If you are headed to a business meeting or an important function, the last thing you would want is to get stuck in
traffic. According to an article published in The Philippine STAR last September, the hours spent on the road getting from point A to point B within the metropolis, added to the extra cost of operating vehicles in gridlock, costs the country P3 billion in losses. A study places the Philippines as the fifth country with the worst traffic in the world.
For wage earners, traffic means exhausting hours on the road to get to and from work. For businessmen, it could also add up to lost opportunities and wasted time. Peter Angelo Rodriguez Jr., executive vice president of Asian Aerospace Corp. explains, “If you are a businessman staying in Quezon City and going to Makati by car, that already takes up two hours. Then, a second meeting in Alabang takes another hour on the road, especially in the afternoon. Going back to Quezon City to catch a dinner engagement takes you three hours. Imagine all those hours just sitting in a car.”
This is where their product AirTaxi.ph comes in. With AirTaxi, one can book a ride on a helicopter or private jet to get to his or her preferred destination. “It is a good way to save time. With our service, you are investing on time. Then you buy a luxury car, you pay P200,000 a month, pay for the driver’s salary, car maintenance, fuel, etc. That’s easily P250,000. Our Emerald Class membership is just P50,000 per month or P500,000 per year for the Family Card and P200,000 a month or P2 million a year for the Corporate Card.”
Rodriguez shares that these are consumable for flights using their fleet of 16 private planes and helicopters; discounts from the published rates are also offered, with options to have joint flights with other cardholders
to split dues. “Our service is not one you will use every day, just when you need it,” he says.
There have been previous efforts from other air charter companies to give city dwellers a taste of flying out from the city on private aircraft, but so far they were just demos, Rodriguez asserts. “We made it affordable for those who want to commute from place to place via helicopter or by plane. What we do is to offer a membership service. This can be used by your family, is consumable, with no add-on fees unless you exceed your consumption.” He explains that with their Emerald Class, clients get perks such as discounts, priority service and special access to a comfortable lounge.
He estimates the consumable P50,000 membership fee as 26 inter-Metro Manila flights per year onboard the three-passenger turbine helicopter, or 12 flights per year onboard the larger six-passenger twin engine helicopter. Aside from saving you time and trouble, it also helps you to seal those deals, he suggests. “When you fly out, it takes you only five minutes to anywhere in Metro Manila. It saves you time, and you emerge feeling like a king; it creates a very good impression and an image with your clients that you value your time. They will respect that and will not be late to meet with you.”
He says they have already earmarked several pickup points in Makati, BGC, Ortigas, Greenhills, Quezon City, Pasig, and Alabang, with partnerships all over the metro and plans of building their heliports around Metro Manila in the near future, just like the heliport they have in Boracay Island’s Station 2. “Our helicopters are pretty powerful; once we start the engines, we are ready to go. With the Emerald Class, you can just call us and ask to be picked up at a certain area. We will land at the nearest helipad within 10 minutes.”
Their private planes can be ready within 30 minutes’ notice, while for international flights, which can reach all the way to Australia, you need to call a day or two ahead. There are no delayed flights and no need for queues as one’s passports and papers are processed by the company’s Customs and Immigration Quarantine team for international
flights. Once in the air, passengers can further relax in the lap of leisure and luxury. The private planes have plush leather chairs and woodpaneling, with meals catered by in-house chefs who can whip up a meal according to pre-arranged specifications.
Aside from pickup and drop off points all over the Metro, they have hangars in Manila, Clark, Cebu, Davao and Boracay, with expansions on the way for Iloilo. This fact becomes even more significant in cases when there are calamities. “If there is a need for a rescue in Cebu, we already have aircraft based there that can immediately be deployed. Additional aircraft can be flown in from Boracay, Manila and Clark to evacuate members in need,” he avows.
It also makes more sense for those who want to own an aircraft to try out their services first, he advises. “When you own an aircraft, there are so many things you have to consider.” First, he says, is that you cannot rent it out without licenses. You also need a whole barrage of equipment, maintenance and flight operations people, tools and hangarage. “It is practically investing in a whole new company for something that you will use only a few times a year. Pilots are also a cost, with training reaching up to two or three million per year. If you borrow a pilot, you cannot be sure that he will be available on days like Christmas, when everybody is flying.”
Their pilots are always on standby and are properly trained in the aircraft that they handle. Safety is their number one priority, he assures. “The difference between a car and a helicopter is, you cannot have troubles in the air, because that would leave you with only one way to go.” He adds that they comply with all safety procedures as they
have been flying a lot of VIPs in the past 20 or so years since his father started the company. “As for maintenance, we are the service center for all our aircraft — with factory support. This is not someone with tools under a mango tree. This one is legit,” he smiles.
The AirTaxi.ph service is also apropos for people who value their privacy as much as their time. While Rodriguez says they have nondisclosure agreements with their clients, he recounts the experience of a couple of well known individuals who found the privacy very refreshing. “Think about it. If you go to the airport, and people want to constantly talk to you or take selfies with you at the VIP lounge and on the plane, that can get exhausting. When we got them to where they needed to go, they said it felt great, because they arrived ahead of schedule, and they were able to just relax and be themselves.”
This article appeared in People Asia magazine August 2016 issue.