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On demand airflight to arrive by at least end of year

Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Michael Kanellos is editor at large at CNET News.com, where he covers hardware, research and development, start-ups and the tech industry overseas.
Michael Kanellos

DayJet, the company that says it will provide "on demand" jet service between metro hubs in the U.S., will start taking passengers sometime later this year.

The company on Monday said it would begin to fly passengers "before the end of the year" between select airports in Florida. The airports will be identified early in the third quarter. Within 12 months of launch, the company said it would provide service in 20 airports in four southeastern states.

Last year, the company said it would be flying passengers by mid-2006. Whether they hit that goal remains to be seen. It also said it would serve 35 airports at the end of two years of operation.

The company, which faces other competitors, will fly a lightweight plane called the Eclipse 500. It carries four passengers. The idea is to give people a way to fly between secondary cities, such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee, that major carriers often don't serve much.

On other notes, DayJet also seems to have switched mystifying metaphors. Founder Ed Iacobucci used to say that the company's business plan was an extension of "the long tail" concept, the idea that the web provides a marketplace for old TV shows like Barnaby Jones. Now DayJet says it will provide "TiVo for Travel."