The service is targeted at government and business travelers and based on the premise of selling individual seats on smaller charter-size airplanes rather than charging for the entire plane as in a traditional charter arrangement.

Passengers share a ride with others going in the same general direction and fly “when they want” to “where they want” at prices comparable with regional airlines or driving. Yet, they save time while avoiding large airport hassles and highway congestion.

SkyTaxi Northeast, Inc. is headquartered in Findlay, OH. Hillsdale and Three Rivers are the second and third operational bases. The company plans to add more locations as demand increases.

Frank Gaetano, vice president of marketing for SkyTaxi, said there are 560 potential airports they can provide destination service to in the northeast region.

“They qualify for the runway length of 3,500 feet or greater,” Gaetano said. “Initially, we’re settling in on servicing some city pairs. As a new service we can’t be all things to all people.”

SkyTaxi is currently focusing on Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C. and all points in between.

“Next spring, we hope to establish a Detroit to Chicago market that would also take in St. Louis,” Gaetano said.

As a general rule of thumb, Gaetano said the cost of the service is about $1.10 per mile on a road map when drawing a straight line from departure to destination.

“Sometimes, we will have a four-seat purchase requirement which would equate to $4.40 per mile or two seats at $2.20 per mile,” he said. “A lot of times a company will have one or two people that need to go somewhere, but they can’t afford to charter a whole plane. We pair them up with someone going in the same general direction and it becomes cost effective.”

When making comparisons, SkyTaxi looks at the total cost of travel including time, a car, an overnight stay and other associated costs.

SkyTaxi is currently soliciting potential interest from local companies such as Camoplast Crocker, American Axle and Burroughs Corporation in Kalamazoo.

Gaetano said a number of factors contribute to making the service efficient. They utilize a proprietary routing and tracking software to maximize flight patterns. The software was developed by SkyTaxi founder, Ray Morrow, years ago and purchased by United Parcel Service.

Another competitive edge is simplicity.

“Airlines have to have gates, staff and ticket handlers, but we’re self-contained,” Gaetano said. “Our pilots greet our passengers. Ninety-eight percent of our passenger travel is corporate and repeat customers. This is a low security risk. We get to know people by name.”

Gaetano said each passenger submits a photo ID and they have the right to inspect all baggage.

Local retired businessman and owner of the consulting firm Forward Horizons, Dick Ward has been a supporter of the project from the beginning. Ray Morrow began communicating with the City of Three Rivers about locating the service there and Ward was brought in as an advisor.

“Mr. Morrow has been in the aviation business a long time,” Ward said. “I met with him and felt comfortable. I stepped up to the plate because I thought he had a really good idea that can help Three Rivers.”

Bruce Snook, general manager of the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, hosted SkyTaxi as presenters at a recent Early Bird Breakfast meeting.

“I was very encouraged by the turnout,” Snook said. “Based on this, questions posed during the session and the number of folks who stayed after the program to talk with SkyTaxi representatives, there seems to be interest in the service.”

On the web:  www.skytaxi.com

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