Silicon Valley Air Taxi Concept?

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Surf Air hopes to make a $700,000-per-month gamble that people will want to pay hundreds of dollars each month for access to flights in one of two PC-12s flown between set airports on the west coast. The company plan includes service to Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles with memberships ranging from $790 to $1490 per month, beginning this summer. Surf Air memberships offer an “all-you-can-fly” format that operates on a Netflix-like system. Members paying $1490 can set up to six one-way reservations at a time. Once the first trip is fulfilled, the queue refreshes to include the next reservation in the member’s queue. The company is founded by two brothers under the age of 33, and may depend on the acquisition of 500 members to cover monthly expenses.

The target traveler for Surf Air is a busy frequent business flyer prone to last-minute booking and interested in a first-class style of service, according to the company. “Our service can be substantially cheaper than first-class tickets, and we offer a better and less crowded experience,” Surf Air says. It hopes to lease and operate two Pilatus turboprops to the tune of about $700,000 per month. And then it hopes to expand. The company says members will enjoy an ease of travel that includes driving right up to the aircraft a few minutes before departure and having a valet take their luggage and park their car. Members must sign on for a three-month period before going month-to-month. Each member is provided “unlimited complimentary guest passes” and will “have access to exclusive events and offers.” Co-founders Wade and David Eyerly each have different work histories. Wade Eyerly served as an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. David Eyerly is a former manager of the Dallas Fort-Worth Airport for Frontier Airlines.

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