Trend: Affordable Air Travel

Written By Cate Trotter on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM | In Lifestyle, Technology

New private planes are making bespoke, convenient air travel more accessible.
Trend Description

Affordable new planes known as Very Light Jets (VLJs) are hitting the aviation market, slashing the costs of private aviation and creating opportunities for new aviation businesses. A fraction of the price of traditional small planes, The Cessna Mustang and Cirrus ‘Jet’ are about to revolutionise the market, costing £1.5million and £500,000 respectively.

As well as offering bespoke routes at more reasonable prices, the planes enable check-in times to be slashed, making them the first choice for time-poor executives.

Cases

The Cirrus ‘Jet’

Cirrus is now taking orders for its ‘Jet’, the world’s most affordable private plane, due for release in 2011. The range of potential buyers has been increased by marketing it as easy to fly and building a parachute system into the nose.

Blink

Blink, Europe’s first air-taxi service, aims to make booking a plane as easy as booking a taxi. As this will enable it to spend more time in the air moving more passengers than traditional jets, it can lower prices and compete with larger airlines.

Trend Impact

Tourism could flourish in areas away from well-known aviation routes, as people will soon be free to fly to much smaller, more remote airports.

With passengers flying to larger numbers of smaller airports, airport retail may be affected by lower footfall. This could be exacerbated by a decline in passenger shopping time, as customers come to expect the quick check-in times offered by smaller airports.

Links

Cirrus ‘Jet’

Blink