Frequent flyers will soon be able to zip up and down California’s coast with a new all-you-can-fly airline.
Surf Air announced Thursday that starting this summer, it will offer members unlimited service between Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles for $790 a month.
The membership-based airline will cater to investors and entrepreneurs who regularly travel for business. According to the company’s estimates, these frequent flyers account for a whopping 85 percent of the business travel industry and in 2011 alone, more than 20 million of these passengers flew between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The company promises to take the headache out of air travel by eliminating fees and other frustrating airport procedures altogether—bags fly free, cancellation doesn’t cost a dime and passengers can book a ticket on the eight-seat, luxury planes up to 30 minutes before a flight.
The Santa Monica-based airline was founded by Wade Eyerly, a former aide to Dick Cheney, and his brother David, a licensed commercial pilot and former manager for Frontier Airlines.
The brothers initially planned to set up shop on the East Coast under the name PlaneRed. That service would have offered flights between Atlantic City, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The pair ultimately decided to move out west after working with MuckerLab, a start up accelerator in Los Angeles.
The move might prove to be a lucky break for the California business set.
“We are fulfilling a real need in the marketplace,” said Wade Eyerly in a statement. “We foresee our members forming personal and business bonds on our flights as they experience the benefits of this exclusive travel club.”
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