Airily - Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra
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Airily - Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra
Noticed this on ABC
Start-up Airly offers unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney with subscription flying model - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Start-up Airly offers unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney with subscription flying model
New airline Airly is offering unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for members who pay a monthly fee
Airly is effectively a flying club, where several hundred members will pay a $1,000 joining fee and then $2,550 per month for unlimited flights between Sydney's Bankstown Airport and Melbourne's Essendon Airport, as well as flights to Canberra.
Travellers will fly on an eight-seater King Air 350 turboprop.
Start-up Airly offers unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney with subscription flying model - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Start-up Airly offers unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney with subscription flying model
New airline Airly is offering unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for members who pay a monthly fee
Airly is effectively a flying club, where several hundred members will pay a $1,000 joining fee and then $2,550 per month for unlimited flights between Sydney's Bankstown Airport and Melbourne's Essendon Airport, as well as flights to Canberra.
Travellers will fly on an eight-seater King Air 350 turboprop.
This has got disaster written all over it. Not from a safety perspective but from a corporate financial one.
So when the membership signups slow down and the those who have paid up are squeezing every possible flight out of the scheme the inevitable will happen. A group of investors with worthless memberships, a trail of unpaid creditors, pilots and ground staff out of work etc etc etc. I sincerely hope I am wrong but I doubt it.
So when the membership signups slow down and the those who have paid up are squeezing every possible flight out of the scheme the inevitable will happen. A group of investors with worthless memberships, a trail of unpaid creditors, pilots and ground staff out of work etc etc etc. I sincerely hope I am wrong but I doubt it.
I sincerely hope I am wrong but I doubt it.
Can you spell "Ponzi"!!!
To be fair, I believe I read about a similar set up in the States using PC12s,but obviously with a much greater population base to work with.
ETA- Here 'tis http://www.surfair.com/
To be fair, I believe I read about a similar set up in the States using PC12s,but obviously with a much greater population base to work with.
ETA- Here 'tis http://www.surfair.com/
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no security issues
no delays at airports
Bankstown is much easier to get to for most of Sydney population (who don't live in eastern suburbs) + many people flying into Sydney want to go to Parramatta not CBD.
Essendon is closer to Melbourne CBD.
All sounds good to me & they don't need 1000's of passengers a day.
but have they chosen the right aircraft ? ie. big enough
I would have thought peak hour flights were the go & park most of aircraft between 1000 & 1400 Mon-Fri, most of Sat & Sun am.
no delays at airports
Bankstown is much easier to get to for most of Sydney population (who don't live in eastern suburbs) + many people flying into Sydney want to go to Parramatta not CBD.
Essendon is closer to Melbourne CBD.
All sounds good to me & they don't need 1000's of passengers a day.
but have they chosen the right aircraft ? ie. big enough
I would have thought peak hour flights were the go & park most of aircraft between 1000 & 1400 Mon-Fri, most of Sat & Sun am.
Yeah I tend to agree. Sounds good in theory....there was a mob in Qld (ex qf pilots) looking at doing same thing few years back at minor capital city ports. Investors didnt 'buy' the model. It sounds very elitist too and not sure how elite you can make the King Air look.
No, it's completely different to fractional ownership. That involves owning part of an aircraft in which you can do what you want with your share of the flying.
That has also been tried in Australia- AFAIK not successfully.
This involves flying between fixed ports to, I'd guess, some form of schedule, and you share the flight with other "members".
It all involves critical mass, and I don't think that exists in Australia.
That has also been tried in Australia- AFAIK not successfully.
This involves flying between fixed ports to, I'd guess, some form of schedule, and you share the flight with other "members".
It all involves critical mass, and I don't think that exists in Australia.
They've missed the cultural aspect of flying commercially in Australia.
People want to be seen queuing up for business class, in the QF club, walking importantly around the terminal like you are a somebody. Being treated well by the flight attendants while you decide which courses to go with and what drink.
Business class is also a networking opportunity.
You won't get that walking out to a kingair....
People want to be seen queuing up for business class, in the QF club, walking importantly around the terminal like you are a somebody. Being treated well by the flight attendants while you decide which courses to go with and what drink.
Business class is also a networking opportunity.
You won't get that walking out to a kingair....
Although Surf Air (US West Coast) and Beacon (Boston/NY) are owned by the same mob, this business model seems to represent that of the latter rather than the former.
With the Beacon model, the company doesn't own the aircraft, they are operated by a contracted aviation company with an existing AOC. Thus vastly reducing costs and complexities in the legal and administrative areas, i.e; dealing with CAsA.
'Elitist'? If people can afford something better, with a more convenient offering that provides them with a business or lifestyle advantage (in this case the convenience and comfort of private air travel, curfew free operations, an alternative to the congested major airports - and being apart from travelling throngs of Bogan masses as a bonus) , they will pay more for it. A few savvy individuals who took the risk may then (hopefully) make some money, and others will therefore have jobs. 
