Making Money In Aviation
How to make money in the airplane biz has challenged generations, but one young entrepreneur in Boston has come up with a new take. The Boston Globe reports that an 18-year-old business student at Babson College started his own airline, complete with a Web site, called Mainline Airways, offering leather seats with personal TVs, affordable first class, and round trips from LA to Honolulu for under $200. The only trouble was, no such airline ever existed. Last week, the Massachusetts attorney general suggested to freshman Luke Thompson that he would be wise to cease and desist — and he should also refrain from withdrawing any money from his bank accounts.
How to make money in the airplane biz has challenged generations, but one young entrepreneur in Boston has come up with a new take. The Boston Globe reports that an 18-year-old business student at Babson College started his own airline, complete with a Web site, called Mainline Airways, offering leather seats with personal TVs, affordable first class, and round trips from LA to Honolulu for under $200. The only trouble was, no such airline ever existed. Last week, the Massachusetts attorney general suggested to freshman Luke Thompson that he would be wise to cease and desist -- and he should also refrain from withdrawing any money from his bank accounts. ''In effect, [Thompson] has been grounded,'' Mass. Atty. Gen. Thomas Reilly told reporters last week. "Our investigation indicates that this was not a legitimate business, a legitimate airline. ... It had no planes and no pilots.''
