Houstonians now have a new way to travel to the Hill Country without spending hours in the car. Regional air shuttle service Ladybird Jet has launched a new route connecting passengers from Houston to Fredericksburg.
Texas-born Ladybird Jet is a membership-based charter flight broker providing a fleet of semi-private flights addressing "a growing gap in regional executive travel across Texas," per a release. Rather than spending hours in traffic traveling hundreds of miles by car, Ladybird Jet promises short flights without arduous security lines or baggage claim delays.
"Executives in Texas are losing half their day just getting to a meeting," said founder Devon Perry. "I built Ladybird Jet because I saw firsthand how broken regional travel was — and I knew Texas deserved better than choosing between a six-hour drive and a commercial airline odyssey."
The new Houston-to-Fredericksburg route operates out of West Houston Airport (IWS) and flies into Gillespie County Airport (T82). The flight cuts down an approximate nine-hour round trip down to just "a short flight," according to Perry, and passengers only need to arrive 15 minutes before departure.
Houstonians can travel to the Hill Country in style via Ladybird Jet's eight-seat aircraft. Photo courtesy of Ladybird Jet
"Houston professionals love Fredericksburg — the wine, the food, the Hill Country," Perry said. "But a nine-hour round-trip drive turns a relaxing getaway into an endurance test. We eliminate that. You land, and your weekend starts immediately."
Flights departing Houston will operate on Thursdays at 5 pm, and returning flights will take place on Sundays at 6 pm. That allows plenty of time to explore the Hill Country's wineries, restaurants, hotels, and the relaxing scenery. The planes can accommodate eight passengers, and round-trip fare costs $1,697 per seat.
Ladybird Jet also operates a route from Fredericksburg to Dallas, if ritzy Houstonians want to save time and travel luxuriously throughout all three cities.
Flight memberships start at $500 a month, with three different tiers available depending on travel needs.
