Socialist Party Driving Rise in Citizen Benefits, Simultaneously Advocating for On-Demand Flights from Lake Constance

In a move that is set to shake up air travel in Germany, a new "fly-on-demand" service is taking off at Friedrichshafen Airport. This innovative model, which allows passengers to partly determine flight routes, is the brainchild of an unnamed startup, described as bringing on-demand air mobility to regional airports.

Currently, the service offers flights to Mönchengladbach, Hamburg, Strausberg near Berlin, and Münster-Osnabrück. The first flight, taking off at 7:30 AM from Friedrichshafen, is bound for Mönchengladbach. The flight duration is approximately 1.5 hours, and the cost without luggage is 150 euros.

However, the launch of this service has not been met with universal approval. Critics, including social associations and Left Party politicians, have voiced their concerns. Jan van Aken, the leader of the Left Party, has called the plans, in the face of rising prices, a scandal. Michaela Engelmeier, the chairwoman of the German Social Association (SPD), finds it irresponsible to put the minimum existence at risk.

The startup's founder and CEO expects the service to be profitable and significantly cheaper than chartering a private jet. Yet, the company's plans to expand its routes in the future have raised eyebrows, particularly given the struggling state of small airports like Hahn in Hunsrück and Bodensee Airport, which still requires millions in taxpayer money.

The controversy surrounding the service doesn't end there. Bodensee Airport's need for public funds and the perceived lack of contribution from large fortunes and inheritances to financing the commonwealth have also become points of contention. SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil has proposed targeting "total refusers" and tightening rules for those receiving unemployment benefits who are also working under the table.

As the German government prepares to decide on the ordinance in September, the debate surrounding the "fly-on-demand" service at Friedrichshafen Airport continues to intensify. The service, which can accommodate only nine passengers, is poised to change air travel in Germany, but the question of its social and economic impact remains a contentious one.