Daily Pampering: The Only Way to Fly to the Masters Golf Tournament

Have you ever flown into Augusta, Georgia? It’s a tiny airport, and you’re not going to get amazing flights. It just doesn’t work that way. This poses a problem for those planning to go to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, the most prestigious event the game has to offer. So, instead of dealing with the misery of airline travel – does it get worse than flying with the great unwashed? – fly down in style. Don’t let a cramped sweaty flight taint the experience of watching the coveted green jacket on the person who can only be described as golf‘s master.

Linear Air is ready to make your experience perfect. Book your trip by the end of March, and you’ll pick up a 10 percent discount … but that’s not the point of flying this way. Go the exclusive route, and you’ll have an incredible experience from start to finish, rather than merely from arrival to departure. The tournament may run from April 8 – 11, 2009, but your experience begins with wheels up – not tee off.

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Daily Pampering: Dash off to the Bahamas in style

Travel would be great if it weren’t for airports, right? Even if you fly first class, there are still plenty of ways for the experience to go sour — from the morons in line at front of you at the security checkpoint to the long wait for your bags at the carousel. And on the plane, you have to cope with flight attendants and first class seating that falls short of the luxury you’ll experience at your destination. The solution, of course, is exclusive jet travel, and Linear Air has just what you need.

This upscale service takes the headache out of travel, making your experience top-shelf from start to finish — not just from arrival to departure. If you’re in New York or Boston and want to escape the cold for a while, take advantage of a special that Linear Air is running, with one-way fares dipping below $9,900 to the Bahamas. Once you set foot on one of the company’s Eclipse 500 jets, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to fly with the
prolies.

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[Photo courtesy of Linear Air]

The Rise of the Air Taxi?

Get ready for traffic jams in the sky! Small airlines flying so-called “Light Jets” or “Very Light Jets” (VLJs) are springing up and expanding service. They operate these fleets as “air-taxis” or “air-cabs,” the idea being that you fly in a small jet (or small turbo-prop) plane from a small regional airport, with up to 11 other passengers, travel on-demand (when you want), and pay approximately full-coach prices. As the “taxi” fills up, each passenger pays less.

The business model may work because these jets cost so much less than larger airliners. For example, the Eclipse VJL can cost as little as $1.7m (wait, let me get my checkbook), which allows these airlines to charge as little as $600 per hour, or, alternatively, $1-3 per mile per passenger, up to 1000 miles. They also operate out of tiny airports, such as Teterboro (NJ) or Hanscom Field (MA), which saves them money, and passengers time.

Recently, Linear Air, a Boston-based airtaxi service, expanded their service to the DC area (Manassas). They even offer service to Puerto Rico.

SATSair offers a similar type of service and is based in South Carolina. Other competitors include DayJet, out of Florida, and Pogo, started by former American Airlines CEO Crandall.