What started out as a simple car service, Uber has now transformed the travel industry as a whole. Anyone that’s used Uber knows just how convenient and great their service is. You use their mobile application to order a car of your choosing, and within minutes your driver will pick you up to take you on your way. The popularization of Uber has completely changed the taxis business, and now a similar company is looking to take a similar idea to the skies. They are called Beacon and people are already calling them the “Uber of the skies”. You sign up with the company, pay a monthly rate, and then will be granted access to unlimited flights to their participating locations. For the frequent airline traveler, Beacon is a god send. So will this relatively new company forever change airline travel in a way that Uber changed taxi travel, or will they just be a bust? Let’s take a closer look at this revolutionary new startup.
After various rounds of initial funding, Beacon formally launched their services this September. At the head of the company is CEO Wade Eyerly, a man that is no stranger to airline travel. His first company, known as Surf Air, was a similar enterprise that offered members unlimited private jet flights up and down the west coast of the United States. Now he looks to take on the east coast with Beacon and hopefully will change airline travel for the better.
Currently they are only offering flights from New York City to Boston, however sometimes they offer flights to Nantucket or the Hamptons. But we do have to remember that they are still a fairly new startup, so they can’t really offer flights to all cities from the start. When Uber launched their services were only available in select cities as well, before they turned a profit and were able to expand. But if you frequently travel to and from those cities, their services are extremely viable.
So here is how it works. First you sign up with the company and create a membership to gain access to their services. Now since we are talking about unlimited flights via private airplanes, it is obviously not cheap. The base membership costs $1,750 per month and it offers unlimited flights and the ability to make two reservations at a time. Then there’s a $2,250 per month package that grants unlimited flights and up to four reservations at a time. Finally the most premium package is $3,000 per month and that offers everything the previous package has however you also get two guest passes per month as well. Flights are then booked via their app or through their concierge service, and Beacon exclaims that you only need to give them 15 minutes notice before you book a flight to get a guaranteed seat.
Once a flight is ordered, Beacon will then organize a taxi to come pick you up to take you to the airport. Flights depart from Westchester Airport in New York, just north of the Bronx, and Logan Airport in Boston. Members will enter a private terminal, will head through security fairly quick, and then hang out in their private lounge where you can relax, eat snacks, or grab a cup of coffee. Members will then fly in private Beechcraft twin-prop airplanes like the KA-200, the KA-250, or the 1900. The planes are fairly small, but they are luxurious, comfortable, and functional for Beacon’s uses. Since the flights are only going from New York City to Boston, Beacon does not need large airplanes. Additionally there is no in-flight service, airline food, or WiFi. The flights are between 35 and 50 minutes long, so you should be able to manage just fine.
Beacon certainly seems like a very promising startup that can revolutionize airline travel. They have made air travel fast, convent, and very streamlined. They have plans to open up new markets in cities across the United States, but that’s still a ways off. However as promising as Beacon is, it is obviously not for everyone. The base membership will run you about $21,000 dollars per year, which is quite expensive. So you not only have to be fairly wealthy to use Beacon, but you have to also be someone that flies regularly enough to really get your moneys worth. But if you’re someone that meets that criteria, Beacon is the way to go. I can see this being very viable for companies that do business in these two cities, and it would be interesting to see if they had corporate memberships included at some point because the average consumer probably doesn’t fly enough or make enough money to realistically afford their services.
But again, Beacon is still extremely new and they are a young company. Once they get things rolling, they can expand to other cities, take in more memberships, expand their fleet, and get their cost of operations down which would make their memberships more affordable. Sure, it’s going to take a lot of work to get there, but once they do, flying with Beacon will be the superior form of airline travel. If Beacon does prove to be successful, then they would be on track to change the airline industry like Uber changed the taxi industry. If you are interested in signing up or want more information, visit their website: flybeacon.com.
Photo from Beechcraft
