In the battle between the major airlines to serve the remote regions of Quebec, the loser is often the user. In fact, small airline companies are trying to reconnect Quebec regions and are being pressured by the bigger players who can afford much more aggressive prices. In the medium term, since there is no profitability, the small companies give up and leave the field open to their big competitors who happily raise prices after their departure. As aberrant as it may seem, in most cases, users choose to take their car and pay hotel fees rather than use the plane as we mentioned in a previous article!
The regions of Quebec are thus taken hostage by the major airlines with exorbitant prices and an unattractive schedule.
The problem of the airline industry lies in the concept of connecting two destinations. To establish a regular route between two airports, the carrier must weigh the risk against the number of passengers who will be on board, flight after flight, day after day, week after week... Individual transportation needs must fit into a package that serves the entire community being served, and may well be out of harmony. It is impossible for an airline to increase frequencies unless its planes are more or less at full capacity. Conversely, it is ridiculous for an airline to maintain a route if 50% of the seats on its aircrafts are constantly unoccupied, regardless of the size of the aircraft (36, 40, 50, 70, 78 seats), unless it charges a high price per seat.
The solution: deploy a network of vertiports and air cabs using an innovative reservation system to plan trips according to the customers' specific needs.
With air cabs, for a flight to be organized, it requires as little as 2 to 4 people who want to travel from point A to point B in the same time space (the reservation tool will allow them all to be in contact and to agree together on departure and return times). The customer becomes the center of the trips’organization because the order is given at the moment it is needed, following the same principle the customers order a cab (e.g. Uber).
The operating costs of eVTOLs are so much lower than traditional airline transportation (kerosene vs. electricity, 85% savings, and only one pilot) that the price of a trip between two destinations is still lower than the price of a single seat on an airplane, even if it takes a short hop to make an eVTOL available at the departure point.
Imagine for a moment the opportunities for the regions and the accessibility of these regions for residents of the major centers who wish to escape from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. Similarly, people from the regions can easily organize shopping trips, entertainment trips (Canadian or CFL games, festivals, shows...), cultural discovery trips or simply to immerse themselves in the urban life of the major centers, without exceeding their budget. Imagine coming back from a long weekend in Tremblant, Sutton, Bromont, Charlevoix, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Massif du Sud without the grueling return trip in full traffic that eliminates in less than two hours part of the relaxation accumulated during two or three days of vacation.
These green and attractive two-way travel corridors take a number of cars off Quebec's roads. They will become the essential tool for those who intend to escape and relax for a few days or to get away from the daily routine.