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The idea looks good on paper but I get the feeling it won't work.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/aviation/startup-airly-aims-to-disrupt-how-you-fly-from-sydney-to-melbourne-20160108-gm1q38.html

Read that this morning, interesting concept.

Don't know who they are.

I've got a feeling that it will work. Companies will effectively get the convenience of their own biz-jet at a fraction of the cost and it's likely to be cheaper than scheduled, particularly if they use it a lot.

The challenge for the start-up company is to make money given the "fly as often as you need" and "we go whether it's one pax or full" policy

The added convenience of Essendon as well at the Melbourne end but without the parking hassle and people. Everyone who drives to Tullamarine drives past Essendon Airport anyway.

Not sure on Bankstown.

Not a biz jet but a biz prop - Kingair 350 (the (i) model I assume).

While a prop turbine makes perfect sense for a 1 hr 30 min sector,
and operating under the advantage of a RPT AOC, Bankstown will
be the decider, and whether or not the business traveling culture
in Oz will mimick that of the States.

With a 6.5 mill price tag per Kingair (which the company says it
will purchase outright) they'd better have enough paid up capital
to cover the first 12 months of operation - which will be a loss
making time to be sure.

Further, there is no guarantees I'm aware of that terminal space
will be maintained should an ALP government, either Federal or
State, gain power. Too many political question marks as to the
longevity of such an operation, given that Essendon is a political
football with the ALP, as will eventually Bankstown.

A bloody high risk all around in my book, but as I said it looks
good on paper.

I wonder what its paying their Kingair drivers, and do they
double up as loaders / refuellers?

Was flying Kingies as No 2 nearly forty years ago. Nice aerie. Used to go out to a manganese mine at a place called Hotazell in RSA, and it was - baie varm.

Alison

Never flew the Kingair but past drivers I know liked it.

Never flew the Kingair but past drivers I know liked it.

Likewise. Have a Mate who didn't want to fly anything else whilst he was on them.

Only experience I have of them is being Medevacced out of PNG in one another lifetime ago!

Pinky the pilot wrote:Only experience I have of them is being Medevacced out of PNG in one another lifetime ago!

That wouldn't have been one of the RFDS aircraft out of Cairns/FNQ by any chance. If so consider yourself very lucky to have made it as I did the initial GPS installs, in '95/96. The mob I was working for on a casual basis had avionics box changers, and box fixers in the workshop, but no one with enough nouse to able to hook up the autopilot, instrumentation and systems interfaces, and get it all to work. Even did the modification drawings for DCA approval.

Alison

That wouldn't have been one of the RFDS aircraft out of Cairns/FNQ by any chance

No idea, Alison. I was really too seriously ill from my injuries by the time the Company got me out of the place to remember much. The Doctor who accompanied me all the way to Cairns was really only along for the ride so someone could sign the Death certificate, which was expected to be required.

Obviously however, someone had other plans for me.

I do remember speaking to the Pilot and shaking his hand when they loaded me onto the a/c at Madang and he possibly told me his name but as I mentioned, I was too crook at the time.

All this occurred in March 1992.

Did Airly work out? I didn't find anything on the searches.

It's a very tough market. Many people are tied to their FF points and perks. Also, they'll have corporate accounts with the airlines too.
The US has a significantly higher population density (as you all know). I am not surprised it didn't work in Oz. Then there's the ol' prop shock to contend with.