Hopping into new markets

opinion

by Yves Le Marquand

6 July 2026

Founded in 2009, following the very light jet (VLJ) market collapse, Hopscotch is a full Part 135 operator and is also certified for operations in Canada.

Hinkspiel, skola, swehi, escargot, hopscotch. The age-old game based on the idea of hopping from space to space is played by children around the world.

The above names come from Germany, Croatia, Nigeria, France and the UK, respectively. But no matter where in the world, the core principle remains the same. It is all about hopping.

It is the game from which Hopscotch Air takes its name. The Farmingdale, New York-based operator, which has been calling itself an air taxi operator long before eVTOLs were making headlines, flies short hops using a fleet of Cirrus SR-22s serving the US northeast, mid-Atlantic and parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Founded in 2009, following the very light jet (VLJ) market collapse, Hopscotch is a full Part 135 operator and is also certified for operations in Canada. Operating a fleet of five SR-22s with another due in autumn, the company plans to expand to 20 aircraft by spring next year.

“We operate between Philadelphia, New York and Boston in the summer, flying at full capacity for about four months of the year,” Andrew Schmertz, CEO of Hopscotch Air tells us.

Hopscotch operates at a modest price point versus its regional Part 135 competitors. For White Plains to Nantucket, it charges around $3,200 for all three seats – although that has gone up recently because of fuel prices. Schmertz estimates about 80% of Hopscotch’s clients are leisure travellers, most of whom disappear in the wintertime.

‘Balancing seasonality… biggest challenge’

In true hopscotch fashion, the operator plans to play the game elsewhere, ensuring capacity year round.

“Balancing seasonality is our biggest challenge right now – there’s good money in summer, but it tends to flow out in winter,” he says. “Part of our strategy is to move aircraft to other regions, but that’s not simple: you need to staff them, and that’s a major challenge. We want to make sure we have the operational resources to support the business.”

But there is no inkling Hopscotch will rebrand as swehi or hinkspiel. When someone flies Hopscotch, the operator wants them to say so. “You don’t say ‘I took an A380’ – you say, ‘I took Delta,’” quips Schmertz.

“The key differentiator for Hopscotch is that we’re heavily branded,” he continues. “Most Part 135 charter companies in the US operate plain aircraft without the operator’s name on the side, because they rely heavily on brokered business. We wanted to change that. All our planes are branded, and our pilots are clearly flying for Hopscotch.”

It is the model Hopscotch has built, and it’s worked: about 95% of its business is retail.

Air taxi service

Another reason Schmertz is confident Hopscotch can capture a share in new markets comes in how it defines itself: an air taxi service. “We never use the word ‘charter’ – we call ourselves an air taxi business,” he says.

“Legally, we are a charter operator, but we don’t use the word. ‘Charter’ suggests a high-end, exclusive service – Taylor Swift, Bono, celebrities, big money. That feels unattainable for most people. ‘Air taxi’ suggests something more accessible.”

The company is also watching the advanced air mobility sector. It has relationships with some US developers and believes it is a “plug-and-play” solution for electric aircraft post-certification.

Part of the strategy to gain traction in new markets is communication with its clients.

“We talk to everyone who flies with us – if they’re flying for leisure, they likely have a successful business. We remind them we’re available year-round for business trips to places like Ithaca or Buffalo. Many are surprised – they hadn’t thought of it. It’s a matter of mindset. The tricky part is that people are willing to spend their own money on leisure, but reluctant to spend company money on business travel,” says Schmertz.

“We do convert some leisure travellers to business, but we could be doing better.”

IATA code

Hopscotch is also beginning to target new customers through its International Air Transport Association (IATA) code, which is unusual for a charter operator. It has partnered with Spanish carrier Euroairlines to appear on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) which are computerised networks that aggregate real-time travel inventory platforms like Expedia.

“We inherited it from another company we sit on the board of,” says Schmertz. “We’re not using it heavily yet, but it’s about marketing – reaching more people through platforms like Expedia, Kayak and Priceline, as well as travel agents serving corporate clients.”

The company is staying tight-lipped on where it might set up shop, but reverse engineer the criteria and clues soon emerge.

“We look for areas with significant wealth, where road transport is poor – either because of traffic or long distances. In places like New York or Massachusetts, those conditions are clearly present. If someone can afford the service but might choose to drive, we need a strong counter-argument: if it’s an eight-hour drive versus a one-hour flight, the flight wins,” says Schmertz. By that logic, Florida, California and Texas could also prove suitable.

‘A problem we’d like to have’

With aircraft ready to fly in, the barrier to market entry is crewing and operational support. Schmertz says the pilot shortage has eased for Hopscotch. It holds bi-annual induction classes and typically attracts two types of pilots: younger applicants with minimum hours and commercially rated retirees.

“The challenge extends to mechanics too – finding A&P technicians who can work on Cirrus is difficult. It’s a holistic industry problem, and it’s likely to worsen as demand grows,” says Schmertz.

Maintenance is carried out by Paragon Aircraft, a third-party Cirrus service centre in Caldwell, New Jersey. Schmertz says Hopscotch may take on more as it grows, but because reliable retail maintenance is hard to find it will remain with Paragon.

“They provide excellent reliability and top-notch maintenance service, which is crucial – in summer, aircraft are in for inspection every 30 days,” he says. “With each plane flying about 50 hours a month, they go into the shop either for a one-day 50-hour check or three to four days for a 100-hour check.”

The problem Hopscotch “would like to have” is how to manage downtime once it reaches 20 aircraft.

“Right now, we manually review the schedule and aircraft hours each month to plan inspections. Technology – perhaps an AI tool – could help streamline that,” says Schmertz. “It’s a friction point; occasionally, three aircraft come due at once. In February, that’s fine – in July or August, it’s a problem.”

Hopscotch has been fortuitous a few times since 2009. Schmertz had been taken by the idea of VLJs changing regional mobility and was raising to buy them. Luckily, he did not raise enough, the market crashed and a wise man suggested the SR-22.

IATA codes are notoriously hard to attain, Hopscotch inherited one.

eVTOLs were a niche research project when Hopscotch called itself an air taxi operator, now it is ready accommodate such aircraft from day one.

It could be hopping into new markets within a year. After all, that is the name of the game.