In June 2025, public charter air carrier JSX revealed plans to introduce turboprop service, with 30-seat all-business class aircraft. This is an interesting development for the carrier, and a logical evolution. There’s now an update, as these flights will be launching in the coming weeks, so we have more of a sense of what to…
Continue reading: JSX All-Business Class ATR Turboprop Flights Coming To United States
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Interesting news. However, I read recently that Santa Monica Airport will be closing in 2028, according to KTTV.
You must write a review and include airport photos!!! Do it now! This almost ranks up there with Air Belgium!
If you can't, try to get Matthew of LALF to do a review.
I wish JSX took more of an interest in the Northeast.
I also wish that the major airlines, instead of trying to get rid of JSX, would develop their own subsidiaries with similar services.
Apart from that, perhaps this will save Santa Monica Airport from its planned closure
No it won't. It's closing in 3 years under the FAA-city of Santa Monica agreement.
This will not work. They are going to need an avergae 87.6% load factor just to breakeven on cost on any route over approximately 450 miles. Doesn't work!
You read wrong. Santa Monica Airport undergoing an EXPANSION beginning in 2028. Upon completion in 2031, the size of the Terminal will have increased by ~400% and will have capacity that will rival Atlanta. In fact, according to an IATA study from last year (IATA Study on Southwestern United States Airport Capacities), Santa Monica will have the capacity to become the busiest Airport in the world!
The plan is to use these primarily into airports where they cannot operate with the current aircraft. Hard to reach places, such as Telluride. As they grow, then they will start operating more "normal" short routes, such as NY to ACK.
The only benefit of this kind of flight (aside from whether that route is served at all) is that you don't have to go through security, right? There's nothing "private" or otherwise appealing about it.
Yes, the first aircraft is N408SV from Silver Airways (publicly available JSX fleet list confirms).
Getting the aircraft onto the operating certificate which is a very involved process is the highest priority now, so that when the new deliveries with the HighLine interior come, they can go right into service (aside from interior certification). Similar interior to current Embraers helps them get the big hurdles passed. Getting a plane on property and flying is needed.
I wonder what JSX has in mind for when the ERJs get up to retirement time with Embraer not making a smaller jet anymore. It’s not like JSX is turning and burning these jets like a regional carrier, but the remaining ones in US regional service are presumably very high-cycle and wouldn’t be all that attractive to acquire. Glad to see the ATRs coming online but they won’t be competitive for their longer routes.
@Icarus I’ve also read what @NedsKid posted elsewhere, rather than saying “not accurate” would you care to offer a correction or provide a source to to such data?
One notes that the website resident proletariat trolls dislike this innovation. While real U.S. discerning travellers will, in all probability, find the service most valuable. If successful, this endeavour might well put a much deserved rocket up the backside of the other U.S. airlines.
Yes, I'd be curious.
There are photos of the aircraft in JSX paint flying with N408SV sticker over whatever it will be reregistered to.
For a segment that's 60-90 minutes, it's perfect. Flying time difference is negligible. But I agree - not a replacement for the ERJ.
The value in the ATR in the JSX use is the short routes into airports either not accessible by jet or in that range where the flight time difference is only a few minutes. Add the being to the airport 20 minutes before departure and arriving where you can be from airplane seat to sitting in a car within 3-5 minutes, it makes it very competitive to other modes.
Not a ton of west coast comparisons to different modes of transportation in competition (I mean, there's the train between some places... but a friend of mine just had a fun Amtrak experience that involved it taking 5 hours to go San Diego to Los Angeles thanks to obstacles on the track and a breakdown). But people like to compare the Washington to New York travel times between flight and Amtrak... if you took airport dwell time down to 20 minutes on the front and 5 on the back, and put the airport on one end of the equation 50% closer to city center than it is today, I think that's a pretty good comparison to what JSX is doing, and air starts coming out ahead.
I agree with you on this. The target audience is also definitely not most of the readers here. As much as some people like lining up in the chute to fight for a seat on Southwest, many don't.
Most private travel isn't on a Gulfstream. It's a Citation or a Lear or a King Air. I've done all of the above and it's not a spacious experience. You're hesitate to eat or drink anything much as while there is technically a toilet (I won't even say lavatory, there's a toilet), it's better for everybody if nobody uses it (it's basically a bucket with some chemicals in it under a seat). This ATR into more close in airports without the "be there 90 minutes early" stuff, with a free drink on the way, is better than regular airline for many, and also takes the place of some who are flying a small jet or a King Air chartered into somewhere.
Those who have a Gulfstream at their ready disposal capable of going where they need to go aren't the market. JSX knows that.
Part of me would love to see them go even smaller -let410. I've had the pleasure of flying on them and they are great for tiny mountain runways.
@Ben - The layout they selected is not surprising vs the 1 on 1 configuration. They can monetize the side table area and sale it at a full seat price for a traveling pet. We fly JSX regularly with our 40lb Goldendoodle (pet not service animal) and pay for a seat and we are not the only ones. She regularly sits in that side area.
A clarification to the Embraer seating configuration...
ERJ-135 has the typical 1-2 seating (tho greater pitch than standard)
ERJ-145 is the only type with 1-1 seating (the "aisle" on the 2 seat side is actually a cocktail table)
Bith types (and the ATR) seat 30 passengers, to meet "public charter" regulations. Fot the ERJ-135 (their original acft type) seating was reduced to 30 by increasing the pitch. When started getting the ERJ-145, rather than increasing the pitch even more, they went with the cocktail table idea to keep the capicity down.
There used to be a market for flights between suburban NJ and suburban Boston, avoiding the big airports. I wonder if they'll bring that back
NedsKid, thank you for your ‘toilet’ talk, you did make me laugh.
One has to wholeheartedly agree with your rendition of the ‘executive’ toilet. Being just over 6’2”, I have yet to sample a useable convenience on a PJ. Sitting down like a girlie is simply not cricket. Mind you, even Concorde reminded me that those who think that a pee is a vegetable are liars. I can confirm that after arriving in both Dakar and Paris, it was most definitely a relief!
@Eskimo Dude, what is wrong with you? Why even post this? For those who are wondering, yes, Santa Monica airport is slated to close at the end of 2028, with the JSX contract ending in November 2028: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2025/09/26/city-reaffirms-santa-monica-airport-closure-at-end-of-2028-as-jsx-lease-considered
Socal has service to LAS from five different airports already, it’s hard to understand why they would need service from a sixth one, especially for just 30 people a day. Even if they ramp up service the city and the FAA have an agreement to close the airport in 2028. An assortment of GA lobby groups are trying to keep the airport open, but, ironically, JSX operating there will have the opposite effect as it will hardened the position of those that want to permanently close the airport.