News
Little Buddy for Skybus: Air Taxi Service Coming to Punta Gorda
Charlotte Sun Herald
Dec. 2007
PUNTA GORDA -- DayJet Corp., a Boca Raton based "on-demand" air service, will soon be flying light jets in and out of Charlotte County Airport.
DayJet is being marketed to business travelers from whom time is money. Fares are high -- but passengers can book a flight when they need it, and can save on road time and overnight accommodations.
Initially, DayJet has designated five Florida cities as its first set of "DayPorts," roughly comparable to the major airlines' hub airports. DayJet flights can be booked from any one of 33 cities, provided they either begin or end at one of the five Florida DayPorts -- Boca Raton, Gainesville, Lakeland, Pensacola and Tallahassee.
The remaining 28 cities include 19 Florida destinations, including Punta Gorda and Naples. Rounding out the list are five Georgia cities, three in Alabama, and one in Mississippi.
"We will continually evaluating the business so we can grow Punta Gorda to DayPort status," said Vicky Harris, DayJet's director of marketing. "It's a beautiful community with a great quality of life."
DayJet's interest in Punta Gorda was discussed at the start of Thursday's meeting of the Charlotte County Airport Authority.
"They won't be basing any airplanes here, at least initially. But is still makes a nice addition to the airport," said Gary Stasko, vice chairman of the authority.
Certainly, DayJet provides the strongest possible contrast with the local airport's lone scheduled carrier, Columbus, Ohio-based Skybus Airlines. Skybus started flying from Columbus in May, offering "outrageously low fares" starting at $10 -- but only for travelers lucky enough to snag one of 10 such seats reserved on every flight, a task that usually requires logging onto the Internet at an outrageously early hour of the morning.
Skybus began twice-daily flights between Columbus and Punta Gorda Dec. 5, then added an afternoon flight to Portsmouth, N.H. Dec. 17. In January, Skybus will add a third Columbus flight plus twice-daily service to its second hub, Greensboro, N.C.
DayJet is a "members only" service that started flying in October. An annual subscription costs $250, plus a commitment to book at least two round-trip or four one-way flights during the year, Harris explained.
Like Skybus, DayJet handles its bookings over the Internet, but there the similarity ends.
DayJet guarantees that it will honor any member's reservation, Harris said. But there are substantial cost savings for travelers who request a flexible departure time.
Harris explained that DayJet needs a minimum of 90 minutes to pick up a passenger and land him safely at his destination. A Punta Gorda passenger who needed to be in Tallahassee by noon would have to be ready to depart by 10:30 a.m. The fare for this 90-minute window would be $1,500.
But if the passenger can settle for a longer departure window, the cost goes down a lot. Using the example above, a one-way fare to Tallahassee with a three-and-a-half hour window would cost $854. With seven hours warning, the cost drops to $353.
DayJet operates a fleet of about two dozen Eclipse 500 light passenger jets with a crew of two and seats for three passengers. Usually, a passenger will share the airplane with other travelers, who may not be going to the same destination. However, stops are arranged to get everyone to their destinations without delay. "For example, a flight to Tallahassee might land to discharge a passenger in Ocala," Harris said.
Also, providing a longer departure window helps DayStar match passengers so it doesn't fly with any seats empty, Harris said. And these savings get passed on the passengers.
DayJet Corp. was founded in 2002 by Ed Iacobucci, currently its president and chief executive officer. Obtaining financing and Federal Aviation Administration permits as an on-demand carrier took the better part of five years.
In other Airport Authority business Thursday, Gary Quill, the airport's executive director, was rewarded for his role in recruiting Skybus with an 11.5 percent raise, retroactive to October.
Quill's salary will rise from $108,000 to $122,000, based on negotiations with District 2 Airport Commissioner Don Lee, who also serves as the authority's treasurer.
Also, Quill will be getting a $5,000 cash bonus, and an incentive package that promises a review of his compensation every six months, based mainly on how much revenue Skybus is generating for the airport.
You can e-mail Bob Fliss at bfliss@sun-herald.com.
By BOB FLISS
Charlotte Business Editor
