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Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

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Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#41

Post by jsavimbi »

jonnathanson wrote: post #33
rdl wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phoenix to Seattle is not the market. Even if I owned a private plane, I'd probably fly commercial for hub to hub flights like that. (and almost definitely for super long haul point to point like SFO-HKG; it's reasonable to own or charter a Caravan or King Air or Citation II or something if you fly a lot with a group of people, but a G650 or BBJ3 is an order of magnitude more. I've been a passenger on a moderate numb…

I've been a passenger on a moderate number of business/corporate/government vs. super-rich-person jets, and a top quality commercial business class or most first class products are actually a more comfortable experience, at a much lower cost) True in many cases, though not always. I think there are a lot of variables at play, all of which need to be accounted for: wait time and hassle at commercial airports vs. priva…

> it is debatably the coach experience of 10 to 15 years ago.

Not even remotely. I'm going to argue the contrary, that coach-class flying reached its race to the bottom about 10-15 years ago and didn't begin to recover until discount airlines became mainstream and started to compete directly and profitably with the traditional airlines. yes, they've actually improved, believe it or not. the other variables not so much.

Flying coach in the seventies would be akin to flying business class these days, but still not there in terms of seating space or convenience. Those who remember the days before airline deregulation can attest to that.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#42

Post by jsavimbi »

jasonkester wrote: post #16

I've got a better idea in the same space. I've always wanted somebody to take the idea of "leave when full" minibuses in the 3rd world and apply it to popular airline routes. How cool would it be if there was an operator running flights from Los Angeles to San Fransisco using small commuter jets with no fixed schedule and plenty of planes. You'd just turn up, buy a ticket, make your way to the gate, and get on the pl…

> leave when full" minibuses in the 3rd world

that's an awesome, albeit impractical idea. I can just picture a surly captain chewing through a bag of rambutans he bought on the tarmac while he waits until there are enough people to make it worth his while to take off while his helper abruptly stops selling tickets and disappears into the nearest bar for half an hour.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#43

Post by Eliezer »

tlrobinson wrote: post #37
hammock wrote: post #15

One benefit of flying on a private/charter plane - you don't have to go through security.

In the past that's true because why would you want to hijack/blow up your own plane with your business partners / family / friends... but will that remain true if you're booking a private jet with 7 random strangers?

Yes, because inconveniences aren't for rich people. It's sort of like how kids in college don't get drafted.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#44

Post by CountHackulus »

jasonkester wrote: post #16

I've got a better idea in the same space. I've always wanted somebody to take the idea of "leave when full" minibuses in the 3rd world and apply it to popular airline routes. How cool would it be if there was an operator running flights from Los Angeles to San Fransisco using small commuter jets with no fixed schedule and plenty of planes. You'd just turn up, buy a ticket, make your way to the gate, and get on the pl…

There's something sort of like that for Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to Ottawa (YOW). Porter flies out every hour and is just slightly more than a coach seat on the train. You can buy a fixed time ticket, or a flexible ticket for slightly more.

flyporter.ca if you're interested.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#45

Post by [deleted] »

edanm wrote: post #5

I don't understand this article. What does the "social web" have anything to do with why this is now possible? Even their example, flying three planes of sports fans out to another city, seems like something that could easily be arranged by the president of the fan club or something. If what they mean is that the "social web" makes this easier, then firstly, I'd love to know in what way exactly (they don't really des…

[deleted]

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#46

Post by T_S_ »

edanm wrote: post #5

I don't understand this article. What does the "social web" have anything to do with why this is now possible? Even their example, flying three planes of sports fans out to another city, seems like something that could easily be arranged by the president of the fan club or something. If what they mean is that the "social web" makes this easier, then firstly, I'd love to know in what way exactly (they don't really des…

Consumer aggregation. Magnified by mobile and web. It's a trend that's going to be bigger than social, because it adds economic value and is measurable to the Nth degree.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#47

Post by r00fus »

gaius wrote: post #6
pitdesi wrote: post #3

A bunch of people have tried this before... I can't think of the names off-hand, but names in a similar space that I've seen recently are http://www.emptylegmarket.com/ and http://www.flyruby.com/ I don't see how this will work - you need a huge marketplace, and even then it will generally be a lot more expensive than flying commercial. There are some limited uses like bowl games that I could see, but even then, why…

The economics of "luxury" travel are less than you think. Example: in my last company, we had an office in London and an office in Nottingham (northern England, the place where Robin Hood comes from), and people frequently traveled between the two. Well if 6 people needed to travel, it would have been cheaper to hire a fancy stretch limo and driver for the day and cruise around like rockstar pimps than it would be to…

I know that the UK trains (actually the tracks) are not as good as in France or Germany, but when I did stay in France, I often traveled from Paris to Tours.

On a train (TGV), this takes about 1.5 hrs. By car it can take upwards of 3 hours on a good day. Variance in arrival time for the car was high, on the train, it was rather constant.

Of course, if you don't have good point-to-point transport (ie, taxis, walkable) at either destination then all bets are off.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#49

Post by dhbanes »

suking wrote: post #39
rdl wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phoenix to Seattle is not the market. Even if I owned a private plane, I'd probably fly commercial for hub to hub flights like that. (and almost definitely for super long haul point to point like SFO-HKG; it's reasonable to own or charter a Caravan or King Air or Citation II or something if you fly a lot with a group of people, but a G650 or BBJ3 is an order of magnitude more. I've been a passenger on a moderate numb…

I almost prefer first class with no stops vs. a PJ. Those tiny ass airplanes can make for some bumpy rides! As someone who already hates turbulence, those little planes don't help.

A G150 cruising at 43,000 ft will experience far less turbulence than a 737 at 33,000.

Re: Fly Like You're Rich With Social Flights (And Private Planes)

#50

Post by jamesbressi »

graupel wrote: post #34

Our company (based in Cincinnati) uses a scheduled service charter that flies from a secondary airport to Chicago, NY and DC on great, 30 seat jets; it's a great business model and we love using it - http://ultimateairshuttle.com/ - we feel rich flying it but it's cheaper than United or Delta for the same route + no TSA.

That is impressive. I cannot find one for here in Philadelphia!
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