Concord Journal
Thursday, July 22, 2004

Another airline takes off
By Betsy Levinson/ Staff Writer

A new airline made its debut this week, as a charter flight on Linear
Air took off from Hanscom Field.

Called an air-taxi service, Linear Air offers "affordable charter
service," according to its president, William Herp.

Small, eight-seat prop planes will fly to almost 200 cities along the
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

"The service is ideal for business travelers, particularly those who
travel in small teams," said a Linear spokesperson.

Herp said weekend service to the Cape and Islands will begin Aug. 6.

Reaction from a town official in the communities surrounding the
airfield is muted. Sheldon Moll, the Bedford representative from HATS, or
Hanscom Area Towns Selectmen, said he feels the impact to the environment
from Linear Air's service will be "very, very, very minimal."

"I'm not going to get overly concerned about a couple of flights a
day," said Moll, noting that Linear Air's small non-jet operation does not
pose much of a threat to the Minute Man National Historical Park. The
airfield is bounded by Concord, Lincoln, Bedford and Lexington.

Herp said Linear Air is awaiting final FAA approval, anticipated next
week, and when that happens, customers will be able to search the airline
Web site, find an available seat to the desired destination, and reserve
space, all online. He said that is what makes it affordable.

"We are taking advantage of new technologies to lower our costs, and
thereby our fares," said Herp. He said a one-way flight to Hyannis will be
approximately $149, comparable with the Logan Airport-based Cape Air.

"We are meeting the needs of the traveling public by providing an
alternative to traditional airlines," said Herp.

He said Linear Air is "taking advantage of a new class of aircraft"
that is smaller and quieter than jets, and allow for lower fares for private
service.

He said the normal charter flight costs some $1,000 per flight hour,
whereas Linear is offering plane travel at $750 per flight hour.

"In addition, we have reduced other costs via the Internet in managing
customer inquiries," he said. "We are exposing private airlines to the
public."

Customers can go to www.linearair.com, find a seat on a plane headed to
his preferred destination, and book over the Web, even at the last minute.
There is a $50 cancellation fee, but last-minute travelers can put
themselves on a waiting list and see if a seat opens up.

Passengers can drive right up to the plane at the commercial Jet
Aviation hangar, where a valet will park the car. There will be no waiting
in long lines on check-in, he said.

"The pilot will be there to greet the passengers," said Herp. "It's
very civilized." Each flight will have two pilots on the new 2004 Cessna
Grand Caravan planes.

"We've broken the charter price barrier with our concept of affordable
private air travel," said Herp. "The big roadblock for most people in
choosing charter service is the expense. But we've created an entirely new
paradigm that combines affordability with personalized service in a private
setting. That makes for a better overall travel experience."

Charter passengers can choose to fly to dozens of cities in 14 states
from Maine to Virginia. Some of the destinations that can be served by
Linear Air include from Hanscom to Augusta and Portland, Maine, New York
City and Syracuse, N.Y., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and Arlington and
Fredericksburg, Va.

Herp noted that the charter service is particularly welcome at a time
when long check-in lines and indirect travel have made for a frustrating
experience for business and vacation travelers. "Over the years, the
airlines have become tied to an inconvenient hub-and-spoke system that
requires regional travel to go through major hubs," he said. "Our name is
taken from the concept of traveling in a straight line to your destination."

Herp is starting with one plane and adding a second in October.

"The prop planes fit into the general aviation profile at Hanscom,"
said Herp. He is a Lexington resident and interested in keeping noisy jet
traffic from Hanscom.

"We don't want big, noisy jets anymore than anyone else," he said. "We
are using the ideal type of plane that treads the line between
commercialization and a relatively low noise profile."

But for the projects director at a nonprofit concerned with preserving
the historic heritage surrounding the airfield, the presence of another
airline is bad news.

"It is just as wrong to offer 'luxury private charter service' at
Hanscom as it is to increase the number of corporate jets there," said Marty
Pepper Aisenberg of Save Our Heritage. "Both provide luxury travel for a
privileged few while degrading Minute Man Park, Walden, and other national
treasures. We will oppose Linear Air as we have opposed all other efforts to
expand this airport."

Herp said the "future of air travel lies in smaller planes going to
smaller airports."

Beginning on weekends in early August, Linear Air will offer six
flights a day to the Cape and Islands on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Two roundtrip flights will go to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, and
one daily round-trip each of the three days to Hyannis and Provincetown.

"We look forward to offering some routes that are more
vacation-oriented with our same concept of affordable private air travel,"
said Herp.

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