back in the same day." Mike McMenamin, CEO Access Insurance Co. With all the focus on the beautiful Masters Golf Tournament this weekend in Augusta, the Augusta Chronicle's Business section features an article today by LaTina Emerson entitled "Air Tax Services Growing." The article highlights ImagineAir, and also discusses SATSair and

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-11083728240312690672008-04-10T23:29:00.005-04:002008-04-11T18:32:01.226-04:00

The past few weeks we have witnessed how maintenance compliance must be inherent in any aviation organization's culture and daily operations. This week, American Airlines has cancelled hundreds of flights following the same actions by Southwest and Delta. Next week, I have the privilege of being a speaker at the NBAA's 23rd Annual Maintenance Management Conference ("MMC"). The three day NBAA

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-48152891169531539702008-04-03T23:25:00.009-04:002008-04-05T21:27:17.151-04:00

I expect portions of today's sworn testimony before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee entitled "Critical Lapses in FAA Safety Oversight of Airlines: Abuses of Regulatory Partnership Programs," will garner the headlines of every major newspaper tomorrow morning. I also suspect it will result in additional and intense scrutiny on the FAA and the Agency's handling of the

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546454281979528129.post-50131357065745297822008-03-28T22:25:00.004-04:002008-03-29T12:24:35.707-04:00

There have been two more informative write-ups on DayJet recently. The April issue of Flying Magazine has a nice article by Dick Karl entitled "Hey! Taxi!" and Esther Dyson's Flight School Blog (more on Esther later) described her recent visit in an entry entitled "Trip Report: DayJet." Both took rides on the Eclipse aircraft and were impressed with the DayJet operation. Both analogize the

Mark Favahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15161090576121265349noreply@blogger.com