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Travelers in a rush can hail air taxi

SATSair will keep two planes in Tampa for $595-per-hour flights.

By STEVE HUETTEL
Published October 25, 2006

A new air taxi service will touch down in Florida next week, offering on-demand flights to hundreds of mostly small-town airports in the southeastern United States.

SATSair of Greenville, S.C., will put 10 of its three-passenger Cirrus SR22 single-engine propeller planes in the Sunshine State, including two at Tampa International Airport.

Starting Nov. 1, Tampa Bay area residents can hire SATSair to fly them from Tampa International, St. Petersburg-Clearwater International or nearly a dozen general aviation airports.

The service isn't cheap and targets busy professionals on business trips. SATSair charges a straight $595 per hour, although that can drop to $420 hourly for buying multiple hours of flight time.

The meter runs only for the duration of each one-way flight. Up to three passengers can ride for the hourly price.

Air taxis aim for a narrow niche: business travelers looking for something more convenient than airlines but far cheaper than chartering a jet for thousands of dollars. They often live in or travel to small towns with little scheduled airline service.

SATSair lures away many who used to drive, either hitting several cities in a week or on grueling day trips, said Wendi Hill, marketing director for SATSair. The 2-year-old company flies about 1,000 passengers a month.

Some aviation experts predict the air taxi business is about to take off as thousands of tiny new jets hit the market.

DayJet Inc. of Delray Beach originally planned to start flying in Florida by the end of this year with a jet that seats two pilots and three passengers.

The timetable slipped to early next year because of delays obtaining final government certification for equipment aboard the Eclipse 500 and delivery of the first 12 jets , said marketing director Vicky Harris.

DayJet will operate differently from SATSair. Customers will be able to buy one seat and could share the flight with strangers. DayJet also will fly only between cities called "dayports." The first five are Lakeland, Gainesville, Boca Raton, Tallahassee and Pensacola.

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813 226-3384.

[Last modified October 25, 2006, 00:26:09]