Why go hot air ballooning when you can ride a Zeppelin? That’s the idea behind Airship Ventures’ new dirigible attraction in Mountain View, Calif.
The as-yet unnamed Zeppelin — said to be the largest in the world — is 246 feet long and will carry 12 people. It will be based at Moffett Field, a former Navy facility now operated as NASA’s Ames research center. Airship Ventures also plans to offer trips from Oakland and Santa Rosa. Rides will start at $495 a person for one hour trips around San Francisco Bay.
The founders, Brian and Alexandra Hall, have raised over $8 million and told the San Francisco Chronicle they hope passengers will choose a Zeppelin ride for a “special occasion.” Apparently a Zeppelin made by the same company is profitable and has been selling out flights in Germany since 2001.
This will be the first Zeppelin to fly in the US since the 1937 crash of the Hindenburg. (For those thinking, isn’t it just a blimp? A blimp is a non-rigid frame airship — a Zeppelin has a rigid frame.)
In these economic times, will people pay $500 and up for a Zeppelin ride? Maybe, maybe not. On the other hand $500 often just covers the taxes and fees on an international airline ticket. So for many adventurous travelers, it might also be the cheapest way to score in the game of travel one-upmanship.
No word yet on any possible way to redeem your award miles for one of these filghts.
