The team that founded Surf Air, known as an “all-you-can-fly private membership airline” in California, is now starting up a new venture, called Beacon, to provide a similar service between Boston and New York. The service is offering unlimited flights for $2,000 per month. Former Surf Air CEO Wade Eyerly says he has learned a lot of lessons from the West Coast project, chiefly, that it’s not a good idea to own your own fleet of aircraft. Surf Air operates exclusively its own Pilatus PC-12 turboprops, but Beacon will contract with local operators, using airplanes with a maximum of 10 passenger seats.
Like Surf Air, Beacon will provide concierge services for its subscribers, such as car rentals and drinks, and will operate from FBOs in the private-aviation areas of airports, instead of public air terminals. According to Beacon’s website, customers will be able to book flights in seconds (presumably using an app, as for Surf Air), and changes are flexible. Beacon also will provide seasonal service to Nantucket and the Hamptons, according to the company’s website.
