Jimmys Travel Report

Surf Air

Surf Air Introduces New Weekender Membership Plan

Surf Air is the California regional airline that sells an all you can fly memberships for $1950 per month. They started up over three years ago and in this short time span have had an interesting history. Until now the model has been a “member’s only” airline with an all you can fly approach for a single monthly fee.  Their fleet is a single type aircraft that uses the Pilatus PC-12, which seats a total of 8 passengers.

I’ve written about Surf Air several times which have included the following posts:

Up until this month you could only fly on Surf Air by:

  • Purchasing a membership for a $1,000 initiation fee, and then $1,995 / per month for unlimited flying.
  • Purchasing a more expensive corporate plan that can be shared between persons in the company.
  • From time to time Surf Air offers a promotion for a one time only single flight (or round trip) from $250 to $1,000. This is a marketing introduction to the airline.
  • Recently Surf Air became a Miles and More partner where Miles and More plan miles could be used for a redemption on Surf Air.

Surf Air has introduced a new pricing plan titled “The Weekender”. This new plan is in addition to their existing plans which also stay in place, and is structured toward travel patterns that don’t necessary work with Surf Air’s current offerings.

Announcement email

The Weekender plan includes:

  • A menu of packaged fight passes that is purchased or future use – 10, 30, or 60 flights.
  • The flight passes never expire.
  • They’re good for any Surf Air flight.
  • Only one membership is needed, and then that member or any guest of that member may use a pass.
  • Only 4 passes per any one flight.
  • The Initiation fee is $12,000 and then there is a $2,950 annual fee; both of which are waived if you sign up through the end of 2016 (for the 2017 year).

 

 

My thoughts on this newest of plans by Surf Air are mixed. This plan could make sense from a cost stand point if you want to fly the airline on an intermittent schedule. If you didn’t need to fly on the airline for three months, and then needed five flights within a single month this structure of this plan makes so much more sense than the standard plan. Additionally, it’s very flexible if you travel with different people as they can be guests and accompany you on a flight (again, up to four persons). A guest can even take a flight on their own by using one of the member’s passes.

Where this plan could really make sense is as a small company or group plan. After the first year the carry cost is $3,000 per year (first year waved), and then you could purchase the package you desire naming one person in the company as the “member”. The company could then then use the flights as needed for employees, customers, or other associates.

The limitation to this plan, and moreover to Surf Air in general, is the airline’s flight network. In addition to the three Bay Area and two Southern California locations there are just seven other airports severed by Surf Air. Napa, Monterey and Truckee up north and Carlsbad, Palm Springs and Santa Barbra in the south (Las Vegas as well). Admittedly this is a fair representation for the major population and vacation locations in California, but it has some holes. Notably Sacramento and San Diego which were both dropped earlier in the year. Still, for some these locations could work. The cost per flight is also expensive, penciling between $600 to $750 per segment depending on which package is purchased.

The other risk is that Surf Air being is a new and startup airline. Will it be around in one, two or even five years? It has lasted three years so far, but the airline business is changing and uncertain at best. Again, the answers to these questions will be known in the fullness to time.