ImagineAir
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| Founded | 2005 | ||||||
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| Secondary hubs | Charleston, South Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, Allentown, Pennsylvania[1] | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Flight Card Program | ||||||
| Destinations | 900+ in the Southern and Eastern U.S. | ||||||
| Company slogan | Affordable, Personal Air Taxi | ||||||
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||
| Key people | Benjamin Hamilton, Haroon Qureshi, Ryan Rodd | ||||||
| Website | http://www.imagineair.com | ||||||
ImagineAir is an air taxi service headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, operating the largest floating fleet of piston aircraft in the United States.[2] With a service area covering a majority of the southern and eastern US, the company operates an average of 5000 flights annually. ImagineAir is often noted for its young management; founders Aaron Sohacki and Benjamin Hamilton were 19 and 21 respectively when the company was founded,[2][3] as well as its innovative online aircraft booking system, providing the familiarity of buying an airline seat on a charter.[4]
ImagineAir's business model is based on an extensive industry study of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS), developed by NASA. Implementing a uniform fleet of efficient aircraft and utilizing innovative, technology enabled strategies, ImagineAir claims to bring down the cost of flying privately to historically affordable levels. ImagineAir is a founding member of the Air Taxi Association (ATXA).[5] In 2008, the company reported revenues of US $800,000 with the goal of operating 50 aircraft with 100 pilots by 2014.[2]
ImagineAir operates a fleet of Cirrus SR-22 aircraft[2] and was one of the original depositors of the Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ) before Eclipse fell into bankruptcy.
History
ImagineAir was founded in November 2005 as ImagineAir Jet Services LLC by Paul Fischer, Aaron Sohacki and Benjamin Hamilton and headquartered at the Gwinnett County Airport near Atlanta, Georgia.[6] From the beginning it was the intention of the company's founders to fly a network of the Eclipse 500 VLJs, however delivery delays led ImagineAir to begin operating with Cirrus SR22s. From 2007 through 2012 the company has reported steady quarter over quarter growth, tripling its number of Cirrus aircraft and establishing bases in Charleston, South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina.[3][7]
In March 2014, ImagineAir announced a merger with the Danbury, Connecticut based operator Kavoo in an effort to become the first nationwide air taxi carrier. The merger widened ImagineAir's service area to include the entire east coast of the United States.[8]
Fleet
ImagineAir operates a uniform fleet of Cirrus SR22 aircraft. The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, originally four and later five-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft. The aircraft is perhaps best known for being equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), an emergency parachute capable of lowering the entire aircraft (and occupants) to the ground in an emergency.
References
- ↑ ImagineAir (2010-09-08). "Air Taxi Company ImagineAir Announces Expansion in Charleston, SC". PRLog. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- 1 2 3 4 Pew, Glenn (March 2009). "Startup Air Taxi ImagineAir More Than Optimistic". AvWeb. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- 1 2 Borin, Elliot (2009). "ImagineAir: Not Your Typical Mixed-Fleet Air-Taxi Operator". Air Taxi Flights. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ↑ "ImagineAir Brings SATS to Life in Southeast". 2009.
- ↑ "ATXA Launches with the Backing of Major Air Taxi Providers". 2011.
- ↑ Imagine Air Jet Services (2005). "Team Members". Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ↑ ImagineAir Press Release (September 2010). "Air Taxi Company ImagineAir Announces Expansion in Charleston, SC". Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ↑ "ImagineAir Merging with Kavoo Air Taxi Service". February 2014.
- ↑ Imagine Air Jet Services (2005). "Company Background". Retrieved 24 October 2011.