Plane Conversations

Over the years we have seen more and more travel aggregators come into the online marketplace. Now you can go to dozens of different websites to find the lowest possible price for your next trip. As an industry, we have subsequently seen prices going lower as the airlines fight to the bottom to fight for market share. This does not drive down the cost of operation for flying the aircraft, it just lowers the consumer perception of what travel is worth.

(via http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/11/29/prweb8985424.DTL) Superfly, a technology startup at the forefront of travel innovation, today announced its new smart flight search engine. Superfly’s engine is a unique online platform that personalizes flight search by adding an individual’s data — frequent flyer miles, elite statuses, rewards programs and individual preferences — into the decision-making process of choosing a flight. For the first time, travelers can fully take advantage of their frequent flyer miles and rewards programs when booking travel online.

“Today’s mainstream flight search websites completely ignore the impact of consumer data,” said Jonathan Meiri, CEO of Superfly. “This is a defining issue for the future of online travel services. Superfly is a secure tool that not only has access to all the flights in the world, it also combines that information with personal travel preferences in order to help consumers figure out which flight is right for them.”

Google’s recent acquisition of ITA Software has marked the dawn of a new age in online travel. Many industry players are now using the same travel data, essentially turning flight search into a commodity. This will most likely unleash a wave of innovation as incumbents look to differentiate their services.

“Superfly is an incredible tool that will bring great value to travelers, particularly frequent flyers,” said Kenneth Esterow, an advisor of Superfly and former CEO of GTA by Travelport. “It is particularly useful to heavy users and corporate travelers.”

Superfly enables consumers to maximize the value of their miles and make better travel decisions. Rather than focusing solely on presenting the cheapest flight, Superfly helps individual consumers identify the options with the greatest personal value. Travelers can use Superfly’s personal travel insights to better manage their rewards programs and cash-in on the opportunities they present.

When all you focus on when you are looking for a service is price, everyone will lose. Value is a much more sustainable model and can lead to more growth and innovation. All of us here at Social Flights support the efforts of companies like Superfly and look forward to leading the charge with them into an innovative and prosperous age of travel.

When a community comes together around a common cause, real change can happen. In the small town of Charleston, West Virginia , everyone came together to support their community airport and created a big change.

According to a recent article in The State Journal by Ann Ali (http://www.statejournal.com/story/16333075/partnerships-community-focus-keep-north-central-air-fares-low)

Fares at the North Central West Virginia Airport in Clarksburg went down this year, from $539.02 in 2010 to $505.11 in 2011. Its comparable airports raised their fares, along with every other airport in West Virginia. Average domestic air fares went up 8.5 percent nationwide from 2010 to 2011, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, going from $341 in the second quarter of 2010 to $370 in the second quarter of 2011.

“We want the public to see the good deals that are out there,” Rock said. “We’re trying to provide good service to our community and take ownership of our airport. The best way is to educate them about what we have, and by doing that, we’re able to get people through the doors.”

Rock said the public thought the local airport’s prices were high, but his staff members has gone to great measure this year to do their own research to point out deals.

“We want regional parity, and our partners at Pinnacle (Airlines), we push them on that,” Rock said. “And they agreed and worked with us on that.”

Rock said his goal is to get members of the community to look to North Central West Virginia Airport when planning trips, rather than automatically booking flights from Pittsburgh or other nearby larger airports.

“We want people to at least check us out and see if we fit their budgets and schedules,” Rock said. “And I think people have done that, and we’re very thankful.”

Rock said his industry has a lot of volatility, such as fuel prices, but air travel remains competitive.

“We ask everybody to support their local airports,” he said.

We want all of the local communities out there to look at the problems the current air system and start to think local. Just because the big carriers are pulling out of your area, forcing you to drive 2 hours to the nearest airport to find a viable option doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Come together with those you live with and collectively make a better option for everyone.

With Social Flights Community Air Service Program, you will be able to create your own charter airline using the power of on-demand jets service and social media. The revolution starts with you.

Ok, now this airline game is becoming serious business.  It is bad enough when small communities that never had air service options have given up trying to grow (where new opportunities fail to materialize and young knowledge workers move away).  It’s a whole different matter when companies pick up and leave a community because the airlines pull the plug on air service.

[via When Airlines Depart Cities, Businesses May Follow : NPR]

Last month when Chiquita announced it was moving its corporate headquarters from Ohio to North Carolina, it said it was lured there in part by the number of flights in and out of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Cincinnati came out on the losing end of the deal because like so many other cities, it faces a shrinking airline hub, which can affect the city’s business climate.

US Cities are vulnerable to decreased economic development due to Airline Service loss

Regressive Economics

When a company leaves town, it takes with it the self-identity of the people who worked their entire careers to make that company great.  When people are forced to migrate to find new work, they impose a cost on their families and futures.  While corporations maintain economic freedom to make decisions in their own best interest, the public does not have the economic freedom to respond in their own best interest.

Daily Departures

Cincinnati; At peak, 2005: 673 daily (5 international); Current: 200 daily (1 international)

Pittsburgh; At peak, 2001: 579 daily (3 international); Current: 145 daily, (1 international)

St. Louis; peak 2001: 595 daily; Current: 250 daily

And, this is ONLY THREE Cities. 

Looking at the above statistics; well over 1000 flights per day have been eliminated from these three not-so-small cities.  That is 365,000 flights denying economic equality to over 50 million travelers in a single year.  The scale of entrepreneur career-years alone squandered due to lack of air service is absolutely catastrophic for the American Economy. The irony is that people who move away need to travel more to stay connected to families. The economic friction imposed on communities is staggering.   

“I remember coming here a few years ago and it was a hub of activity, you know, with all three concourses,” he says. “Now there’s only … one concourse left, if that, and it’s just really amazing to see this huge infrastructure supporting very little flights.”

Van der Horst with the Cincinnati chamber says she doesn’t expect Delta to go back to 673 flights a day at CVG, but she knows that for Cincinnati to attract and retain more business, it will mean landing more flights.

Social Flights is working overtime to create a Community Air Service Program that allows communities to access modern jet aircraft to fulfill their own travel needs whether they need direct flights, hub flights, corporate shuttle flights, or charter jet operations.  Social Flights has the operational experience to teach communities how to manage their own air transportation operations through their own airports, FBOs, and responding to their own social priorities with modern aircraft.

Economic Freedom belongs to everyone. This is the cornerstone of the Social Flights business model –  Social Flights is the people’s airline.  Let us know where you want to go, before someone else does that for you….