Kiplinger Business Forecasts

Get Ready for a New Age in Business Travel: Affordable Jets for Hire Will Create Trips Without Connections

February 20, 2006 By Martha Lynn Craver - As early as this summer, business travelers will be able to get to their next sales pitch or strategy meeting more quickly and with fewer hassles. In June, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to certify the first new very light, very cheap jet, the E500 from Eclipse Aviation. Following on its heels are the A700 from Adam Aircraft and Cessna's Citation Mustang. These so-called microjets, which seat from four to six, will cost about a third of other jets currently on the market. The E500 from Eclipse Aviation will cost about $1.3 million and the A700 from Adam Aircraft, $2.2 million. They'll be able to fly at over 400 miles per hour and have a range of up to 1500 miles. Also, they are quieter and more fuel efficient.

"Baby" jets are causing an aviation buzz but will the market exist?

Tired of long security lines and middle seats on commercial air carriers? An alternative is at hand: entrepreneurial air taxi operators envision a future in which business travelers are rapidly ferried between regional airports in small, fast Very Light Jet (VLJ) aircraft, at prices anywhere from 10 to 50 percent more than today's fully refundable, full-fare commercial ticket, and far lower than existing business or fractional charter costs.