Interisland carrier Island Air is adding its first corporate jet to its fleet of nine De Havilland DASH-8 turboprop aircraft.

The new aircraft, a nine-passenger Bombardier Challenger 601, will be used for the company's new luxury charter service for corporate travel to the U.S. Mainland and Asia.

"This is an unknown market for us," said Robert Mauracher, Island Air's chief executive officer.

"We're doing this as a speculative business venture to see how the market will react to it. If it catches on, we'll invest more and more in the product."

The new service won't be cheap. A roundtrip charter from any island to any Mainland destination costs between $40,000 and $50,000, which comes to about $5,000 a person.

Maraucher said prices could drop to as low as $30,000 for each roundtrip if oil prices drop. That, he said, would bring it closer to the cost of last-minute, first-class travel on scheduled flights by domestic carriers.

Maraucher said he's not sure of what kind of demand there is in Hawai'i for the new service but said he hopes to find out tomorrow when the airline unveils the new jet at the American Heart Association's annual Heart Ball.

The airline has donated the use of the jet for the Heart Association auction. Bidding is to start at $30,000, Maraucher said.

Founded in 1980, Island Air flies 92 daily flights between O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands. The company, which is owned by San Francisco-based Gavarnie Holding LLC, plans to add four new turboprops to its regular fleet by May as part of an expansion plan.

Island Air also is launching a Web-based check-in system developed by a unit of NCR Corp. that will allow passengers to check in and print their boarding passes online.

The airline also is installing automated check-in kiosks at Hawai'i airports that will allow customers to check in, access their itinerary and print their boarding pass by using a credit card.

Reach Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.