SurfAir
 

Anyone hear about this start up? Not quite fractional, not quite an airline... Interesting to say the least.


"When David Eyerly earned a partial scholarship to attend a California flight school, he asked his older brother Wade for some advice. Pilot jobs were tough to come by and David didn't see the payoff. But Wade, 32, wanted his brother to stick with flying and asked what it would take to keep him in the air. David, 27, joked that Wade could just buy a plane, start an airline and hire him.

"I took him more serious than he intended," says the older Eyerly, who on Thursday launched Surf Air, a new membership-based travel service that lets clients fly as many as 11 times each month between six California destinations for $990 a month.

Surf Air's members drive right up to an eight-person aircraft, where valet parks their car and takes their luggage, much like a private jet. Except the cost is drastically less than that of a private plane. Marquis Jet, one of the cheaper carriers in the industry, locks fliers in for at least 25 hours of flight time at $119,000 plus taxes and fees, according to its site. Surf Air's 500 current members are only required to make a three-month commitment ($2,970 total), after which they pay on a month-by-month basis.

Commercial flights between the destinations that Surf Air serves run around $250 round-trip, which makes Surf Air a cheaper option for business people who fly at least four times a month. Eyerly expects its members to average between five and nine one-way flights a month.

On top of the reduced price, Surf Air flights operate out of small regional airports, where Surf Air members don't have to deal with security or the hustle and bustle of major airports, which is part of the problem the startup aims to solve.

"Half of America's regional airports operate at less than 10 percent capacity and yet for some reason we keep flying through the same 29 overburdened airports in this country," says Eyerly, who used to fly 27 days out of most months as a member of Vice President Biden's advance press team.

Passengers of Surf Air can reserve at most six flights at one time. That could pose problems for ultra frequent travelers, such as those who fly three times a week, PandoDaily notes. "Passengers can't book their next trip until they're already back from the last one, and chances are the next flight they would want that week would already be booked."

Surf Air, which says it's paying around $700,000 a month to lease and operate two planes, wants to prove the model works before it expands its fleet or accepts new members.

"Once we can show the pay-off for our members and successfully demonstrate the model," Eyerly says, "it's a whole lot easier to walk into a venture capital firm and ask for $25 million to buy 30 planes."

So far, the company has funded itself -- including the cost of leasing the planes and some hefty lawyer fees to ensure it is abiding by regulations -- with personal funds and money from angel investors.

One of those investors, Paige Craige, who is the founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based startup Betterworks, and who often travels back and forth between Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, is just the type of customer Surf Air is targeting. Indeed, Silicon Valley and its surrounding areas are rife with wealthy entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and attorneys whom Surf Air says make up the lion's share of its first 500 members.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based Facebook, spent $700,000 last year for costs related to private plane use, according to papers filed for the company's initial public offering.

Perhaps Facebook's newest shareholders might appreciate Zuck cutting costs and instead flying Surf Air when its service launches mid-Summer."

Surf Air, Silicon Valley's Newest Airline, Caters To Wealthy Entrepreneurs, Investors

Sounds kind of neat... probably a home every night type of gig.

Although with 500 members, each paying $1000/mo that's only $500,000/mo, and the article says they're spending $700,000/mo on aircraft leases... not sure how long they will be able to sustain that kind of loss. Seems like they could have financed those aircraft a little better so they aren't paying 350k/mo for each... maybe a mistake in the reporting.

EDIT: Just noticed that is also operation costs. Still might not be sustainable for too long.

Definite typo. I know that Keller and several other pc1 lessors will lease around 350k per year. I know the demand has gone up, several years ago 200k per year was about right.

with the recent start up, anyone on the inside know anything? or actually flying for them? I saw they were looking for 16 guys to start by March. Seems like a large number if their flying is only once a day.

Does anyone have any idea on what they are paying the pilots?

from the bottom of their website:

* Surf Air does not own or operate aircraft. All flights are arranged through a network of qualified FAA Part 135 certificated air carriers. Air Carriers providing service for Surf Air meet FAA safety requirements.

Interesting since they have a pilot hiring page posted
http://www.surfair.com/pilot.recruitment.pdf

Yeah I think they have to put that on the website since they don't currently hold an FAA Cert...

Checked out the website. Looks like a step in the right direction to me.

