Over the years, the airline industry hasn’t changed that much, at least in terms of logistics. Sure the airplanes have become more luxurious and safe as technology progresses, but the experience of booking a flight has pretty much stayed the same. You find out where you want to go, book your seat, pay for the ticket, and then go through all the motions that surround air travel. While it’s not that difficult for someone who flies every now and then, this process can become extremely tedious for those that fly multiple times every month. Well a new travel service called Beacon has hit the scene, and it seems like they are forever going to shakeup the airline industry. So who are they, and what do they do?
Beacon is newly launched travel service/company that aims to make air travel a whole lot easier. Instead of purchasing individual tickets every time you fly, they will offer a subscription-based service that grants users unlimited flights. Initially when the service launches, they will only be offering flights from New York Westchester airport to Boston Logan, but they have plans to provide their service to other cities in the northeast in addition to offering seasonal flights to the Hamptons and Nantucket. Additionally instead of creating their own airline, they have partnered with various charter companies that will provide them with the airplanes. For frequent travelers, this is a pretty attractive service, and it’s been proven to already be successful.
Beacon has been founded by various co-founders of Surf Air, a company out on the West Coast that provides a similar service. Initially Surf Air offered flights from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, but they now have expanded to offer flights to seven different locations in California in addition to Las Vegas due to growing popularity.
Beacon is planning to launch their service to customers sometime this coming summer. The way it works is you sign up with Beacon and pay a monthly subscription of $2,000 dollars. While that’s fairly expensive, Beacon will offer nine flights everyday from New York to Boston, with every flight leaving on the hour. You also have unlimited access to their flights, so you can fly as much as you want. Members of Beacon can add family members or co-workers to their subscription for an additional $1,200 a month. Additionally subscribers can also purchase one-way guests passes for friends at $750 each. Members can reserve up to four seats at any given time, and again, you can fly as often or little as needed. The booking of flights is handed via a mobile app and their service is extremely streamlined and easy, so it’s no hassle to book a last-minute flight. You simply show up to the airport and then head to the plane; there’s no waiting in lines for check in or any of that nonsense. Beacon wants to make air travel for frequent fliers as easy and stress-free as possible, and it seems like they are doing a pretty good job at that.
Members will fly on either Pilatus PC-12’s or King Air 350i’s propeller planes. The above pictures are of a Pilatus PC-12, so you can get a general sense of what the airplane is like. The airplanes will not have any flight attendants and they aren’t multi-million dollar luxury private jets, however they are still pretty comfortable. The thing is, the planes don’t need to be extremely luxurious as the flight from New York to Boston is only 37 minutes long.
But again, the real attraction to Beacon is the unlimited, subscription-based service. If you’re a businessman or businesswoman that frequently travels from Boston to New York, flying with Beacon is really your best option. The service is really best for travelers that often fly or travel to those locations, as it is still more affordable to book single flights through traditional airlines.
Beacon is certainly shaking up the airline industry because of their subscription-service. Outside of Surf Air, we haven’t really seen any other companies that offer a comparable service here in the United States. While you are paying a premium, the luxury of having unlimited flights on any day at nearly any hour is pretty spectacular. If you are interested in signing up with Beacon or you want to find out some more information, head on over to their website: flybeacon.com
Photos from pilatus-aircraft.com
