Hopscotch: Redefining the Air Taxi Model Continued from page 43 n 2008, when Andrew Schmertz and Douglas Okin founded Hopscotch Air, the air taxi concept was new and viewed as a viable alternative to commercial airlines and the long-haul, jet- based charter business model. In that respect, the two entrepre- neurs saw a market for on-demand, point-to-point transportation, using light aircraft over short distances— specifically within the Northeastern United States where highway con- gestion is chronic, and scheduled air carriers provide little to no service to many airports located at popular leisure and business desti- nations. As Schmertz pointed out, of the 5,000 public-use airports in the U.S., only about 500 have commercial airline service now. With that as the basis of the company’s business plan, Hopscotch Air received its FAR Part 135 air car- rier certificate in January 2009, and launched service with its first revenue flight from Long Island Republic Airport (FRG) to Morristown, New Jersey. At the time, the startup flew one Cirrus SR 22, a three-passenger, single-engine piston engine aircraft, and employed a total staff comprised of four pilots, all working part-time. Today, as the 10th I Andrew Schmertz, CEO anniversary approaches of that first flight with a paying passenger, Hopscotch Air has a fleet of five aircraft, which includes four leased SR 22s and one company- owned Cirrus SR 20. With headquar- ters at Republic Airport (FRG), the staff includes 11 pilots, employed full and part-time. Along with Schmertz, who is CEO and Assistant Director of Operations, the management team is made up of Dennis O’Connell, 44 Director of Operations; Joe DiPietro, Chief Pilot; Robert Bergen, Chief Instructor and Check Pilot; and Sean McFadden, Director of Maintenance. Ronnie Greathouse, Check Pilot, and David Sutton serve as additional Base Managers and Lisa Baez is the compa- ny’s Director of Customer Experience. O’Connell has been with Hopscotch Air since it opened its doors (after a 40-year career with the old TWA). What is especially interesting about Hopscotch Air is that, at the time it was established, the odds of success were not the greatest. The country was in a deep reces- sion and many promising air taxi operators were failing. “Our business plan is working because Hopscotch Air isn’t a traditional charter company,” Schmertz explained. “We’re really a mobility company that has been designed to provide a better solution for regional air transportation and to expand the market for private aviation.” To further enhance the company’s position in the air taxi service market, Hopscotch Air has been promoted as a branded carrier, in much the same way as a scheduled commercial airline. “We want people to tell their friends and associates that they flew in on Hopscotch Air—by name—as if they had flown on a major airline,” said Schmertz. “While it has taken some time, we have succeeded in building a very strong brand identity.” Unlike traditional charter com- panies, Hopscotch Air is not heav- ily dependent upon brokers. “In fact, over 90 percent of our cus- tomers are direct retail,” he said. “And, about half of our first-time customers had never flown on a private aircraft prior to trying us.” The customer base, not surpris- ingly, is upscale, which Schmertz described as the CEO or president of a small company, or a middle to upper-management level executive at a large corporation. “We would like to broaden that demographic, but to do this, we have to continue to look for ways to drive costs down to make the service more affordable Aviation Business Journal | 2nd Quarter 2018
