Air Taxi Mobile App: What Services Can You Hire?

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The services of the business aviation universe go far beyond the pure and simple chartering of jets. When downloading Flapper – air taxi mobile app – users have four different types of services in their hands: charter flights, helicopter transfers, shared flights, and empty legs. Each product has its own peculiarities and specificities, so in this article we will provide an overview of the main differences between them.

Chartered Flight

When the term “air taxi” comes up, one immediately thinks of chartering an aircraft and all of its seats for a specific flight. In fact, this is one of the most practiced modalities on the market, as it guarantees maximum exclusivity and flexibility for the customer. As the entire aircraft will be available, the purchase of this product is often linked to the model of equipment used. The number of seats available, the level of internal comfort, the type of airfield terrain, and the speed of operation determine this choice.

When inquiring about a charter, in addition to the initial and final destinations, the customer must keep in mind the number of passengers who will be making the trip. In the air taxi sector there are aircraft that carry 3 to 19 passengers and among the large commercial jets, 48 to 450 seats. This is why customers depend on the expertise of Flapper consultants to find the model that best suits their needs.

Helicopter Transfer

Helicopter transfer is another highly recognized service in the air taxi industry. In Brazilian capitals and large cities, this form of transportation may not yet have a trivial status, but it has long since ceased to be something rare.

Although they are capable of making stretches over 500 km, helicopters perform better than airplanes on short routes. Not only for the speed with which helicopters land and take off, but also for the freedom not to demand that the points of departure and / or arrival are necessarily airports. Therefore, agility is the term that best describes this type of operation.

By having the helipad network of a given region available, the customer can work with precision of a few kilometers from his final destination. In Greater São Paulo, for example, the Flapper listing has 21 helipads “suggested” by the application and more than 50 available for charter on demand in private buildings. In populous cities like the capital of São Paulo, this flexibility can be crucial for saving the client’s precious hours.

Shared Flight

On predetermined routes, operated weekly, Flapper provides seats on shared flights. The executive aviation experience is maintained, with flights on turboprops, connection on non-commercial routes, and access to VIP lounges when available.

The difference is in the customer’s autonomy, since they will be sharing the flight with other people. In the shared option, Flapper suggests when the flights will depart and it is up to the first two confirmed passengers to determine the exact departure time – leaving the other passengers to follow the fixed time. The counterpart is the value of the trip, which, when charged for a seat used, is much more affordable than an aircraft charter.

As of today, Flapper offers 2 routes with scheduled flights, operated twice a week and with seats starting at R$ 500 (information from October / 2020). Up to 10 high season destinations are available through the Flapper app.

Empty Leg

Every aircraft leaving for a charter operation must return to its base. On average, for every 10 flights of this type, 3 return empty to the original hangar. To alleviate the idle capacity of air taxi aircraft, Flapper has a section on its platform to find repositioning flights – the “empty legs”.

The empty legs appear at the last minute and, because of that, have much more affordable prices. Discounts in this modality reach 60% compared to conventional charters. For this reason, the routes available in the mobile app usually run out in a few hours.

As with shared flights, passengers have less autonomy than charters. In any case, the air taxi service maintains exactly the same standard, with the advantage that operations are not restricted to turboprops, and this service can offer the passenger the opportunity to discover new and larger aircraft models.

Air Taxi Mobile App: Where To Download?

The Flapper app is available for free at Google (Google Play) and Apple (Apple Store) app stores. Access to the quotations and budgets interface is done both by a simple registration and by the guest mode, which does not require data initially.