By Richard Kane, CEO & Chairman of VeriJet
With over 20 years of experience leading R&D in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, it’s not surprising that our team at VeriJet considers itself a “technology-first company that just so happens to fly airplanes.”
In 1996, I founded Coastal Technologies Group (CTGi), which incubated the early development of Coastal Aviation Technologies. Back then, CTGi’s principal business was optimizing interstate telecommunications routings, handling over 300 million calls per day for a few the largest regional telecom firms. To this day, I feel honored and humbled to be recognized as one of the early adopters of advanced cloud computing for solving complex, time-sensitive problems when it comes to aviation.
My title says CEO but being a pilot will always come first. I hold seven world speed records and one transatlantic single-engine crossing, which is what led me to become a lifetime member of the EAA and AOPA organizations, specifically for safety education. I’m also actively involved in the X PRIZE Foundation and currently serve on the board of the Lindbergh Foundation, which pursues a global program of radical decarbonization and noise reduction in aviation, while showcasing breakthrough innovation. I feel deeply passionate about each of these organizations because they seek to improve the world and overall human condition. They seek to strike a balance between technology and the environment, all while advancing the pace of technological progress in answer to the grand challenges of our time.
After COVID-19 surfacing, possibly one of the biggest challenges in our lifetime, returning to the skies is looking up in 2021–especially if you’re choosing the route of private air travel.
As more and more travelers look to private travel to avoid large queues, and more flexibility over scheduling, on-demand charter operators have increased in popularity, allowing access to more than 5,000 public airports in the U.S., putting any destination–no matter how remote–within reach. Going the route of private air travel brings many advantages, especially since the customer has more control over their own itineraries. All flights are point-to-point, so you determine when you depart.
VeriJet operates on an industry proven AI routing platform – ensuring profitable, efficient use of our aircraft with dependable and scalable sources of demand. We empower our customers to fly whenever they choose, depart from airports closest to their home or office, and arrive faster to their destination. If 2020 has made us realize one thing, it’s that smaller terminals and fewer people have never sounded so appealing.
“VeriJet is the culmination of a decades-long journey to increase the effective speed door to door, reduce carbon and noise footprint and open private aviation to more people, thus unlocking the fourth wave of high-speed travel.”
AI-powered Air Taxi Service — Lower Carbon Footprint
Being on the board of the Lindbergh Foundation, and CTO of Coastal Technologies Group–a company that supplies private aviation operators with cost-saving artificial intelligence programs–it’s our job to come together as an industry to achieve more innovative and sustainable aviation. At VeriJet, we consider ourselves a technology-first company that just so happens to fly airplanes and AI technology helps optimize many aspects of our flights.
As one of the leading environmentally friendly offerings, VeriJet is doing its part to reduce the carbon footprint by operating a radically efficient new jet design saving one ton of CO2 per flight segment as compared to other light jets that burn 2-3x the amount of fuel. We focus on the short haul charter travel market, as defined by trips of 600 or less nautical miles, which represents a $7.5 billion opportunity as measured by flight hours. VeriJet has the right equipment for the mission with unmatched convenience, efficiency, and price point. Furthermore, VeriJet will be rolling out biodiesel options with aircraft that are already approved to fly on four types of biodiesels. And most importantly, VeriJet utilizes KNWN facial recognition to power electronic boarding passes and securely link the pilot, plane, and passenger.
For our customers, safety is paramount. Our onboard AI-powered Garmin Safe Return allows for single-pilot operations, where the plane lands itself at the press of a button in an emergency. Our Vision Jet is fully automated, and FAA certified for one pilot, but a parachute also comes standard in case something goes wrong. The Cirrus jet can fly up to 1,275 nautical miles and for passengers wanting two pilots on board, that can easily be included for a fee of $850 extra per day.
More Airports in More Places
Unlike other private jet operators today, VeriJet utilizes 5,400+ smaller airports across the US, avoiding wait times by bypassing congested airports. Using the VeriJet booking service app, powered by industry-leading AI software, passengers input their origin and destination address, and VeriJet selects the most convenient local airports.
With average flight times around 83 minutes, it’s possible to launch a flight as early as one hour after booking. Furthermore, our Vision Jet can land at hard-to-access airports with shorter runways, as short as 3,000 feet like in East Hampton or New York City. With our recent coverage on the east coast, we’ve already seen an uptick in flights booked in and out of these smaller, regional airports.
Extending Service Westward
In the last year alone, we’ve seen tremendous adoption of our service on the east coast with 35% repeat customers. We expect to see the same results in the LA market. With our technology-first approach, safety has always been and will remain our highest priority as we continue to scale.
California, get ready to Vjet!
