Summary
- Zoom! aims to follow Air Florida’s network with a variety of routes to US, Europe, Caribbean & Central America.
- Novice pilots recruited at 500 hours will initially fly eVTOL jets before transitioning to Embraer & Airbus aircraft.
- Despite plans for Embraer E-jets and Airbus A220, Zoom!’s launch date and full details remain unclear.
Ed Wegel, the former CEO of Global Crossing Airline’s Group (GlobalX), is looking to launch his own carrier. He plans to start Zoom!, which will operate a range of routes from Florida. Earlier this year, Wegel disclosed his plans to launch a scheduled carrier that will initially launch with several Embraer E-jets before transitioning to the Airbus A220 aircraft within a few years.
The Embraer E190 and E195 E1 Jets will be powered by General Electric CF34 engines, which Wegel says are “Excellent” and provide “Great range.” Unfortunately, the airline’s full plans remain a mystery, and even the aircraft configuration is still unclear.
Flying where?
Zoom!’s initial route map remains unclear; however, the airline founder has inferred it will operate a similar network to the defunct Air Florida, which operated from its hub in Miami to 99 destinations across the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America.
Another unique feature the airline looks to entice novice pilots with its plan to work alongside UrbanLink. This startup seems to operate the eVTOL Lilium Jet. It will recruit pilots at 500 hours and build with UrbanLink until they are ready to operate the Embraer aircraft and, eventually, the Airbus A220.
Launching initially with the Embraer E190 and 195, Wegel stressed that he remains open to the Airbus aircraft type but will “wait” until the airline is ready. However, the carriers launch date remains unclear.
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Not to be confused with Canadian carrier Zoom.
Zoom was a Canadian low-cost carrier that operated a number of services across Canada, the United States, and Europe between 2002 and 2008. The airline was founded by two Scottish brothers who planned to fill a gap in the Canadian leisure travel market, and its fleet was made up of Airbus A320s, Boeing 757, and 767 aircraft.
A leisure-focused carrier, Zoom’s margins were strict, and even after several years of solid growth, the airline eventually collapsed in 2008, citing high operating costs. The carrier operated from multiple ports across Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, and Montréal. From Ottawa and Toronto, Zoom served all four UK countries.
England saw service in London and Manchester, while Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales each had one airport with a Zoom presence (Belfast, Glasgow, and Cardiff, respectively). Zoom also flew to Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome. US leisure hotspots featured, including Fort Lauderdale, New York, and San Diego, and further afield were destinations in the Caribbean, Guyana, and Thailand.
What are your thoughts about the new Zoom? Airlines? Let us know in the comments.
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