A Funding Jolt for DayJet

It could be that financial institutions heavily invested in traditional airlines don't want DayJet to succeed, because of the risk to their other investments. Eclipse and DayJet predicted they were working on a "disruptive technology".

Sam
You are out of touch with reality. Major carriers aren't afraid of dayjet business. They're more afraid of fuel prices. Dayjet problem is the concept and market. This is another dot. with wings. Computer geeks have no business in aviation and the business will fail fast.
NO investors dollars to burn like back in 2000.

I think the DayJet model is OK, and since the market is little pre-matured, the investment is higher than retuns, and once the wind changes its direction, i think EDD will make money. The people should actualy support such models.

Peelarat nailed it - Dayjet's problem is getting the market to comprehend their product. It's hard for a customer to put a value on a product when the price of that product is variable and a function of multiple inputs - distance traveled, point of origin, destination, and size of departure time window.

The market at large is not prepared to accept air travel in a flying SUV sized aircraft. Even though the concept has merit, the Florida/South East Commuter/Air Taxi market has a heritage of becoming a junk yard for would be air carriers that have "figured it out".

In selling air travel to the public, size does matter.

It's a crappy little airplane with two tiny little engines to feed and maintain. I am certain it can be a safe operation, but the concept is a tough one for folks to comprehend! Rumor has it that Day Jet is attempting to unload its planes and not take delivery of others. Eclipse Aviation, builder of the little jet, will probably "tank" soon too.

The point that seems to be overlooked here is the value of a business person's time. If you are, say, a professional - doctor, attorney, real estate executive, etc., and you value your time, or charge out, at $500+ per hour, and you have to move around between major cities for your work, then this business model makes complete sense. Many more people are prospective users of this service than can afford a private aircraft, prop or jet. Someone, somewhere, sometime will nail this concept and make money with it. DayJet's founders have had the guts to risk a lot by setting up this venture, and I, for one, wish them success with it.

Come now people you don't think that this airline has the prospects to keep it funded? Celebrities, music moguls, VIPS, professional atheletes, the list goes on. All these groups progressively going to more private business travel for security and privacy from papparazi, and other would be misfits. TMZ.com is a perfect example of what happens when you let your guard down in the circles these people run in. An airline that does not have waiting papparazi, pesky signature hounds, crappy baggage handlers, long lines , and no hassle of shopping around for tickets, bypassing the corporate airline crap and all for around the same price. Really will not matter though, because the corporations will not hold back the companies, they will help grow them, then buy them out when the profits are steady. Instead of owning one large airline, the corporations will own several smaller airlines under different names but under one umbrella, so you get screwed again by corporate America.

This business model was never designed to work. Day jet was a tool for the Eclipse 500 to gain FAA accreditation for a new class of jet, the VLJ. With out Day Jets model to get the Air Flight hours in on this jet (Under FAA Terms) they would never be able to sell the craft to Charter Operators, or fraction owenrs who put the Jets into charter pools. I REPEAT DAY JET WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO SUCEED. The company is a farce the service is not a viable business model.

Wow, I was thinking about reserving a slot for an Eclipse, sure glad I didn't.
DayJet wasn't even operational for a year. Eclipse was going to market to rich people, but not the super rich, meaning possible customers are people that can have an adjustment to their lifestyles because of significant deceases in wealth or earnings, and that is what this economy is looking to do.

The super rich whose lifestyles probably won't change regardless of the economic climate, weren't Eclipse prospective customers anyways, they are Lear, Gulfstream, and Hawker customers.

It's not looking pretty for Eclipse right now.

All in all, the comments have spread the gamut. I have not been able to view the B.P. but anytime someone has a good idea and figures out it works with signifiant Investment Capital, up front. There will always be the naysayers and the down to earth fact that sarting new income streams, regardless of the business, is difficult and invariably shall be subject to unforseens. I would have really liked to see this happen in a healthy financial climate, personally I think it works, particularly once one observes the open travel window.

I wish they would have called me, I would have considered funding them, certainly requiring quite a bit of scrutiny on the Eclipse. Two years from now, logically you will see day jet breaking into the black.
JCD International

Dear Jefrey!
Me too strongly support the day jet concept and confident to roll out our operations in india.