For many, the promise of air taxi service on microjets (a.k.a. VLJs or very light jets) was the ultimate upgrade. Air taxis would offer point-to-point service, circumventing the hassle of major airports and their security apparatuses. Plus, they’d be similar to private jets — albeit typically without onboard restrooms.

But despite the convenience of point-to-point flying, the business model may not take off as planned. The past week was particularly bad for Eclipse Aviation, arguably the leader in the manufacture of microjets.

For starters, a scandal erupted over the FAA’s certification of Eclipse’s jets. There have been numerous safety concerns with the newly-launched jet, such as “avionics software issues; the lack of a drainage system for the pitot-static system, which made it subject to clogging from ice; intermittent false stall warnings; blanking or freezing of the cockpit displays; and flaps sticking in position.” Yikes.

Click here for a thorough discussion of Congressional concerns. It’s quite disconcerting. And no, there’s no discussion of the lack of onboard restrooms, which, to me, is disconcerting as well. The company’s rebuttal is here (pdf).

Then, DayJet, the largest operator of Eclipse jets closed up shop. The company had been actively flying the VLJs since October 2007, but as of September 19, 2008, their website looks like so many other failed airlines’. The typical “We’re sorry…” and blaming a lack of financing for the need shut down.

So, does this mean that VLJ service is dead? Not quite yet, but it’s certainly on the ropes. Safety concerns, insolvent carriers, and (of course) the high price of fuel. As much as commercial air travel sucks these days, the air taxi market has a steep hill to climb right now.

Maybe having restrooms would help?

Upgraded: Crash landing with skill and aplomb
Bad news: A crash landing. Good news: No fatalities. Crash landings are no one’s idea of a good time, but when a Boeing 777 loses all power mid-air on final approach, and the plane crash-lands at London’s Heathrow, with no fatalities, that’s some fine aviating. Still way too early to know what happened, but hats off to the pilots for bringing a powerless hunk of metal to the ground without any lives lost. We can all be thankful for that.

Upgraded: Wine on US Airways
US Airways is rolling out new wine on board. The choice: Beringer. I guess it’s better than the private-labeled Chilean plonk they were pouring. (Thanks to Dr. Vino, unsurprisingly.)

Downgraded: Your tax dollars
You may have caught this a couple weeks ago, but there’s been an interesting discussion of the federal government’s “Essential Air Service” program. Bottom line: It’s not that essential, and it’s doubtful that communities are really benefiting much from this. See both Cranky and Evan Sparks for thoughtful critiques. Evan suggests that, if you’re going to subsidize air travel at all, you consider the Small Community Air Service Development program instead. “Huh?” you say? Go read the posts.

Upgraded: Air taxi and microjet life chances
The microjet concept, which I’ve been skeptical of (no bathrooms on board!), was on the rocks. Now, Eclipse Aviation, one of the leaders in this lagging field, got an infusion of fresh capital. We’ll have the microjet / very-light-jet (VLJ) concept to kick around for a few more years, it seems.

Upgraded: Merger odds
Sigh. It’s confirmed: Delta is in talks with United and Northwest, to discuss a possible merger. I continue to root against these mergers, as they’ll raise prices, create mayhem, and improve nothing except the CEO’s paycheck.

(Photo credit: Fair use is made here of a reduced-size crop from a larger unattributed image on bbc.co.uk.)

Microjets, a.k.a. very-light jets (VLJs), are back in the news. The Wall Street Journal profiled Vern Raburn, the man behind Eclipse Aviation and the Eclipse 500 jet, which promises to hit the market next year.

Microjets’ primary market niche, as discussed earlier here, is for air taxi service, connecting cities which don’t have regular (or convenient) scheduled air service. Two thirds of orders are going to air-taxi hopefuls, with the remaining third primarily headed to recreational pilots.

Unlike private jets, VLJs won’t boast generous legroom or onboard amenities. The Eclipse 500 doesn’t even have an onboard toilet.

Yet buyers are reportedly pre-ordering the jets at a rate of one per day. Current price: $1.48 million.

One thing that’s missing entirely from the WSJ’s discussion is fuel economy, especially relevant given the recent rise in the price of oil. How fuel-efficient are these planes, anyway? Are they the Hummer or the Prius of the sky? And will they be economically feasible if oil rates remain high?

Even the private jet market has begun paying attention to fuel savings, through winglets. Some manufacturers, like their commercial aviation counterparts, have added these scoop-like extensions at the tips of wings to selected aircraft, reducing fuel burn by 5% or more. (How do they work? See here.) Aviation Partners, the maker of the aftermarket wing extensions for Boeing 737s and 757s, has an apparently even more fuel-efficient concept on deck: spiroid winglets. Odd-looking, but you can’t argue with fuel efficiency. (via IAG)

Microjets, a.k.a. very light jets or VLJs, are on the rise. Their proposed use: air taxi service between airports that don’t see much commercial traffic.

NYT columnist Joe Sharkey offers an example of how a business traveler might be interested:

Say you are a business traveler who works in the White Plains high-tech corridor and you have a meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Flying commercial, you would leave a day early. “The next day, you have your meeting, but chances are you won’t be able to get back that day,” said Rick Adam, the chief executive of Adam Aircraft. “So that’s a three-day trip.”

As CEO of a company that makes the small planes, Mr. Adam clearly has an interest in making the connections sound particularly awful. But what’s the truth? How hard is it to get between these cities? And how much does it cost?

How about a last minute fare, leaving tomorrow?
Delta leave White Plains at 5:50am and gets you to Columbus at 9:33am (there’s a change of planes in Cincinnati). Total trip time: 3:43.
Coming back, Continental leaves Columbus at 5:00pm and gets to White Plains at 8:18pm (with a change of planes in Cleveland). Total trip time: 3:18.

The cost for this ticket, purchased less than 24 hours before departure: $535.20. Plus, you can earn miles on either Delta or Continental, since they are both in the SkyTeam alliance and allow for reciprocal earning.

Granted, all flights are on all-coach class regional jets, which are not the pinnacle of comfort. And if the meeting lasts longer, or starts earlier, then you’re stuck overnighting in Columbus. But will an air taxi always be ready and waiting for you to “hail”? How comfortable are these planes, considering they’re even smaller than RJs? And will you earn miles??

So how big is the market for microjet service? And at what price?

Adam Aircraft suggests that fares would be double or triple the cost of a commercial flight. From the operator’s perspective, the company estimates that the cost per seat per mile flown ranges between 46 and 69 cents (55 cents for the standard 7-person configuration), but they don’t indicate what they’re assuming fuel will cost. White Plains to Columbus is 489 miles each way — call it 1000 miles roundtrip. That means that the air taxi ticket would need to charge at least $550 for the operator to break even — assuming a full load of 7 passengers. If the plane isn’t full, then the fare has to be much, much higher.

The FAA is taking the planes seriously, but it’s not clear if they’re buying into the air taxi business model. Microjets could still end up widely adopted by recreational avation enthusiasts, and thus a concern for air traffic controllers, but the jury is out if they will be a viable business.

If air taxi service proves successful, we might someday see a major airline buy into the industry, perhaps complementing their regional/commuter service with a taxi service. Then, you might be able to earn some miles while you’re at it.

(photo: Adam Aircraft)