A new service aims to offer on-demand air taxi services to the New York market and beyond, but they aren’t waiting for new aircraft, they are operating right now.
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Air Taxi Services For The New York And Surrounding Markets
A new service, Flewber, has started in the New York City metro and to communities nearby. Unlike other announcements from United, American, and Southwest relying on future technology not yet here, Flewber utilizes a Cirrus Vision Jet SF50. The single-engine aircraft uses a jet engine over the top of the aircraft but has the economics of a prop aircraft with the performance of a light jet.
Flewber aims to deliver passengers on short haul trips (under 300 miles for whole aircraft) with the on-demand convenience of flying private but at an approachable price point. Starting in New York City, the service will save visitors to the Hamptons hours over driving, and is more reliable and comfortable than helicopter services. The aircraft’s range makes it easier to reach cities like Washington DC, Boston, Atlantic City, and even Albany while delivering the aircraft within 30 minutes at the push of a button on the company’s app.
Flewber has some key differentiating features that make it a viable candidate for an Air Taxi service that others do not. First, the company is a division of a Part 135 private jet charter and brokerage firm (Flewber Luxe) that has been in operation for decades with experience in the space. Second, the company owns its assets which helicopter company, Blade, does not, giving them operational control. Third, operating costs are far lower than other short haul aircraft at just $800-900 per hour vs $3,500 per hour on a small Learjet. Lastly, another compelling advantage is that the Cirrus is designed to shut down its engines within five minutes of operation while the Lear has a longer shut down period. This is emblematic to the mission of the jet and the attractiveness for this particular operation.
“It’s designed to deliver the durability of props and reliability, but in the form of a jet.” – Thane Gevas, Flewber
Safety is also of paramount importance and the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 offers something that other private jets and charters do not. There are two redundant safety measures that passengers could operate should the single pilot become incapacitated. The most famous is Cirrus’ parachute which, when deployed, will pitch the nose up and then eject the parachute guiding the aircraft safely to the ground. The second is a one-touch automatic landing system called Safe Return that takes over the aircraft controls, communicates with ATC, and safely lands the plane at the nearest available airport (why don’t commercial jets have this feature?) and here’s what that looks like in practice:
Affordable Service By The Seat Or Whole Aircraft
One key to Flewber is that it doesn’t intend to live and die by summer trips to the Hamptons. The company is building the service with a focus on business travelers who need to quickly get to nearby areas where flying or driving is inconvenient. The ability to hail the aircraft on the way to the airport enhances its appeal. That makes the model sustainable year-round and creates the ability to expand beyond the New York metro area to places like South Florida or even Texas each of which offer high demand the entire year and the need to deliver passengers quickly to nearby destinations.
Flewber first offered Hops, launching just 13 days ago on August 5th, 2024, the company’s by-the-seat service. More on that below. The whole aircraft service launched last week and remains relatively affordable given the on-demand nature, and capacity. A trip I looked at for tomorrow from LaGuradia to Albany ran just under $4,000 for the entire jet which seats four adults. That might seem expensive but on virtually no notice for a first class non-stop flight at a time of your choosing, this is on par with market rates.
It’s also important for empty legs. The company was focused on the technology during our conversation and the capabilities it could offer.
“The software that’s being utilized will push empty legs to the network. It’s about efficiency.” – Gevas
Short Haul Service, Hops
The star of the show is Flewber’s Hops service offering by-the-seat pricing with the same on-demand service capabilities.
“Flewber Hops is pioneering the future of travel, serving as a precursor to Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM). Our service offers on-demand, mobile app-based booking for private air travel, with a rapid turnaround time of two hours from booking to boarding. We provide both whole aircraft and per-seat options, with pricing starting at $199 per seat. Our initial service area encompasses a 155-mile radius centered on New York City, delivering swift and convenient travel within the region.” – Thane Gevas, Executive Vice President
Let’s say you need to get back to New York City from Atlantic City, New Jersey tomorrow. Renting a car would incur about $100 charge plus another $50 (approx.) in gas, a bit more for the tolls ($13-16 depending on the time of day) or about $163-166 plus three hours and eight minutes without significant traffic. UberX would charge $357 for the one-way on a recent estimate, with UberBlack running more than $800 – the travel time remains the same. American Airlines offers the route for $527 in coach with two stops spanning 6+ hours or $820 for one-stop service and a 3 hour 20 minute transit. In the Flewber app, $326 is the total for one seat with a flight time of 25 minutes. Guests need only to arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Can Flewber Make It Work?
When I spoke with Gevas, I was candid about concerns from another light jet startup, OneJet, I covered in the past that started in my home airport, Pittsburgh. Their model was simple, offer non-stop flights to cities that are hard to get to on commercial aircraft. For example, Milwaukee is a nine-hour drive, or at least a three-hour journey from Pittsburgh with a connection. With OneJet it was just 75 minutes and sold for about $400-600 one-way.
The problem was that OneJet’s model required two pilots, and had an operating cost of $4,000/hour. The airline also flew from commercial terminals adding a check-in counter, gate rental and staff, and removing the benefit of avoiding the terminal and lengthy security lines. The OneJet model was never going to work with a seven-seat jet (though I loved the experience.)
Introductory pricing, even at capacity, will operate at a loss at the lowest levels for Flewber too, but not nearly as dramatic. It’s not uncommon for new air service to operate below market rate to gain traction and a user base. Frontier offered introductory pricing on its new Pittsburgh-Philadelphia route for $36.50, half price of the tolls on the same route.
The difference between OneJet and Flewber is that OneJet’s fares could never realistically achieve its goal without much higher prices, considerable scale, reliable operations, and every flight running full. OneJet filed bankruptcy.
Why Flewber Is Better Positioned
Flewber won’t make money on Hops occupied with a single passenger, it will need more customers. However, the aircraft is more reliable as they are brand new. The company also has the ability to offer it as an extension of its existing charter business, a tool OneJet didn’t have. Beyond intro pricing, flights will make money ($800/hour only applies to a full aircraft, fewer passengers means less fuel.) In the example I tried, three passengers would push the jet over operating expenses and the fourth would be profitable.
Avoiding setting up a hub, network, check-in counter, and second pilot will make all the difference. Lower maintenance costs, higher reliability on new aircraft, and an entry price point closer to actual operating costs gives Flewber every chance to succeed.
I personally can’t wait to try the service, and given the chance, will bring that experience to our readers.
What do you think?
This is a dumb model. I don’t see how they can get to profitability here. Even with “low” operating costs, the fixed and variable costs will likely exceed their revenue.
I was a member of jetsmarter. I definitely got my $30k membership worth but they were just burning cash. Don’t see how this will end any differently.
Sounds like a boondoggle and venture capital scam to me!
Do they take pets? Asking for a friend
Very cool!
I just luv intro prices…..just wait till you need it on short notice…Surprise!!!!!!!!