View Full Version : Are Air Taxis Viable ?
There has been a lot of talk of point-to-point air taxis revolutionising the corporate market, but I think that the segment remains unproven. How can logistics and costs be managed ? Honeywell in their latest markets predictions are cagey about the future. Will the concept work ?
I would like to see a short hop, short notice operation succeed !
tornado
Alexander
28-01-2008, 10:48
Is the demand there ? It may be the case in densely populated or ground-traffic congested city areas, but I am not yet convinced that the turnaround and benefits are clearly defined. This is particularly true where the rail services , such as in central Europe provide a much better point-to-point service than the air option, but without the privacy...
Alex
There has been a lot of talk of point-to-point air taxis revolutionising the corporate market, but I think that the segment remains unproven. How can logistics and costs be managed ? Honeywell in their latest markets predictions are cagey about the future. Will the concept work ?
I would like to see a short hop, short notice operation succeed !
tornado
The main issue I see is that most people prefer air-taxi versus classic because classic tends to be too congested / crowded; the convenience factor ("Check in and fly under ten minutes") seems to me to be the main driver here.
However, since these outfits are operating (in general) from already crowded airports, they'll soon run into a very limiting problem which is traffic capacity. Your ten minute check-in to chocks-off isn't likely to help much when you're number 25 in line for takeoff. Assume a 1-minute spacing interval, that's 25 minutes delay right there *if* there are no arrivals.
Also not to be ignored - the rise in traffic will rub airport neighborhoods the wrong way. Testimony to that is what happened due to the sharp rise in air-taxi operations between Geneva and the French ski resorts.
Alexander
28-01-2008, 11:09
Of course you will also run into the usual GA issues of small aircraft with limited avionics present more hazards with limited situational awareness kit.
A good point about the queuing and the aircraft separation is still an issue no matter how small you are if you are in mixed-traffic.
The jump-in-and-off-we-go seems like an exciting concept, but as you say, capacity, congestion and anti-aviation campaigners may stunt its growth or development rather than the aircraft technology.
Alex
The main issue I see is that most people prefer air-taxi versus classic because classic tends to be too congested / crowded; the convenience factor ("Check in and fly under ten minutes") seems to me to be the main driver here.
However, since these outfits are operating (in general) from already crowded airports, they'll soon run into a very limiting problem which is traffic capacity. Your ten minute check-in to chocks-off isn't likely to help much when you're number 25 in line for takeoff. Assume a 1-minute spacing interval, that's 25 minutes delay right there *if* there are no arrivals.
Also not to be ignored - the rise in traffic will rub airport neighborhoods the wrong way. Testimony to that is what happened due to the sharp rise in air-taxi operations between Geneva and the French ski resorts.
Fat Clemenza
05-05-2008, 16:21
But can't remote and/or GA/Business aviation only airports be a way to avoid all that traffic?
Fat Clemenza
05-05-2008, 16:21
But can't remote and/or GA/Business aviation only airports offer an alternative to bigger and much more congested airports?
But can't remote and/or GA/Business aviation only airports offer an alternative to bigger and much more congested airports?
Only to the extent that they're actually close enough to your final destination so that the commute time doesn't exceed the "airport" time savings. What's the point being number one for landing, two minutes from high-speed turnoff to chocks on, engines off, if you then face a two hour-plus car ride into town?