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    1. Opinions

    At Chicago Executive, the First VLJ for Charter ...

    Oct. 17, 2007
    ... was put into service in late August by North American Jet. According to NAJ president Kenneth D. Ross, the response by the local market has been quite strong. North American Jet is a charter management company that has a fleet that includes Lear 35s, a King Air 90, and a Cessna Sovereign and has an additional base in Aspen, CO. It is based at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK), historically known as Palwaukee Municipal and located some eight nautical miles north of O’Hare International. Ross is quick to point out that, yes, NAJ was the first charter operator to put a very light jet – the Eclipse 500 – into air taxi service. It was not Linear Air of Massachusetts or DayJet of Florida, which both have gotten quite a bit of press on the subject. (You can tell that he gets a bit of satisfaction from that point, evidenced by the wry smile.) According to Ross, the target audience that’s shaking out for VLJ air taxi service is made up of professionals in middle management, as well as attorneys and doctors, among others. The company expects to have three Eclipse 500s in service by year-end, and another three units by February 2008. NAJ doesn’t own any of its charter fleet, instead utilizing the aircraft via its aircraft management program. All company flights are flown under FAR Part 135, he emphasizes, even those flown for the corporate owners. Unlike the DayJet model which will have different pricing schemes based on when customers want to fly (peak versus non-peak times), North American Jet will offer fixed rates. It also has established a ‘Q Service’ membership loyalty program that offers a reduced fixed rate for VLJ customers. Ross says that he has received quite a few resumes/inquiries from pilots interested in flying the VLJs for NAJ. “You know pilots and anything new,†he says. The company initially is using two pilots for the Eclipse 500 flights. Look for more on North American Jet’s program in the upcoming November/December print edition of AIRPORT BUSINESS. Thanks for reading. jfi