Over the course of the Pandemic, semiprivate air carriers have had mixed fortunes. Some of the travel industry's largest players see smooth skies ahead now that the industry is back up.
John Redcay is a man.
John Redcay, chief commercial officer at Dallas-based JSX, the largest player in the sector, said they see a lot of upside given the flexibility and unique qualities of their business model.
Private carriers operate out of private airport terminals with small planes, similar to semiprivate airlines. The maximum number of seats allowed by the FAA is 30. Customers only have to arrive about 15 minutes before their flight to get plenty of legroom. They differ from private in that they offer regularly scheduled flights. The cost of flying private is much higher than the cost of a ticket, but it is less expensive than first-class domestic seats.
Semiprivate operators cut back on operations early in the Pandemic. One of the larger ones, Cincinnati-based Ultimate Air Shuttle, which caters mostly to business flyers, remains grounded. Surf announced last week that it would become publicly traded and that it would purchase the regional operator Southern Airways, which operates commercial flights on nine-seat Cessna aircraft in various parts of the U.S.
Other operators are growing. The West Coast has traditionally been used for most of the operations of JSX. It expanded with the addition of Austin, Texas, and Destin, Fla., and began operations between Miami and New York's Westchester County. During the first four months of the year, the frequencies flew less than they did through April.
There is more growth in the works. In March, it was announced that it would acquire 54 Embraer planes. Redcay said the aircraft will be used for a broad network expansion, with details to be announced as the planes are phased in at a rate of several per month. In June and August, the first expansion will take JSX into both Crested Butte and Denver, Colo.
Tradewind Aviation uses eight-seat aircraft to fly charter flights in the Northeast and the Caribbean. The photo is courtesy of Tradewind Aviation.
Tradewind Aviation operates networks out of the New York-area and within the Caribbean. On Memorial Day weekend, the company will launch its newest route between Westchester Airport and Newport, R.I.
In the Caribbean, demand is up 30% compared with pre-pandemic levels, but the carrier expects a normalized summer in terms of demand in the Northeast.
Over the next five years, Tradewind will double its fleet with the addition of 20 more Pilates aircraft. Zipkin said the company hasn't decided how many of the planes will be used for scheduled flights and how many will go toward the company's traditional on-demand charter operation.
It really depends on what the demand looks like when we take delivery.
There was scheduled seaplane service between the New York and Boston harbors. The photo is courtesy of Tailwind Aviation.
Last year, the New York and Boston harbors were added to the list of destinations served by the semiprivate seaplane operator.
Peter Manice, co- founder of Tailwind, said that the company's Cessna Caravan Amphibian planes can land on lakes, rivers, harbors or at airports.
Aero launched U.S. operations during the Pandemic, connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco with upscale Western destinations such as Aspen, Colo., and Sun Valley, Idaho.
Gollan says the question of whether the business model has legs is open.
It is a great concept, but it is not yet known where it will work and what will not work.
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