Good question. We’re actually working on that solution. (Email me @ adam@rsvpair.com for the PDF teaser if you’d like.)

The reality is that most people with the means to underwrite / finance are ones who use the existing broken fractional and charter models and are therefore confused about how to make “Southwest” work. (In other words, you need need “non-spoiled” financiers who understand that this is not a concierge service… it is more like a bus… just a little bus… and yes, you share and sit next to people you may not know that well.)

In short, when you have last minute availability, you, by default, create idle aircraft (waiting for the boss) which tanks the whole thing. We wrote two “mini books” on the subject at http://www.jetowner.com. One is titled “Golden Chariot” the other “Magus, Patron and Passenger.” (More here: http://jetowner.com/index.php?page=private-jet-books)

The ability to pull of a Southwest like revolution will require two things:

a) A dramatic increase in utilization. (Plan on at least 1800 plus hours per airframe per year that’s 50% of Southwest’s btw)
b) A complete altering of client expectations around how aircraft access works. (This is for the unwashed masses, not the guy used to getting away with huge last minute changes.)

Fixing those two things will make it happen. We believe we have the experience and web based optimization tools to make it happen too. We just need $6MM for the first two aircraft and a sales effort to get our project rolling.

–Adam

Here are some more helpful links about us and what we do at the Marcil Tech Group:
http://www.rsvpair.com (our world wide air charter directory)
http://www.jetowner.com (our service for current jet owners)
http://www.fractionalforum.com (to help people in the dying / collapsing fractional business)
http://www.adamwebster.com (my pontifications and shameless self promotion)

I think the reason that SWA is so successful is that their aircraft utilization is out of sight. They overstaff on customer service and baggage handling, while empowering their people on the ground to make fast decisions, to keep those airplanes flying. I don’t know the exact numbers, but, the SWA utilization rate for their aircraft is much higher than any other US airline. They certainly fly more revenue miles per aircraft than any other US airline. That is a fact, and that is where SWA’s greatness comes from. I think the lesson the that charter industry can learn from this is to figure out ways to be more efficient in using the aircraft that are currently in the fleet. The charter industry doesn’t need more aircraft added to it, in fact, it probably needs less! That in turn will drive up utilization, which will then in turn drive up profitability, and drive down prices, bringing more users in the charter world, and repeating the cycle. But as long as their is a surplus of charter capacity, the charter business will never be able to emulate the greatness of SWA.