4 ms·

Don't dismiss this idea. It's easy to state the obvious that Uber for airlines would not be like Uber, because most people don't own private airplanes. But the

by idrios 11y ago

Don't dismiss this idea. It's easy to state the obvious that Uber for airlines would not be like Uber, because most people don't own private airplanes. But the author is asking for a more general "how can we disrupt the airline industry the way Uber disrupted taxis?" As with any startup, first ask "what is the need you're satisfying" - Need more affordable, more convenient fast travel from point A to point B. "What will you do to solve that need?" (get creative, this is your specialty) Ex.1 - Offer people who purchased plane tickets but needed to cancel (and were not allowed to because of no-refund policy) a service to sell to others at the (presumably low b/c it was purchased early) price they bought it. "How will your company make money?" Ex.1 - take 5% cut "What kind of people will you need to hire..." -> this is getting more specific than necessary <- While I would have doubts about that business model I just threw together in 5 minutes, my point real point is-- you guys are Hacker News. Some of the smartest people in the world. We could definitely figure out an Uber for airlines and disrupt that industry! ..unless someone is already working on this and is protecting their actual IP

saryant 11y ago
You generally can't change the name on an airline ticket.
- akhilcacharya 11y ago
  Looks like we found the first thing that needs to be disrupted!
  - rbobby 11y ago
    I guess the second thing would be the no fly list (and the TSA).
    - PhasmaFelis 11y ago
      Problem is, "disrupting" those will get you arrested immediately.
gobbert 11y ago
Is this a standard list of questions that I can find somewhere? They sound helpful.
- idrios 11y ago
  That list was a paraphrased version of what I've picked up reading HN and talking to a few entrepreneurs near where I go to college. As a whole if you're trying to start a company I'd say you must be able to answer two questions: 1. What is the need I am satisfying 2. Can this be profitable For the kind of list you're talking about, the business model canvas is a great resource http://businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc?_ga=1.202783192.859062829.1438494247 http://businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc?_ga=1.20278319... and then if you have more time on your hands, Peter Thiel (Founder of Paypal) led a really good class at Stanford on how to start a company, which is entirely transcribed in a blog by Blake Masters http://blakemasters.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup http://blakemasters.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup <-This was the series that first got me really interested in startups, and is also indirectly how I discovered Hacker News. Definitely worth the read Additionally, Sam Altman taught the class a few years later and recorded the whole thing on video. It's equally excellent http://startupclass.samaltman.com/ http://startupclass.samaltman.com/
larzang 11y ago
Uber "disrupted taxis" by disregarding the law, removing protections for both passengers and operators, and shifting risk on to operators while shifting profit margins to management. None of which exactly inspire confidence when it comes to something like operating aircraft.
- dylanjermiah 11y ago
  Do you have any conclusive evidence that the laws 'protected' both sides in a superior manner than Uber does? Edit: If you'd like to down vote fine, but please also provide evidence for/against their/my claims. To be against data, or the asking of evidence is to be ignorant.
  - dogma1138 11y ago
    How about that they at least mandate appropriate insurance coverage and give you a fixed statue in law as a paying passenger? Not to mention that under UBER you might be stuck in a legal limbo in which you can't sue the driver for damages in case of an accident without proving gross negligence while can be still sued by the 3rd party for being involved in the accident in the 1st place under the "joint adventure" precedent.
    - dylanjermiah 11y ago
      Again, do you have evidence for your claims? I have no way of knowing if that's true.
      - dogma1138 11y ago
        What type of "evidence" do you want? In the UK you need to have a PSV to legally carry paying passengers all of the UBER drivers i had didn't had it (it's a sticker on the car window with the license number). https://www.gov.uk/psv-operator-licences/overview https://www.gov.uk/psv-operator-licences/overview In the US passengers can be sued for damages when being involved in car accidents and cannot sue the driver unless they are paying passengers (which UBER doesn't qualify since it is not a licensed transport service) http://personal-injury.lawyers.com/auto-accidents/when-you-are-responsible-for-the-accident.html http://personal-injury.lawyers.com/auto-accidents/when-you-a... Whats worse is that since the passenger solicited the trip they can be made as the "cause" of the accident in civil suits when there was no gross misconduct on the side of the driver. There is no easy way to obtain insurance information about UBER drivers, and unlike taxis in which the token ("car") owner is also liable in a law suit you cannot sue the car's owner if it is other than the driver with UBER in such cases when the car doesn't have proper insurance or wasn't maintained properly. On the other hand you can get the insurance information for any taxi easily e.g. from NYC. http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/vehicle_insurance_info.shtml http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/vehicle_insurance_... The list can go on and on and on, UBER was playing it fast and loose with the law by pretty much ignoring it and shifting all of the responsibility on it's users and drivers. The users don't know anything heck they don't even know that they might be breaking the law in certain places. The drivers well the drivers don't care UBER exploited places where getting a taxi license was expensive due to regulation as well as an economy in the toilet which presented them with a large user base needing additional income. Public transportation is messy yes, but it's also heavily regulated and for a good reason because when it's not people can get hurt very quickly. GL getting a taxi license with a DUI under you belt or while being on the sexual offenders list, but you can still drive UBER.... The same way no one would use an UBER like service to get a doctor if they knew they could get a med-school dropout or some alcoholic that lost his practice due to malpractice suits however they are perfectly fine with getting into a car with a stranger at 2am knowing that unlike a registered car hire service or a taxi they weren't screened, it's not recorded in public records available to the local police and that they aren't covered by insurance and can be named in a law suit if anything happens during that trip. Oh and this is without even getting into other things like UBER pissing over employment and taxation laws, doesn't verify that drivers do not work over the maximum amount of hours allowed by law, do mandated pit stops on long trips, maintain their cars etc... My personal experience using UBER in London: Driver hitting a cyclist and "contemplating" a hit and run. Driver selling out weed out of his car. Driver who was clearly working for at least 10-12 hours falling a sleep at the wheel. Driver who was also working for just-eat or some other food delivery service carrying pizza and curry and asking me if i don't mind him stopping on the way. Driver who had an open can of beer in the central console (didn't enter that ride). I don't use UBER anymore i use the black cab / car service hire apps depending on the time of day and the location they aren't considerably more expensive (less than 10% on average unless you'll take a very long ride) and they are all registered businesses with all the due diligence required.

