When you have to go farther than a short drive, traveling for work can be a pain. Airline flights are late, connections get canceled, and often airlines can’t even get you close to where you really need to go.
This post aims to show you an easier, simpler alternative to the gloom of airline travel. Our air taxi service is crafted by the business traveler, for the business traveler. Forget crowded parking garages and time-wasting security lines, and experience a smarter way to fly for business that is actually enjoyable – believe it or not!
Many of you enjoyed COO Peter Schmidt’s last video trip log — Eclipse 500 trip to Ithaca, NY. Now Peter (and his iPhone) are back in action, filming an actual business trip to Montreal on the Cirrus SR-22 air taxi.
View the entire playlist on YouTube, or check out some of our favorite clips below. Peter’s commentary is in blue.
Peter kicks off his trip to Montreal
I was attending a conference in Montreal, so I decided to shoot this series of videos to document my air taxi experience on a business trip. The best airline option was going to take at least 6.5 hours door to door and would have required me to get up at 3am. It also included a change of plane, which significantly increased the risk of delays.
Valet parking beats garages and shuttles
I arrive at Jet Aviation, which is the preferred FBO (executive terminal) at my departure location at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA. I pull up to the gate, and the friendly attendent checks my flight number then offers complimentary valet parking for my car. No crowded lots to navigate, no parking spots to memorize, and no shuttles to catch.
Taking off with tunes in the Bose headset
Sitting in the co-pilot seat gives you an exhilarating view, especially out the front – something you never get on an airliner. Bose noise-canceling headsets are a standard feature for our Cirrus passengers, so I was cocooned in quiet as we launched skyward, and later on I dialed in some music to match the scenery.
A relaxed arrival at Montreal’s executive airport
We arrived at St. Hubert Airport, a main reliever airport for Montreal. Just like on departure, it was crowd-free and easy to access. The Cirrus is perfectly suited to airports like St. Hubert, which aren’t subject to traffic caused by large jet airliners.
Surveying the FBO’s executive lounge
A little tour of the FBO’s amenities, so you can see how nice it is. Like the majority of executive terminals, St. Hubert’s FBO is designed for comfort and convenience. This is in sharp contrast to an airline hub airport, which are designed for warehousing throngs of waiting travelers.
In a black car, enroute to downtown
My car arrived within minutes, and whisked me off to my hotel in downtown Montreal. Altogether, my air taxi trip was just over two hours, and delay-free. This saved me about five hours of planned travel time compared to the best airline option. Plus, I arrived at the hotel refreshed and ready for my conference!
