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Wade Eyerly
Born (1979-06-12) June 12, 1979 (age 45)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCentral Missouri State University
Brigham Young University
Occupation(s)Co-founder & CEO,
Surf Air (2011-14)
Co-founder & CEO,
Beacon Inc. (2015-16)
Managing director,
Wheels Up (2016-present)
CEO,
Education Insurance Corporation (2017-present)
Years active2003–present
SpouseKelli Eyerly
Children3

Wade Eyerly (born 1979)[1] is an American entrepreneur. He is a founder of all-you-can-fly services Surf Air and Beacon, and former managing director of Wheels Up.

Early life and education

Eyerly was raised in Independence, Missouri.[2] He earned bachelor's degrees in international economic policy and cross-cultural relations from Central Missouri State University, a master's degree in public policy from Brigham Young University, and a global management certificate from BYU's Marriott School of Management.[2][3] He spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Russia.[1]

Career

Politics and DIA (2001-10)

After working in Vice President Dick Cheney's press office,[4][5] Eyerly joined the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2007.[1] From 2009 to 2010, he was deployed in Iraq as a government operative.[2][4][6] He later worked in Washington, DC, as a National Security Agency consultant.[1][4]

Surf Air (2011-14)

Eyerly conceived of Surf Air with his brother David Eyerly, a pilot.[1] Based on his own experiences flying often while working for Cheney, Eyerly felt there was a need for an airline where travelers didn't have to deal with the TSA or purchasing last-minute tickets.[7][8] The concept was developed through the MuckerLab incubator program in Los Angeles.[7] After purchasing a small fleet of three single-engine Pilatus PC-12 planes,[9] Surf Air launched in 2012 as the first all-you-can-fly members-only airline, where members pay a monthly fee for unlimited travel on Surf Air's flights. At launch, the company offered flights in California between Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco, on eight-seat planes outfitted like private jets.[7][10][11]

Eyerly stepped down as CEO of Surf Air in February 2014.[11][12] He then spent a year as executive chairman of Dallas-based private jet subscription startup Rise.[13][14] Rise was acquired by Surf Air in June 2017.[14]

Beacon (2015-16)

In 2015, Eyerly and fellow Surf Air co-founders Cory Cozzens and Reed Farnsworth founded the travel startup Beacon, an all-you-can-fly membership service offering flights between Boston and White Plains, New York.[15][16] The service launched in September 2015.[15][17] The company partnered with Dynamic Aviation of Bridgewater, Virginia as its operator, flying twin-engine turboprops with less than 10 seats.[3][6][9] Beacon folded in March 2016.[18][19]

Wheels Up (2016-17)

In April 2016, Eyerly joined Wheels Up as managing director. The New York-based on-demand membership flight charter service has a fleet of more than 70 airplanes.[14][19]

Personal life

Eyerly lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, with his wife and three sons.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f James Wynbrandt, "Industry Insider: Beacon's Wade Eyerly," Business Jet Traveler, March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Chris Bunting, "This all-you-can-fly private plane is just $2,000 a month," New York Post, September 23, 2015.
  3. ^ a b William Garvey, "Questions for Wade Eyerly, Founder and CEO of Beacon in New York, New York," Aviation Week Network, August 28, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Billy Witz, "All-You-Can-Fly Airline Plies the California Coast," New York Times, August 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Courtney Subramanian, "Would You Pay $790 a Month for an All-You-Can-Fly Airline?" Time, April 10, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Graham Rapier, "An ex-White House staffer and former spy just raised $7.5 million to disrupt the airline industry," Business Insider, July 23, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Greg Lindsay, "Imagine Air Travel Without Hassle: Surf Air Can," Fast Company, November 26, 2012.
  8. ^ Maggie Hiufu Wong, "Unlimited flights for US $1,000 per month – private jets come to the masses," CNN Travel, June 26, 2012.
  9. ^ a b David Lumb, "A Netflix For Private Flights: Surf Air Founders Take Off With Rival Members-Only Airline," Fast Company, February 10, 2015.
  10. ^ Wendy Kaufman, "Surf Air Offers 'All You Can Fly' For A Monthly Fee," NPR, June 3, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Lora Kolodny, "Surf Air Founder and CEO Wade Eyerly Passes the Torch," Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2014.
  12. ^ Ryan Lawler, "Surf Air Founder Wade Eyerly Steps Down, Replaced By Former Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter," TechCrunch, February 27, 2014.
  13. ^ Tanya Rutledge, "The Netflix of Airline Travel," D Magazine, December 2014.
  14. ^ a b c Melissa Repko, "Dallas startup Rise bought by California's Surf Air as chase for business travelers ascends," Dallas Morning News, June 7, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Lora Kolodny, "Beacon Raises $6.5 Million for 'All You Can Fly' Service in New York," Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2015.
  16. ^ Sheila Marikar, "SurfAir co-founders launch East Coast private plane service," Fortune, February 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Barbara Peterson, "Inside Beacon Air, a New Members-Only Way to Fly," Conde Nast Traveler, September 3, 2015.
  18. ^ Lora Kolodny, "Beacon, the all-you-can-fly travel startup, closes shop," TechCrunch, April 14, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Matt Krupnick, "Start-Ups Selling Seats on Private Jets Don’t Always Make It," New York Times, June 13, 2016.


Category:Living people Category:1979 births Category:People from Independence, Missouri Category:People from New Canaan, Connecticut Category:University of Central Missouri alumni Category:Brigham Young University alumni Category:Marriott School of Management alumni Category:American Mormon missionaries in Russia Category:George W. Bush administration personnel Category:People of the Defense Intelligence Agency Category:American aviation businesspeople Category:American airline chief executives Category:Aviation pioneers Category:Airline founders Category:American Latter Day Saints

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