by idrios 11y ago

saryant 11y ago

You generally can't change the name on an airline ticket.

akhilcacharya 11y ago
Looks like we found the first thing that needs to be disrupted!
- rbobby 11y ago
  I guess the second thing would be the no fly list (and the TSA).
  - PhasmaFelis 11y ago
    Problem is, "disrupting" those will get you arrested immediately.

gobbert 11y ago

Is this a standard list of questions that I can find somewhere? They sound helpful.

idrios 11y ago
That list was a paraphrased version of what I've picked up reading HN and talking to a few entrepreneurs near where I go to college. As a whole if you're trying to start a company I'd say you must be able to answer two questions: 1. What is the need I am satisfying 2. Can this be profitable For the kind of list you're talking about, the business model canvas is a great resource http://businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc?_ga=1.202783192.859062829.1438494247 http://businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc?_ga=1.20278319... and then if you have more time on your hands, Peter Thiel (Founder of Paypal) led a really good class at Stanford on how to start a company, which is entirely transcribed in a blog by Blake Masters http://blakemasters.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup http://blakemasters.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup <-This was the series that first got me really interested in startups, and is also indirectly how I discovered Hacker News. Definitely worth the read Additionally, Sam Altman taught the class a few years later and recorded the whole thing on video. It's equally excellent http://startupclass.samaltman.com/ http://startupclass.samaltman.com/

larzang 11y ago

Uber "disrupted taxis" by disregarding the law, removing protections for both passengers and operators, and shifting risk on to operators while shifting profit margins to management. None of which exactly inspire confidence when it comes to something like operating aircraft.

