Ask HN: What do you think of this idea?

2 piratesAndSons 4 9/4/2025, 10:04:05 PM
A new budget airline promises the cheapest domestic travel, with one catch: no luggage. Luggage-free travel. Additionally, this airline will operate only from low-cost airports, not high-cost ones. In exchange, as a business we benefit from cheaper fuel (less weight), more trips because we save time on loading and unloading luggage, and lower employee costs. We then use those savings to subsidize tickets.

Would YC take a break from funding GPT-wrappers to fund this, or would I need to find a way to attach “powered by AI” somewhere to make them care? If this model succeeds, major airlines might invest in us, and we could go to Boeing to manufacture planes designed entirely for luggage-free travel.

People might ask, “What about those with luggage?” Simple: we will partner with luggage delivery companies.

Comments (4)

OgsyedIE · 1d ago
You want an aviation accelerator firm like jetBlue Ventures, not YC. Go look around their website and get some ideas. Once you're done, go ask Claude or DeepSeek some questions about how they operate, what their competitors are and how you could qualify for meeting with them.

https://www.jetblueventures.com/

stephenlf · 1d ago
YC is likely not the partner you would want. https://www.boeing.com/company/about-bca/startupboeing
piratesAndSons · 1d ago
I mean the early days when you have no traction.
warrenm · 1d ago
Airlines make their money - primarily - on cargo and fees

Not on passenger tickets