Air Taxi
The term Air Taxi is a catch all
phrase that refers to the renting of an entire aircraft, or aircraft
seats in smaller aircraft.
While the airlines specialize in
selling transportation by the seat, air taxi companies focus on
small groups for specialized itineraries, urgent / time sensitive
freight or cargo, air ambulance and any other form of ad hoc air
transportation. |
HondaJet - VLJ |
New
technologies in engine design, airframe manufacturing methods, computer
aided design and avionics as well as ATC upgrades, many say, will come
together to drastically reduce cost while increasing efficiency, comfort
and safety.
These aircraft (Such as the Eclipse
500 are said easier to fly and much cheaper to produce than current
production jets. 5,400 small airports across the United States make
point-to-point air travel on smaller jets quicker for travelers than the
airline hub and spoke system.
Next generation avionics and systems may also make these small airports
accessible even in poor weather conditions. Companies such as Taxijet,
DayJet, and Pogo expect this mode of travel to flourish due to the
decreased cost of personal air travel.
Very Light Jets or
VLJs
popularized the concept of small
affordable jets that would bring the capital carrying cost of
aircraft down enough so that many more could be sold and operated.
Eclipse Aviation is one of the most well known new aircraft brands,
although other companies including
Adam Aircraft,
Cessna,
Honda, and Embraer have
designed or built VLJs of their own.
While the air taxi debate is
concerned with whether these aircraft will actually contribute to
change, the mere discussion, media coverage and excitement over new
technology is bringing more and more attention to the concept of ad hoc
air transportation.
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