Widespread Air Limos? 'I Do Have My Doubts,' says Skeptical Textron Chief
The need to fill air taxis to make money, and the fact that
low-cost VLJs will be mighty uncomfortable when full, are fundamentals that
will work against the air taxi concept, says Textron president and CEO Lewis
Campbell. Textron, of course, is the corporate parent of Cessna Aircraft.
"Air taxi is going to be tough to make work financially
unless the airplane is very inexpensive, much, much less expensive than the
$2.4 million for the Cessna Mustang," he says.
"Unfortunately less expensive airplanes are smaller and more
cramped," Campbell adds, and "you've got to fill them up in order to make the
cost-per-ride at a decent profit for the operator and so the user can afford
it."
"So I do have my doubts about air taxis. But truthfully, I
hope it works, because it just gets more people flying jets, business jets.
"And the more they fly business jets the less they are going
to want to go through those terminals to jump on that commercial flight and the
sooner they are going to get into one of our products."
