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Sebring Gets Jet Service – Sort Of

COUNTY PASSENGERS CAN INDIVIDUALLY FLY TO FIVE DESTINATIONS

By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: December 11, 2007

SEBRING — Business travelers can now book flights from Sebring Regional Airport to Boca Raton, Gainesville, Lakeland, Pensacola and Tallahassee.

DayJet has named Sebring as one of its 28 regional destinations, which are now connected to the "per-seat, on-demand" jet service. This means passengers can purchase a single seat and leave from Sebring to reach any of these five cities or passengers can travel to Sebring from these five cities.

Mike Willingham, executive director of Sebring Regional Airport, said this service appeals to business travelers who typically have to drive to reach these destinations.

"This is a great economic development tool and a tool for local businesses to bridge the gap between rural and urban communities," Willingham said. "We are excited to be able to offer this opportunity."
The flights are already popular with many local business travelers, Willingham said.

"We've had a lot of business travelers taking advantage of the service, including one who left this morning," Willingham said Monday.

Passengers previously had to rent an entire plane, with three seats, to leave from Sebring Regional Airport, which was called a DayStop.

From Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, which is a DayPort, passengers are connected to 32 destinations cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Vicky Harris, marketing director for DayJet, said based on customer demand and volume of flights, Sebring could potentially turn into a DayPort, and passengers would gain access to all 32 regional destinations.

The expansion announced Monday, just 60 days after the official launch of the company's jet service, is in response to positive feedback from the service's 1,500 members and requests to extend the service to more locations.

"Business travelers in our region are reaping productivity benefits of turning regional travel that once required overnight stays or hours in the car into convenient and comfortable day trips," said Ed Iacobucci, DayJet President and CEO. "Adding these 28 new destinations to our network not only gives members in our DayPort markets more travel choices, but also provides a powerful link between communities that today have no direct scheduled jet service."

DayJet passengers fly on Eclipse 500 very light jets, which will not be housed at the Sebring airport.
A membership, which is required to take any of the flights, costs $250 per year. Harris said tickets range from $1 to $4 per mile, depending on travelers' flexibility and needs, with the average fare costing about $600.

For more information, visit www.dayjet.com.

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