DayJet is grounded for good

DayJet has grounded it's entire fleet of planes and suspended service, including airports in Georgia. The on-demand air taxi service blames the economy and a failure to secure financing.
DayJet began flying into several Georgia airports, including Macon's Downtown Airport, several months ago. The on-demand airline targeted the business traveler. For a yearly fee passengers were able to book flights to six southern states at a moments notice.

The concept is called air taxi service. Haroon Qureshi is with ImagineAir in Atlanta. They hope to lure some of DayJets former customers. He says unlike DayJet they are expanding their business and believe it's the future of air travel.

"The way airlines are now, you know, I don't know how much longer they can continue. I mean if people are willing to pay the price to go through that then clearly there's demand. But I would say services like ours are going to be the wave of the future."

Qureshi says ImagineAir currently flies into 600 airports in the southeast. DayJet will not be issuing refunds to customers.

New air service to Columbus

The Eclipse 500 is part of a new airplane category called "very light jets," and carries three passengers at speeds up to 425 mph — faster than the average propeller plane its size. (Wilfredo Lee/AP file)

A regional business air-carrier has just added Columbus to its roster of destinations in Georgia and across the southeast. DayJet bills itself as the world's first per-seat, on-demand jet service.

The carrier currently serves 45 destinations across the southeast, catering to business travelers able to pay premium prices. For example, a hop between just-added destinations, Columbus and Savannah, runs between $300 and $1,000 dollars.

While DayJet is aimed chiefly at Columbus's executive clientèle like AFLAC and Synovus, Georgia Third District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland says the increased flight options will bolster smaller industries, as well:

"With the hassle of airports and major hubs, now, we just think this is going to be the access for a lot of businesses; some of these businesses in outlying areas to have a chance of promoting business and getting people to come to their area, because they'll now have this transportation for people within the business."

Westmoreland, who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the aviation subcommittee says Ft. Benning's planned expansion will also benefit from the increased air traffic.

The training post is expected to see over 30,000 troops and dependents moving to the area over the next three years, as part of the Army's base relocation project:

"With the expansion of Ft. Benning, and all the things that Ft. Benning is doing, and the armor division coming down, and the new infantry museum... we just think that there needs to be just a little bit better regional service to the Columbus area. I think, right now, Delta has maybe two flights a day."

Westmoreland says DayJet may create a market more attractive to carriers like Delta, Airtran or Southwest.

A company spokesman says they'll be announcing other Georgia destinations in coming weeks.

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