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.

FMI: www.linearair.com