Large jets, with passenger capacities ranging from 60 to more
than 400 passengers, carry the vast majority of commercial
traffic. Recent increases in fuel costs have encouraged airlines
to rely on the hub networks in order to reduce the number of
flights. Many flights into the hubs are satisfied by smaller
regional aircraft. Also, airlines are substituting the smaller
aircraft as many routes as possible where they may replace
larger, higher fuel consumption planes. These planes may have 20
to 45 seats. Because airlines have reduced their routes, a new
type of service called Air Taxis have become more popular. Their
goal is to service less popular routes. They use much smaller
aircraft to supply service on demand. Depending on the route and
the company, there may be between 5 and 8 available passenger
seats. While statistical information may be satisfactory for
large aircraft, it may not be the best solution for a smaller
plane. The statistical model must offer a high level of
certainty that the plane can safe