LG, Bernhard
Originalartikel zu finden unter: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/13632901.htmRobert Cox vom Star Telegram wrote:Jan. 15, 2006
Jets may be next taxis
In his prior life as an IBM engineer, Ed Iacobucci says, he learned all too well the frustrations of traveling on commercial airlines. Once he made his fortune as an entrepreneur in electronics, Iacobucci discovered the convenience that comes with owning a private jet. Now, with a new generation of low-cost business jets coming to market, Iacobucci -- pronounced YAK-ah-boochee -- has bold plans for making the convenience and relative comfort of private-jet transportation available to far more people than ever before.
When it takes delivery of its first five Eclipse 500 jets this year, Iacobucci's Delray, Fla.-based DayJet Corp. plans to launch an on-demand air-taxi service that will offer business travelers -- or anyone else willing to pay the still-substantial price -- near door-to-door service to the places they want to go, when they want to go.
"We can guarantee people if they make a reservation we're going to fly them even if they're the only one on the airplane," said Iacobucci, who has already bet heavily on the venture by placing nonrefundable cash deposits on more than 300 of the $1.4 million jets.
There are those in the aviation world who doubt the viability of Iacobucci's ambitious undertaking. But there is widespread agreement that the imminent arrival of three small, relatively inexpensive business jets can make private-jet travel available to many more people than ever before.
Eclipse Aviation, based in Albuquerque, N.M., hopes to receive Federal Aviation Administration approval to begin deliveries of its four-passenger jet by the end of June. The company claims that buyers have placed orders and options for more than 2,300 airplanes. Two competitors aren't far behind. Cessna Aircraft Co. of Wichita, Kan., claims to have more than 200 orders for its $2.4 million Citation Mustang, a slightly larger four-passenger craft. The company expects FAA approval by the end of September. And Adam Aircraft of Englewood, Colo., says it has about 270 orders for its A700, a $2.25 million six- to eight-passenger plane.
The low price tag is a huge attraction. Cessna's Citation CJ1, the main low-priced entry-level jet now available, begins at about $4 million. Also, a new generation of small, light and fuel-efficient jet engines will make the new planes far less costly to fly.
And, manufacturers say, the new planes will be safe. "We think they'll be easier to fly and safer to fly," said Russ Meyer III, Mustang program manager for Cessna. "They'll land and take off at slower speeds" than many aircraft now flown by private operators. "If these people come out with anything vaguely as advertised, they're going to have people banging on their doors," said Mike Boyd of the Boyd Group aviation consulting firm.
Just how many people remains to be seen. For years, some aviation enthusiasts, including some NASA officials, have predicted that the new jets would spur enormous growth in the number of planes flying travelers to small, out-of-the-way airports with little or no airline service.
Like Iacobucci, a number of other entrepreneurs have talked of starting up air-taxi operations or expanding the availability and use of charter flights. One of those is Pogo Jet -- a venture backed by Robert Crandall, former chairman and chief executive of American Airlines -- which Adam Aircraft says has placed orders for 75 A700 jets. Crandall was unavailable last week for an update on Pogo.
Some aviation-industry analysts are skeptical that on-demand air-taxi services can make it, because of the number of planes needed, the cost of operations and the complexity of scheduling. Air-traffic restrictions will be a problem in congested urban airspace. The idea of huge fleets of air taxis "sounds good on paper," Boyd said. "I just don't see it happening."
Bill Dane, aviation analyst for Forecast International, is more optimistic. "There are some pretty smart people with some pretty good ideas," Dane said. As air-taxi and charter companies add service with the new small jets in coming years, Dane said, they will compound the problems facing legacy airlines by siphoning off even more business travelers, who purchase the high-priced tickets that airlines count on for the bulk of their profits.
Experts say that more travelers than ever, especially business customers, want and need an alternative to the airline industry. They want to be able to fly where they need to go when they need to go without having to spend time in airport security lines or waiting for connecting flights at out-of-the-way hubs.
"The state of the airlines right now is driving this," said Tom Wiesner, vice president of Adam's western division and international sales. "If you get two or three people going to the same place, they can fly into a local airport, rent a car, do their business and be back home at night."
Wiesner made a swing through Texas with the A700 last week, showing the aircraft to potential buyers at Love Field in Dallas before stopping in Houston and San Antonio. One look inside the cabin of the A700 shows that this is not the same level of comfort enjoyed by the likes of Donald Trump. The cabin is just more than 4 feet wide and tall, and with six passenger seats installed -- along with those for the two pilots -- legroom is at a premium. But the new class of business jets isn't meant for making many two- or three-hour flights.
The growth of fractional aircraft ownership -- think time shares for airplanes -- in recent years has significantly increased the number of people who can afford to travel by private planes. A fractional share guarantees the owner a pilot and plane on demand. But even a fractional share of a $6 million to $8 million jet requires a significant capital investment and annual costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The low cost of operating the new jets, Iacobucci said, will enable DayJet to offer air transportation "that is economically attractive to consumers" with few other alternatives. Think Waco to Tyler and Shreveport, or Waco to Midland. "We're going to and from places where there's never been any airline service." Iacobucci has been designing a business model that he thinks will bring that same convenience to a far larger group of people who won't mind paying a fair price -- perhaps $600 to $1,000 one way -- for a guaranteed seat.
Clients who need to fly at a specific time will likely pay a higher price than those who have some flexibility, Iacobucci says. Time flexibility will allow DayJet's scheduling staff to better coordinate passengers and flights, maximizing revenue and lowering costs.
Can it be done profitably?
"I'd be lying if I said I was 100 percent confident," Iacobucci said. "In the final analysis, you don't know if it's going to work or not. If we execute and we deliver what we promise, I'm pretty comfortable we're going to be successful."