Beginning in the late 1990s air charter benefited from the following growth factors:
*Internet Communication: Because air charter was never part of the major GDS or travel distribution systems, it could not reach wider audiences. With the advent of the Internet, distribution of information regarding the availability of aircraft, placement, pricing etc., became more available to the increased broker and buyer community.
*Growing Popularity: Air charter became more available to the public through brokerage businesses able to connect passengers with aircraft for charter nationwide and worldwide. Where previously passengers were limited to a few local yellow pages listings, they could now access aircraft through brokers specializing in locating aircraft. Brokers could offer a wider selection, and potentially lower cost options including one-way charters where an aircraft was available without positioning or empty leg charges.
*Airline Problems: Growing dissatisfaction with the scheduled airlines over security and congestion related delays. While not all airline passengers could afford alternatives, well-off airline passengers sought ways to stop flying commercially and started to explore corporate aviation, fractional, jet cards or air charter.
*VERY LIGHT JETs or VLJs popularized the concept of small jets that would bring the capital carrying cost of aircraft down enough so that many more could be sold and operated. The very first VLJs have just been rolled out of the factory. VLJ companies include Eclipse Aviation, Adam Aircraft, Cessna, Honda, and Embraer.
*Uniting the Industry: In an effort to encourage air taxi & air charter industry and market development, the Air Taxi Association, ATXA, was formed. Backed by leading air taxi operators, ATXA has been a contributing factor for growth of the industry.
VLJ aircraft manufacturers maintain that the construction of cheaper, smaller and faster jets will enable point-to-point private aviation, creating a new industry. Others maintain that these new aircraft will lower the barriers to ownership enabling more wealthy individuals to own jet aircraft, but will not result in their wide adoption for commercial applications. Critics argue that basic economics, demographics, industry inertia and operational constraints will automatically limit the birth of an air taxi industry.
