18 year old starts his own airline
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Yet again it’s the same people who believe they know best why certain ventures could never work.
The airline business is changing faster than most airlines can keep up with it, so who is to say it will not work.
most of you have shown yourselves as typical PPRUNE green eyed monsters.
On a positive note for the wee lad:
a boy with this level of ambition, drive, determination and confidence will leave nearly every one of us in the proverbial dust.
Honiley
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Well good luck to you .............we all started our dream somewhere...........and i have to say age is irrelevant if he has the "guts " to give it a go then support this guy!!!!!!
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Those of you having a 'go' at Martin, for whatever reason, maybe should know a couple of things.
Martin is/was doing an ATPL at Oxford, as if that isn't enough stress..
While I was there and when Martin started, last year I think, he had a member of his family fall ill who he, at the tender age of 17/18 was having to care for, practically on his own.
He never struck me as 'young' he always displayed ability and maturity beyond his years. I was his course mentor so I regularly saw him.
Good luck to you Martin. Maybe you won't become 'Easyjet' but maybe you'll become 'Easierjet'
Now leave him alone, be nice and maybe one day he'll give you a job flying one of his A380's
PS (psst Martin, need any ground school instructors
)
Martin is/was doing an ATPL at Oxford, as if that isn't enough stress..
While I was there and when Martin started, last year I think, he had a member of his family fall ill who he, at the tender age of 17/18 was having to care for, practically on his own.
He never struck me as 'young' he always displayed ability and maturity beyond his years. I was his course mentor so I regularly saw him.
Good luck to you Martin. Maybe you won't become 'Easyjet' but maybe you'll become 'Easierjet'
Now leave him alone, be nice and maybe one day he'll give you a job flying one of his A380's
PS (psst Martin, need any ground school instructors
)
I agree with SkyCruiser,Pete Begley and others---PLEASE leave Martin alone!
I have followed Martin's progress in another Airline forum for the last year or so--and if I remember rightly he had to have a short break from studying for his ATPL as his family problems were so great.
What he has done at his age is really great-----Martin,all the luck in the world ---YOU DESERVE IT!
CB
I have followed Martin's progress in another Airline forum for the last year or so--and if I remember rightly he had to have a short break from studying for his ATPL as his family problems were so great.
What he has done at his age is really great-----Martin,all the luck in the world ---YOU DESERVE IT!
CB
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Good luck to the chap, but let's not look at this as aviation people, look at it as intelligent, numerate cynics - which is what you have to be in business if you want to prosper. The cheapest fare that he is offering (not limited to a certain number of seats) is £44 for students. They are then offering a £5 discount for booking online. This means that he is offering seats at £39 each. Suppose he runs with only 2 seats unfilled (fantastic for any airline, I think you will agree) this means that his total income for the flight is £234. The PA-31-350 uses about 43gph in the cruise - about 130 litres for the flight. At todays prices, this is about £117. This means that he then only has £117 to pay for the aircraft, the pilot(s) the ground support, the insurance, the parking, the engine fund etc.etc.etc. If Airmed think that it will cost £848 to run the exact same service, how come he thinks he can do it for 1/3 the cost. This bloke is living in an aviation dream world. Sorry, but the figures just don't add up. If doesn't matter how good a pilot/manager you are, if the outgoings are greater than the incomings, you will go broke sooner or later - that's life. Harsh but true.
A Runyonesque Character
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He got an honourable mention in yesterday's Irish Times:
That said, I count myself among those who can't see the business sense. And no, I'm not in any way spiteful or envious and I'm sure he's a great bloke. You don't even have to go into the detail of Troddenmasses and others. A business which is only earning money for two hours a day (4 x 30-minute sectors) just doesn't add up.
Aer Lingus has yet to replace the great Willie Walsh, its one and only saviour. Might I suggest that it might do no better than to employ Martin Halstead from England, in a sort of direct swap for Willie? Martin is an 18-year-old from Oxford - yes, I repeat, 18 - who has just started his own airline, flying between Oxford and Cambridge. Bizarrely enough, communications between the two cities are very primitive. The 83-mile road journey takes over two hours, and the train journey, via London, takes two-and-a-half hours.
For all those commenting about the negative comments, don't waste your breath. If Martin Halstead is the real mccoy these comments will be like water off a ducks back. In fact negativity tends to spur these type of people to greater things. Having a thick skin in this industry is a must. Unfortunately this industry is the proverbial rollercoaster ride, maybe, just maybe some of the negative posters have seen more than a few whizzkids come and go in their time often with disastrous results. Having a thick skin in this industry is a must. Good luck to him!
Plumbum Pendular
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Since when is a PA31 a Perf A aeroplane, Perf C when I used to fly one!!
Of course you can run scheduled services on a Perf C aeroplane.
Love Air used to do Biggin (?) to Le Touqet in a PA31. Isn't the Twotter a Perf C?
Wee Weasly Welshman, you may have worked in aviation since you were 14, but running an airline is very different from refuelling C152's in exchange for flying lessons.
I am sure that the maths must work out some how (I can't see it myself) but good luck to the guy.
Of course you can run scheduled services on a Perf C aeroplane.
Love Air used to do Biggin (?) to Le Touqet in a PA31. Isn't the Twotter a Perf C?
Wee Weasly Welshman, you may have worked in aviation since you were 14, but running an airline is very different from refuelling C152's in exchange for flying lessons.
I am sure that the maths must work out some how (I can't see it myself) but good luck to the guy.
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fmcg
And of course therefore must know it all.
There's a lot of Flying Club types that break into Commercial aviation and suddenly know everything there is to know.
