EDMONTON – Jump On Flyaways is planning on chartering a flight to and from a Blue Jays playoff game and wants Alberta fans to vote on the option they like best.
The Calgary-based company uses charter aircraft that are used to fly workers from Edmonton and Calgary to Fort McMurray. Jump On Flyaways pays to use the private planes when they’re not as busy: on the weekends.
The catch? The flights only go if they fill the plane 80 per cent or more.
“Our prices are really good,” said CEO Roger Jewett. “If we can get the flights to go, we can beat scheduled fares by 30 to 60 per cent, depending on the route.”
In October, the route will either be to Toronto or to wherever the Blue Jays play an away game. As the excitement around the American League leaders continues to build, Jump On Flyaways is jumping on the bandwagon.
“We really think sports getaways are a key market for us,” said Jewett.
“It’s Jays fever right now, so we’re like, ‘let’s hitch our wagon to the excitement and offer up a flight.'”
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The company wants Alberta baseball fans to vote on which flight option they like best.
“We’re crowdsourcing to see if we have enough demand and then, if we get enough demand, we’ll launch the flight and hopefully we’ll sell it out in a day.”
That way, said Jewett, customers can start securing their plans. For past trips, the decision on whether a flight ends up going is made a week before the departure at the latest. But Jewett hopes with all the buzz around the Jays, the plane will fill up fast.
“If the Jays are one or two in the American League standings, they’ll have home field advantage, assuming they make the playoffs,” he explains. “If they’re three or four, they’re the away team.”
So, if there’s interest, the company will charter a return flight out of Calgary Friday, Oct. 9 to the Jays’ Game 2, returning Sunday evening. In the first scenario that means a trip to Toronto. In the second scenario, that means a flight to whichever away city the team is playing in for Game 2.
“The third option is we can go to Game 2 and 3,” added Jewett.
“So you’d be able to see one home game and one away game, regardless of where they are in the standings.”
You can express your interest in one of the options on the Jump On Flyaways website.
The price for option one ranges from $520-$570, option two is $520-$770 and option three is $820-$970
Jump On Flyaways has already organized successful trips to Vancouver to watch the Calgary Flames during their playoff run and to Vancouver last year for the Grey Cup.
When asked why someone would choose this option over a traditional, commercial airline, Jewett doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s the experience. It’s a completely different experience when you get on a plane and there’s 150 other people with Blue Jays jerseys on.”
Win or lose, he says, it’s a very social trip.
“It’s huge camaraderie of the people on the flight,” said Jewett. “It’s pretty cool. You go out together and you come back together. There’s a real kind of buzz and energy in going with like-minded people.”
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