Monday, June 3, 2013

Surf Air Gets New Funding, FAA Clearance

Los Angeles-based membership-based airline Surf Air said today that it has raised a Series B round of funding, and also received its FAA Operating Certificate -- a huge step in getting the company's services off the ground. The startup, led by Wade Eyerly, has been working for the last year working on all the paperwork involved with FAA certification. Size of the funding round was not disclosed. Surf Air said the new funding came from Velos Partners and Base Ventures.

According to Surf Air, it will now start its air travel service between the Los Angeles metro area and San Francisco Bay Area starting on June 12th. Surf Air's membership service lets members take unlimited flights, based on a reservation system. The firm has been looking to connect the technology hubs of Santa Monica with Palo Alto, by taking advantage of the relative ease of accessing regional airports instead of large airport hubs. The firm said it will use the new funding to expand its team of pilots and customer care associates, and scale for future growth.

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