Wee Weasly Welshman, you may have worked in aviation since you were 14,
There's a lot of Flying Club types that break into Commercial aviation and suddenly know everything there is to know.
Naturally like all people here I wish the young man personally every success.
That I think the venture doomed to failure; that I think claims of 'founding his own airline' are spurious; that the business plan seems non-enticing - none of these things are caused by jealousy, spite or malice on my part.
Lets not fall into the, increasingly common, trap of ascribing emotion to every viewpoint where none can be accurately detected.
Had the thread title and general gist been "18yr old markets scheduled air taxi service" I doubt there would have been an ounce of interest or drama.
I'm sure he'll go far though.
Cheers
WWW
That I think the venture doomed to failure; that I think claims of 'founding his own airline' are spurious; that the business plan seems non-enticing - none of these things are caused by jealousy, spite or malice on my part.
Lets not fall into the, increasingly common, trap of ascribing emotion to every viewpoint where none can be accurately detected.
Had the thread title and general gist been "18yr old markets scheduled air taxi service" I doubt there would have been an ounce of interest or drama.
I'm sure he'll go far though.
Cheers
WWW
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Granted, they are a ticketing company, without an ATOL no-less, thought that was prohibited by the CAA....
But as far as joe-public goes, they don't know the difference between a ticketing company and the actual airline...
Good luck to them regardless, they will probably need it!
But as far as joe-public goes, they don't know the difference between a ticketing company and the actual airline...
Good luck to them regardless, they will probably need it!
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Where are you all getting your figures from?
A PA31 doesn't cost £1000 an hour to run! Absolutely ludicrous. Someone plucking numbers from the air are they?
However, 60nm is not a long way, or a long time in the air. In which case the more cost effective aeroplane for the route is an Islander. Anyone can stand that for 30 minutes. Fixed costs are lower than most aircraft and there are no expensive u/c cycles. The DOC's are lower than most too. Probably totals not more than £450-500 an hour. VFR all the way - most days.
8/9 seats can be sold for around £45 return BUT........you must never have a shortfall of more than 2 seats or you are dead!
It's risky but so is every airline that starts up.
A PA31 doesn't cost £1000 an hour to run! Absolutely ludicrous. Someone plucking numbers from the air are they?
However, 60nm is not a long way, or a long time in the air. In which case the more cost effective aeroplane for the route is an Islander. Anyone can stand that for 30 minutes. Fixed costs are lower than most aircraft and there are no expensive u/c cycles. The DOC's are lower than most too. Probably totals not more than £450-500 an hour. VFR all the way - most days.
8/9 seats can be sold for around £45 return BUT........you must never have a shortfall of more than 2 seats or you are dead!
It's risky but so is every airline that starts up.
Well congratulations to him for getting so much publicity for his new business whether it is a virtual airline, tour operation, airline, travel agency or whatever its catagory, there can't be many that haven't heard about it and that is one major step to getting bums on seats.
I don't think it matters a tinkers cuss whether this is an airline or not as long as the bums are paying sufficient to cover the cost and the CAA are satisfied he is operating within the rules of 'making available'.
Before retiring I was a founder director of three airlines, two of which still operate today and each time the detractors said it wouldn't happen, no chance, last six months etc etc and they were wrong. Ask Stelios what he was told when he first started his 'virtual airline' by the so called experts.
The business PLAN is what you think will happen based on your best knowledge at the time, what happens after the funding is in place is up to your skill and management and having sold one business successfully he may just have that ability? None of us KNOW whether this will ever come to anything unless there are any mystic megs out there, but I for one will be e mailing the young man to wish him the best of luck!
I don't think it matters a tinkers cuss whether this is an airline or not as long as the bums are paying sufficient to cover the cost and the CAA are satisfied he is operating within the rules of 'making available'.
Before retiring I was a founder director of three airlines, two of which still operate today and each time the detractors said it wouldn't happen, no chance, last six months etc etc and they were wrong. Ask Stelios what he was told when he first started his 'virtual airline' by the so called experts.
The business PLAN is what you think will happen based on your best knowledge at the time, what happens after the funding is in place is up to your skill and management and having sold one business successfully he may just have that ability? None of us KNOW whether this will ever come to anything unless there are any mystic megs out there, but I for one will be e mailing the young man to wish him the best of luck!
18 year old starts his own airline
Some pretty shrewd guys both at Airbus and Boeing have chosen completely different strategies for what they see is the future in air passenger transportation and both believe that the other is wrong.
I think I’m correct in saying that after 9-years of operations even the mighty NetJets Europe has yet to make a profit. So why do we do it? Well I guess aviation is a great job to be in and life without risk would be rather mundane.
I don’t envy him but I’m sure that Martin Halstead is a name we will be seeing more of in the future.
I think I’m correct in saying that after 9-years of operations even the mighty NetJets Europe has yet to make a profit. So why do we do it? Well I guess aviation is a great job to be in and life without risk would be rather mundane.
I don’t envy him but I’m sure that Martin Halstead is a name we will be seeing more of in the future.
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I think the route is a great idea and hats off to Martin for having the guts to have a go at it.
BUT.......
Going into business at 18 generates a lot of publicity, and it looks like AIRMED may have seized on this opportunity to launch a route they were going to do anyway.
AND...
Couldn't they have chosen a decent name as well....how about Varsity Airways...sounds much more dynamic than Alpha 1
Al
BUT.......
Going into business at 18 generates a lot of publicity, and it looks like AIRMED may have seized on this opportunity to launch a route they were going to do anyway.
AND...
Couldn't they have chosen a decent name as well....how about Varsity Airways...sounds much more dynamic than Alpha 1
Al