Hopscotch Air Inc., a private jet charter operator based in Farmingdale, will begin providing direct flights from the Westchester County Airport to Boston starting in October.
“We don”™t have flights going to Boston from here,” said Steven Ferguson, assistant manager of Westchester County Airport. “It”™s filling a need.”
The flights will begin to Logan International Airport in Boston Oct. 1 and Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass. starting Oct. 3. Round-trip flights to Logan and Hanscom will cost $875 and $775, respectively.
The demand for air-taxi service to Massachusetts has ramped up over the last two years, said Andrew Schmertz, chief executive of Hopscotch Air. Over the summer, the company saw an increase in the number of on-demand flights to Logan and Hanscom airports average three to five per week.
“If we were able to lower our prices and offer a per-seat option, we think there”™s a significant market we can grab out of Westchester,” Schmertz said.
These SUV-sized Cirrus airplanes seat three passengers and include safety features such as emergency parachute systems. They include on-board avionics such as autopilot and advanced GPS features.
Unlike commercial flights, Hopscotch doesn”™t carry cargo or require security screening by the Transportation Security Administration as standard air carrier operators do.
The cost of operating these aircraft is lower than ordinary private jets. Lower costs of operation mean prices are at “substantially lower rates,” Schmertz said.
Linear Air will partner with Hopscotch to provide a marketing platform with its website.
“Linear Air has a very advanced online platform that will allow customers to book flights directly as if they were booking a traditional airline flight, making the process efficient and giving people the experience they”™re more used to,” Schmertz said.
The fixed-based operator for Hopscotch is Panorama Flight Service, which is on the opposite side of the runways from the main terminal, Schmertz said. This location is convenient for travelers and will create fewer hassles with check-ins compared to commercial flights, he said.
“We”™ll test the waters and see the demands and increase accordingly,” Schmertz said.
As Hopscotch expands the market for private aviation, it plans to hire four part-time pilots next month ”“ two based in Westchester and two on Long Island.
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