As the shutters are rolled down on the most radical US attempt in recent times to revolutionise point-to-point travel, the hangar doors are opening on similar but smaller-scale start-ups in Europe.
Ed Iacobucci, who founded Florida-based DayJet in 2002, had a vision of short-cutting the convoluted commercial airline network in the US, where distances can be so large that travelling by air is the only option for those who cannot waste several days on a journey. Mr Iacobucci’s “per-seat, on-demand” air taxis were to be more like shared minicabs, with passengers buying only a seat – as opposed to the per-plane model of traditional jet charters – but paying bottom dollar for the privilege.