Second, anyone who's had the good fortune to be up close to a current model Kingair 350 would know they aren't yo' grandpas Kingair. As nice, if not nicer than many biz jets (stick a five blade prop on and they could almost be competitive in the noise department as well).
I don't see a lack of lounge quality or access being too much of a hindrance, as the general idea is to minimalise time spent on the ground at the airport. Get there and get going.
It'd be great to see this lot do well out of this venture but its possible the sector lengths (yes, even in a 350) may be just a tad too long, and the population density not quite what it needs to be for the 'must go, and go now' scheduling requirements of the target audience. The advantage of curfew free operations in and out of Sydney may be their best selling point.
Time will tell. Good luck to them.
With the Beacon model, the company doesn't own the aircraft, they are operated by a contracted aviation company with an existing AOC. Thus vastly reducing costs and complexities in the legal and administrative areas, i.e; dealing with CAsA.
It sounds very elitist too and not sure how elite you can make the King Air look
Second, anyone who's had the good fortune to be up close to a current model Kingair 350 would know they aren't yo' grandpas Kingair. As nice, if not nicer than many biz jets (stick a five blade prop on and they could almost be competitive in the noise department as well).
I don't see a lack of lounge quality or access being too much of a hindrance, as the general idea is to minimalise time spent on the ground at the airport. Get there and get going.
It'd be great to see this lot do well out of this venture but its possible the sector lengths (yes, even in a 350) may be just a tad too long, and the population density not quite what it needs to be for the 'must go, and go now' scheduling requirements of the target audience. The advantage of curfew free operations in and out of Sydney may be their best selling point.
Time will tell. Good luck to them.
I can't see it surviving beyond a couple of months myself.
Who will pay $2000 odd a month with a good chance of either the aircraft being overbooked or in maintenance just when you need to go or the likely hood of not going due lack of passengers on any given day?
People moan about the Tigerairs of this world due lack of backup let alone this.
Who will pay $2000 odd a month with a good chance of either the aircraft being overbooked or in maintenance just when you need to go or the likely hood of not going due lack of passengers on any given day?
People moan about the Tigerairs of this world due lack of backup let alone this.
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Aint the King Air the ute of the sky? With lunch catching up on 8 burly businessmen after conducting business, I'm sure the pilot could easily perform a quick p!ss-stop in one on the way back.
I don't know about you Capt. Fathom but I ONLY travel business class where possible.
I'm speaking from many years of observations doing such.
I commend these young bucks for giving it a crack. However a kingair can't compete with full service, lie flat beds, video on demand and airline lounge facilities. Plus points and other perks to gold and greater frequent flyers.
A kingair can be a scary place when iced up descending and climbing through weather. Something you barely notice on a jet. How many times have you ever had to turn the wing anti ice on in jet? Just about every flight the deice boots get fired up in a turboprop. The sound of shedding ice can be scary for the unseasoned. Especially when the props are shedding ice.
I'm speaking from many years of observations doing such.
I commend these young bucks for giving it a crack. However a kingair can't compete with full service, lie flat beds, video on demand and airline lounge facilities. Plus points and other perks to gold and greater frequent flyers.
A kingair can be a scary place when iced up descending and climbing through weather. Something you barely notice on a jet. How many times have you ever had to turn the wing anti ice on in jet? Just about every flight the deice boots get fired up in a turboprop. The sound of shedding ice can be scary for the unseasoned. Especially when the props are shedding ice.
However a kingair can't compete with full service, lie flat beds, video on demand and airline lounge facilities.
Last time I flew QF business class, (not on duty or staff travel) a month or so ago, the video didn't work (thats normal, not a one off), the full service consisted of a cheese box and the lie flat be was a chair with the tray table falling off. as for the lounge facilities you receive better service outside the lounge the difference is that you pay individually for what you elect to consume. Overall it is most likely cheaper to not use airline lounge facilities.
I've never not had the video system work. Being a premium customer if it didn't work, I'd expect to be moved if it were the case. Or have some compensation. However most business types seem glued to the laptops anyway.
Id take a 737 business class seat over a kingair seat. (And let's face it, these seats are probably better than the first class of 20 years ago) Just saying....
Id take a 737 business class seat over a kingair seat. (And let's face it, these seats are probably better than the first class of 20 years ago) Just saying....
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My visit to the Q Club is generally a 10 minute sit in a lounge with a glass of average shiraz.
While I do live in the Eastern Suburbs, if I happened to be in the west and going to Melbourne I think this would be a good idea. Crack a few St Hallets and stick them in the Bankstown departure lounge and you've basically improved on the overcrowded Qantas Club.
Points for giving it a go - but as mentioned, it will no doubt go the way of every other startup
While I do live in the Eastern Suburbs, if I happened to be in the west and going to Melbourne I think this would be a good idea. Crack a few St Hallets and stick them in the Bankstown departure lounge and you've basically improved on the overcrowded Qantas Club.
Points for giving it a go - but as mentioned, it will no doubt go the way of every other startup