dylanjermiah 11y ago
Do you have any conclusive evidence that the laws 'protected' both sides in a superior manner than Uber does? Edit: If you'd like to down vote fine, but please also provide evidence for/against their/my claims. To be against data, or the asking of evidence is to be ignorant.
- dogma1138 11y ago
  How about that they at least mandate appropriate insurance coverage and give you a fixed statue in law as a paying passenger? Not to mention that under UBER you might be stuck in a legal limbo in which you can't sue the driver for damages in case of an accident without proving gross negligence while can be still sued by the 3rd party for being involved in the accident in the 1st place under the "joint adventure" precedent.
  - dylanjermiah 11y ago
    Again, do you have evidence for your claims? I have no way of knowing if that's true.
    - dogma1138 11y ago
      What type of "evidence" do you want? In the UK you need to have a PSV to legally carry paying passengers all of the UBER drivers i had didn't had it (it's a sticker on the car window with the license number). https://www.gov.uk/psv-operator-licences/overview https://www.gov.uk/psv-operator-licences/overview In the US passengers can be sued for damages when being involved in car accidents and cannot sue the driver unless they are paying passengers (which UBER doesn't qualify since it is not a licensed transport service) http://personal-injury.lawyers.com/auto-accidents/when-you-are-responsible-for-the-accident.html http://personal-injury.lawyers.com/auto-accidents/when-you-a... Whats worse is that since the passenger solicited the trip they can be made as the "cause" of the accident in civil suits when there was no gross misconduct on the side of the driver. There is no easy way to obtain insurance information about UBER drivers, and unlike taxis in which the token ("car") owner is also liable in a law suit you cannot sue the car's owner if it is other than the driver with UBER in such cases when the car doesn't have proper insurance or wasn't maintained properly. On the other hand you can get the insurance information for any taxi easily e.g. from NYC. http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/vehicle_insurance_info.shtml http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/vehicle_insurance_... The list can go on and on and on, UBER was playing it fast and loose with the law by pretty much ignoring it and shifting all of the responsibility on it's users and drivers. The users don't know anything heck they don't even know that they might be breaking the law in certain places. The drivers well the drivers don't care UBER exploited places where getting a taxi license was expensive due to regulation as well as an economy in the toilet which presented them with a large user base needing additional income. Public transportation is messy yes, but it's also heavily regulated and for a good reason because when it's not people can get hurt very quickly. GL getting a taxi license with a DUI under you belt or while being on the sexual offenders list, but you can still drive UBER.... The same way no one would use an UBER like service to get a doctor if they knew they could get a med-school dropout or some alcoholic that lost his practice due to malpractice suits however they are perfectly fine with getting into a car with a stranger at 2am knowing that unlike a registered car hire service or a taxi they weren't screened, it's not recorded in public records available to the local police and that they aren't covered by insurance and can be named in a law suit if anything happens during that trip. Oh and this is without even getting into other things like UBER pissing over employment and taxation laws, doesn't verify that drivers do not work over the maximum amount of hours allowed by law, do mandated pit stops on long trips, maintain their cars etc... My personal experience using UBER in London: Driver hitting a cyclist and "contemplating" a hit and run. Driver selling out weed out of his car. Driver who was clearly working for at least 10-12 hours falling a sleep at the wheel. Driver who was also working for just-eat or some other food delivery service carrying pizza and curry and asking me if i don't mind him stopping on the way. Driver who had an open can of beer in the central console (didn't enter that ride). I don't use UBER anymore i use the black cab / car service hire apps depending on the time of day and the location they aren't considerably more expensive (less than 10% on average unless you'll take a very long ride) and they are all registered businesses with all the due diligence required.