There is a great joke within the airline industry, “How do you make a million dollars with an airline? Start with a billion dollars!
That’s why the new all-you-can-fly Santa Barbra based membership airline Surf Air is building airline business with a whole new vision. Surf Air creates a relaxed enjoyable flying experience eliminating all the hassles we dread about commercial airports. Surf Air works much like any membership club. You pay a small initiation fee ($500) and then you pay monthly dues of $1,599. You can bring a guest along on the flight for a guest fee of $650 per flight. As a member you can book, cancel, or check-in for your flight in less than 30 seconds using the app. Some of the other benefits include: no lines, no security, free luggage, complimentary parking, and a concierge who meets you and escorts you on to the plane.
Now serving the Truckee/ Lake Tahoe Airport, Surf Air also offers six other locations including San Carlos in the Bay Area, Santa Barbra, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Using the smaller private airports allows members to show up just minutes before the flight and to be driving away from the airport minutes after it lands. Now a 3.5 hour drive over Donner Summit in variable weather turns into a laid-back 30 minute conversation with another avid skier and cyclist over a cocktail. The fact that this convenient service is done at a fraction of the price of its competitors, without getting a quote or hiring a charter, really does make Tahoe in the Bay Area’s back yard.
With 18 flights per day and investors like actor Jared Leto, Surf Air seems to be gaining a lot of momentum. Dubbed the “Netflix” of travel, could Surf Air change the game of airline travel? I really hope so, because let’s be honest, commercial airports are really only good for one thing: people watching.
