Largest Operator Of Luxury Caravans In US; Looks To Add Eclipse
500s Soon
Linear Air -- the first
air-taxi service to offer per-seat, on-demand service
-- announced Tuesday the achievement of significant milestones
in the first quarter of 2006.
Linear Air -- headquartered in Lexington, MA -- announced it has
acquired a fourth luxury Cessna Caravan turboprop, making it the
largest operator of luxury Caravans in the United States. Linear
Air's Caravans feature eight-passenger seating on plush leather
seats, and are outfitted with the most advanced safety systems --
including the latest navigation, weather, and traffic
collision-avoidance technologies.
The fleet expansion comes at a critical time, capping 450
percent revenue growth in the first quarter over the same period
last year, and as Linear Air prepares to expand service in the New
York area.
"The new aircraft means we now have even more capacity to serve
our customers," said William Herp, CEO of Linear Air. "There has
been tremendous demand for our service among business travelers for
day-trips, as well as leisure travelers. We've quadrupled our fleet
in less than one year, a testament to our growing popularity."
Linear Air also claims the distinction of being the first and
only operational company with a very light jet (VLJ) jet-taxi
strategy. Several companies are developing these exciting new
aircraft, and Linear Air previously announced it has ordered 30
VLJs from the leading manufacturer, Eclipse Aviation Corporation of
Albuquerque, NM.
"The revolutionary nature of the Eclipse 500 VLJ has clearly
captured the public imagination," said Herp. "These planes feature
state-of-the-art engineering and systems that make them affordable
for traditional business travel, and we're looking forward to
expanding our ability to serve frustrated airline travelers and
those looking for better private charter economics on
short-hops."
The company's first Eclipse 500s will be based in Boston, New
York, Washington DC, California and, seasonally, in the
Caribbean.
"We've built a sizable customer base flying Cessna Caravans, and
we're confident that the Caravan is a good proxy for the trip
profile and operating cost of the VLJs," added Herp.
Linear Air's aircraft are currently based at Hanscom Field
outside Boston, MA and Westchester County Airport in White Plains,
NY. The company provides on-demand charter service to more than 500
cities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Canada and, seasonally, in
the Caribbean.
On summer weekends, the company offers per-seat scheduled
charter service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from Hanscom
Field outside Boston, and Teterboro Airport outside New York
City.