Has anybody interviewed with them yet?

Waiting to hear back from my resume guru then I'll be sending my stuff in. I'm right about their preferred mins so I'd imagine there's a host of others more qualified than me. But I'm gonna do it anyway (what are they gonna do say no?) and see what happens. With it being a start-up it's probably a bit of a risk but I would be living somewhere other than Ohio, so it seems like an acceptable risk to me.

This part of their website made me chuckle:
That is a hefty statement, especially when the CA require:
and FOs require:
I just find it hard to be considered among the "finest trained pilots in the industry" with around 250-500 (preferred) total time in an airplane.

Got to love advertising!

USMCFLYR

Btw - would love to fly the airplane!

Current mins posted on the website are ATP/2000 preferred CA and 500 FO. Maybe they went up recently? Anyone here anything from them?

Also, it says "Launching 2012" on their website; somewhat vague, and 2012 is quickly coming to an end. If anyone has heard anything, did they give you a date to expect operations to begin?

I read on one of their social media sites that they are looking at the later part of 2012 for start up.

Would the time be loggable as a FO?

FO should be SIC

yea but the pc12 is a single pilot aircraft

What a joke

If their Ops Specs require the SIC, then yes. If it says they are approved for single pilot, and everything is working, then no.

Your next job interview, assuming you leave before you upgrade, will probably question that time and might not count it.

Yes provided they train FOs and have them complete a 135 checkride.

Even with A/P in Lieu of SIC you can still log SIC if everything is still working, provided you have a current 135 check. With that ops spec the only time an SIC is required for dispatch is when the A/P is INOP. But they can always dispatch with a SIC and a functioning A/P they just don't have to.

threw up resume in the pile 600TT. for the FO position has anyone else applied?

Any word on pay yet? Anyone have the deets?

I applied with a few thousand pic on type And have heard nothing, I think they are waiting for certification

Sent a resume last week and haven't heard anything back yet.

Oh My Overhead Snikes!!! $700,000 per month!!! I wonder how many operating hours are budgeted in that number.

Waiting....
 

I understand some interviews occurred this past week. I sent a resume in last week for an F/O spot, 1500TT. Haven't heard a peep...

I interviewed this last Tuesday along with about 20-25 others, with a wide range of experience levels. That took most of the day and it was a very pleasant experience. They have hired some good people for the recruitment and start-up. Start-ups are kind of scary and because of the delays I was wondering if would happen but it appears very real and they may start training in October. They have bought three planes and I think have leased another. I was told schedules were: AM or PM shifts, two on, two standby the 3 consecutive off. Health benefits, salary, not per hour. They haven't nailed down captain pay, but FO pay is much more than a pilot starting at a regional. (I was interviewing for captain, at least I think I was, but I regret not standing up and shaking the CEO's hand when he told me the FO pay) I have no idea when the selected pilots will be informed. I think they have covered the first level of hiring. I went from wary but interested to really wanting the job. They did a good job I think.

Anyone want to throw a gouge out there?;)

Yes, gouge would be much appreciated! Along with hours and if you got the job or not =)

Hey, Chaz, what kind of questions were you asked? Any technical? have you started training yet? Any word on a second round of hiring? thanks in advance for your insights.

What is the domicile(s)?

I know that the company is headquartered in Santa Monica.

Anyone heard anything lately? Bueller? Bueller????

Any new info on this start-up company?

Surf Air
 

FAA certification is in process. The manuals are in and awaiting approval. `Surf Air has hired 25 pilots, and training will be accomplished at Flight Safety in their new level D full motion simulator. Captains will be making appx. 60,000/year and co-pilots 35,000/year, with a 5 day on 5 day off schedule. The domicile is Burbank airport.

Wonder how long until that goes down the drain?

I wonder if SurfAir will have an LAS domicile in the future?

Really? I was under the impression that they had hired captains only for the launch with co-pilots coming later. Also fwiw, saw an ad yesterday on one of the hiring sites that they were looking for dispatchers so it does sound like they are grinding along. Sloooooooooowly.....

Sounds awesome on paper. I wonder how much that will change.

According to one of the other forums, they've taken delivery of two aircraft.

Also, it should be noted that the pilot jobs are not just flying the airplane. You're also going to be the passengers' customer service agent/concierge. So yeah, there should be more pay for that!