Curt von Badinski, a mechanical engineer and co-founder of a San Francisco-based tech company, has a six-hour daily commute from Los Angeles – most of it by plane.
Five days a week, he rises at 05:00 for the 15-minute drive to Bob Hope Burbank airport, for a 90-minute flight to Oakland, located 353 miles (568km) north west.
He parks close to the departure building of Surf Air, a California-based airline that offers unlimited flights on a single-engine turboprop plane, for a monthly fee.
Von Badinski pays $2,300 to take return flights from Burbank to Oakland.
Having undergone a background check, von Badinski can bypass the main terminal, skip any usual security procedures and board the plane within minutes of parking.
Once he’s in the air, he uses his time to work free of interruptions network with other like-minded air commuters, including start-up founders and venture capitalists.
