JSX appears to have survived the lobbying onslaught against it by American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and the Air Line Pilots Association. They tried to get the Biden administration to shut down JSX because (1) passengers like flying an all-business class product out of private terminals better, and (2) they aren’t subject to the occupational licensing rules designed to limit the number of pilots and drive up pilot wages.
Now JSX appears to be back in growth mode.
- A year ago, the Biden administration FAA said they would regulate the JSX business model out of existence while being sensitive to the needs of small communities. They planned to release a rulemaking by the end of 2024 and didn’t. Some of that may have been the realization that one of their top priorities – electric-powered aircraft – required part 135 operators to become a reality
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- The other front that the airlines waged war against JSX was at TSA (former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker says he buttonholed TSA Administrator Pekoske to push for this, roping in Southwest COO Andrew Watterson). Ultimately TSA will require JSX to enforce liquid rules and buy new scanners, which will require reconfiguring some private terminals, but won’t put them out of business as American and Southwest had hoped.
JSX currently operates Embraer 135 and 145 aircraft, with the 135s flying largely within California. They’re adding a third aircraft type to the fleet – bringing ATR 42-600 turboprops into the fleet “reaching more private terminals…and underserved airports across the United States.”
These planes will be configured with ATR’s HighLine interior with 30 seats and they’ll add StarLink internet (JSX was the launch customer for StarLink in commercial aircraft).
ATR HighLine Interior
As JSX CEO Alex Wilcox explains,
The ATR -600 series will bring over 1,000 new airports into reach for JSX, expanding access to reliable public charter flights across the great United States. Many of these airports were, until now, reserved only for those who had the means to fly private.
I am confident that our Customers will love the ATR product, not just for the variety of new routes it allows JSX to operate, but also for its quiet cabin and comfortable seating. When paired with our award-winning JSX hospitality, the addition of the ATR marks an innovative step forward in our company’s unyielding mission to increase the safety, speed, and convenience of air travel that moves our country forward.
JSX will initially lease just two of the planes, however they’ve also signed a letter of intent for 15 plus 10 options on either ATR 42-600s or ATR 72-600s. One Mile at a Time points out that we don’t know if these are new aircraft being purchased (he wonders if the initial ones are ex-Silver Airways planes) although I’d been under the impression that those were spoken for already.
I wonder how real that letter of intent is at this point. ATR wants to get into the U.S. market with these planes, and into the charter market here, and may be heavily incentivized to offer strong terms. However since we’re hearing about a letter of intent rather than firm order I have to discount certainty beyond the leased planes they plan to bring into service within the next six months.
After all, they’ve announced orders for a href=”https://viewfromthewing.com/from-private-terminals-to-electric-wings-jsx-announces-order-for-up-to-332-evtol-aircraft/” target=_blank>several electric planes that aren’t yet certified for operation, including from one manufacturer who’s no longer in business. And while they would certainly open up markets that cannot be served by Embraer 135/145 planes, and would have appealed to the Biden administration, ATRs open up new markets too.
Credit: Aura Aero
Perhaps this replaces the electric aircraft future at JSX, perhaps this is a hedge in case those planes don’t have a future, or maybe it will be something else. Surely there’s still growth opportunities that JSX has yet to exploit under their current model and with planes they haven’t yet brought into service – more flights in the Northeast for instance.
“Luxury Turboprops” is a contradiction in terms.
“Luxury Turboprop” os not a contradiction if you lived in a non flyover state. Napa might only be 20 miles from me but I’d rather fly there than try to drive there … same with getting to Montauk.
If you think luxury is about the plane itself and not how it is configured and fitted out you may not know much about how luxury is defined by most passengers. JSX is about as close as one can get to private without flying private.
Great!
Hopefully “bloggers” and “thought leaders” will take those instead of complaining about every little thing about traveling on a major carrier.
Gary, you make more than those pilots. What is your problem? Airfare has never been cheaper. Insane that your ending sentence in your opening paragraph is about pilot wages. I truly think you have a personal vendetta against them.
I wonder how much $TRU MP coin donations this costed!
And since you can run a full scheduled airline skirting airline passenger security rules and screening by calling it a charter or whatever, I suggest all salaried Americans to start calling their salaries tips and avoid paying income tax. Just pay (a bit less) directly to the king for protect. After all, in a lawless state it’s your right not to follow laws.
I’m loving the variety of sassy responses above. Slay queens!
Love ya, Gary. And you know I enjoy your website and articles.
But this is above average clickbait.
JSX has an LOI for “up to 25 ATRs” . A LETTER OF INTENT….
Headline: AA and WN are screwed. JSX may fly to up to 1,000 airports.
hurting AA and WN in cities such as … Walla Walla, Presque Isle, Page, NM, nonstops between Billings and “Bert Mooney” or Elko and SLC or Bar harbor and Bedford, MA.
The headline is a tad over the top given what JSX plans to do in case you haven’t seen the route map
I’m sure connecting SHD and JYO or Silver City and ABQ somehow matters to AA and WN, but this is not really a big deal and really only pushes the narrative that JSX hasn’t been able to compete against AA and Wn since most of their ATR route map is avoiding the majors altogether or actual EAS markets that JSX would have to win first.
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Even on the routes that AA does fly like CLL-Dallas or Yuma-Phoenix, those are all feed markets.
And all this on a Letter of Intent…
@MaxPower — So true. Gary should’ve gone with: “Move over Qsuite, this ‘premium’ airline just got a propeller plane!” Or, he could’ve gone with something more bombastic, like, onomatopoeia of the siren “wee woo wee woo… all hands on deck… JSX is ‘on fire’ with these new ATRs!” Hawt. If there wasn’t ‘hype’ it’d just be Simple Flying.
I hate having alternatives. I want to wad myself up and be stuffed into a legacy carrier
“It’s over, @Johnny, it’s over!”
@1990 — on the behalf of @Johnny, “Nothing is over!”
JSX from BUR to LAS was so much better than Spirit or Southwest at the same cost. It wasn’t 100% (a long wait to deplane, really rough areas around the terminals) but it was so much better than the big guys.
Instead of trying to kill it, a larger airline should have bought the naming rights.
(Perhaps American Airlines Prestige by JSX, Southwest Charter by JSX, Delta Two by JSX, etc.), codeshared the tickets (JetBlue might have but as crazy inflated prices) and just gotten themselves more shelf space.on the.plane ticket aisle.
@L737 — “You just don’t turn it off!”