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April 3, 2008
Jet America details still under wraps
Low-cost airliner coming to Yeager
The pending ultra low-cost carrier based at Charleston's Yeager Airport will have an all-American paint scheme to match its patriotic name.
By Sarah K. Winn
Staff writer
The pending ultra low-cost carrier based at Charleston's Yeager Airport will have an all-American paint scheme to match its patriotic name.

The paint scheme - called the aircraft livery - features a tail with a blue background and white stars. The rest of the back-end of the plane will be red, with a white outline.

The airline's name - Jet America - and Web site will also be on the side of the plane.


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Courtesy photo Jet America's airplanes will hold at least 120 passengers and feature a patriotic theme.
While the model of plane is still under wraps, the aircraft will hold at least 120 passengers, one investor said.

Investors are carefully guarding details of Jet America, as many of them signed confidentially agreements.

On Wednesday, Matt Ballard, president of the Charleston Area Alliance, confirmed the airline's name as Jet America, Inc. He also confirmed the involvement of John Weikle, a South Charleston native and founder of Skybus Airlines.

Jet America Inc. registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State's office on Nov. 2. Weikle is listed as president.

However, Weikle remains shy about his involvement. "He's very humble," Ballard said.

The Jet America name isn't unique, with seven California businessmen starting an airline with the same name in 1981. It was purchased by Alaska Air Group in 1986.

Other companies are also using the name, including a corporate aircraft company out of Chicago's Dupage Airport and an aircraft dealer in Rhode Island.

However, the name is close to Weikle's heart, Ballard said.

"John's mother named the airline because she told him, for the first time, West Virginia could fly as cheaply as they could drive and it would really open up America," he said.

The pending ultra low-cost carrier based at Charleston's Yeager Airport will have an all-American paint scheme to match its patriotic name.

The paint scheme - called the aircraft livery - features a tail with a blue background and white stars. The rest of the back-end of the plane will be red, with a white outline.

The airline's name - Jet America - and Web site will also be on the side of the plane.

While the model of plane is still under wraps, the aircraft will hold at least 120 passengers, one investor said.

Investors are carefully guarding details of Jet America, as many of them signed confidentially agreements.

On Wednesday, Matt Ballard, president of the Charleston Area Alliance, confirmed the airline's name as Jet America, Inc. He also confirmed the involvement of John Weikle, a South Charleston native and founder of Skybus Airlines.

Jet America Inc. registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State's office on Nov. 2. Weikle is listed as president.

However, Weikle remains shy about his involvement. "He's very humble," Ballard said.

The Jet America name isn't unique, with seven California businessmen starting an airline with the same name in 1981. It was purchased by Alaska Air Group in 1986.

Other companies are also using the name, including a corporate aircraft company out of Chicago's Dupage Airport and an aircraft dealer in Rhode Island.

However, the name is close to Weikle's heart, Ballard said.

"John's mother named the airline because she told him, for the first time, West Virginia could fly as cheaply as they could drive and it would really open up America," he said.

While the name and colors are patriotic, the airline will be modeled after the Dublin-based Ryanair, an ultra low-cost carrier, Ballard said.

"It's one he [Weikle] believes in and it works from a profit and a customer standpoint," he said.

Ryanair began in 1985, with just one route on a 15-seat plane. Now, the airline has 27 European bases and operates a fleet of 163 Boeing 737-800s, according to the company's Web site. In the next five years, Ryanair will add another 99 new airplanes.

Passengers - an expected 52 million this year - pay extra for just about everything, including checked baggage, drinks, snacks, priority boarding and assigned seating.

Fundraising for Jet America began months ago, with the help of private investors, the Charleston Area Alliance and the Charleston and Central West Virginia convention and visitors bureaus.

The CVBs contributed $500,000 each and the alliance pledged up to $200,000. The airline needed $3 million in seed money to start courting investment banks, which was met in March.

Weikle told CVB members in March that he would seek an additional $40 million to start the airline.

No one is saying how much money has been raised so far, but Ballard said the airline will be up-and-running by late 2009, at the earliest.

Also, destinations and other specifics will be released in the coming weeks, he said.

"There's so much to do," he said.

To contact staff writer Sarah K. Winn, use e-mail or call 348-5156.