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Citation Latitude Now Available Based So. California

Charter operator Cutter Flight Management announces their 2015 Citation Latitude is now available for charter based at CRQ Carlsbad, CA.  Latitude info and photos:

Citation Latitude:
The Latitude is a new Citation midsize jet seating up to 9 with a cabin featuring a club of four with two additional froward facing seats, a cabin-forward bench for two and a rear belted lav.  The aircraft fits between the XLS and the Sovereign in the Citation lineup and the Latitude carries an outward resemblance of both.  It is described as a superior, flat-floor, stand-up cabin, 6-feet tall, 77 inches wide and 21 feet long.   the Latitude cabin is taller and wider than the Sovereign.   Airspeed at 446 kts max cruise is similar to the Sovereign and XLS.

The entire Cutter Flight Management fleet and operator details are ONLY available in FlightList PRO.

Another Coast-to-Coast Midsize
The Latitude offers a range of up to 2,850 NM which is more than the Hawker 800XP published maximum range.  Under a charter flight profile the Latitude is easily nonstop West to East, and usually nonstop East to West with 4-5 passengers.

Cabin of the 2015 Citation Latitude based So. California with Cutter Flight Management

Cabin of the 2015 Citation Latitude based So. California with Cutter Flight Management

New 2016 Legacy 650 and Challenger 604 Added to KMR Aviation Southern California Charter Fleet

KMR Aviation, a provider executive private jet charter announces a new-to-market 2016 Embraer Legacy 650 is now available for charter, along with a fifth Bombardier Challenger 604, offering customers a wider selection of options for long distance travel, according to a press release by the company.

New 2016 Legacy 650 now for charter with KMR Aviation, Southern California

New 2016 Legacy 650 now for charter with KMR Aviation, Southern California.  Photo: KMR Aviation

The entire KMR charter fleet and operator details are available ONLY in FlightList PRO.

With a range capability of 3,900 nautical miles, the well-appointed Legacy 650, based in Southern California, can easily travel Coast-to-Coast or to the Caribbean Islands non-stop. It provides the quietest and largest-in-class three-zone cabin and can comfortably seat up to 13 passengers. The Legacy 650 also offers the largest main inflight-accessible baggage compartment in its class – 286 cu. ft. – providing ample space for whatever you may need to take along on your journey. The aircraft features spacious seating, deluxe amenities and seamless Wi-Fi connectivity. Its high-definition audio/video capabilities provide business or leisure travelers alike a satisfying and sophisticated media environment. A fully equipped galley includes a microwave oven, convection oven and Nespresso Coffee Maker. Berthable seats and a large aft lavatory with secondary forward lavatory allow passengers to arrive at their destination fully relaxed and refreshed.

“We are excited about the growth of our heavy jet fleet,” said Lori Jones, KMR Aviation Charter Manager. “The Challenger 604 continues to be a highly popular aircraft for our charter clients and the addition of a gorgeous Legacy 650 to our certificate further adds range and diversity to our impressive list of managed aircraft.”

The two new charter aircraft join Southern California’s largest operator of Challenger 604 business jets. Additionally, through an affiliation with West Coast Charters, KMR Aviation’s charter fleet access extend to over 30 charter-ready aircraft ranging in size from turbo-props to light- and mid- to large-cabin aircraft.

Source:  company press release

Twelve Jets Join Clay Lacy Aviation Fleet

Clay-LacyClay Lacy Aviation, one of the world’s largest charter operators and aircraft managers, announced it has added twelve business jets to its expanding fleet since the start of 2016. The new additions include seven long-range, large-cabin aircraft, two super-midsize jets, and three light jets from Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, Embraer and Gulfstream. Nine of these aircraft will be available for private jet charter.

The entire Clay Lacy fleet and operator details are available ONLY in FlightList PRO.

Joining the Clay Lacy jet charter fleet in Los Angeles are a Bombardier Global Express, Gulfstream GV, Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 2000, Challenger 300Gulfstream G200 and a Learjet 45. Also for private jet charter are an Embraer Legacy 600 in Las Vegas and a Learjet 45XR in Portland, Oregon.

Source:  Clay Lacy Aviation Press Release

A State-By-State Guide To Private Jet Travel

by Doug Gollan, Forbes.com 8/26/16

Florida, followed by Texas and California had the most private jet departures over the past six months, according to a report released earlier this week by ARGUS International, a company that tracks private aviation activity. Of course, the report needs a bit of context. New York is only ranked seventh, but many Manhattanites use Teterboro Airport in New Jersey for their private jet flying. New Jersey was ranked fourth. Vermont had the lowest activity, with only 2,007 departures during the period.

Articulated another way, the 135,338 departures in the period from Florida equate to 722 flights per day. American Airlines, which operates the largest hub in the state, at Miami International Airport, has 352 daily departures.

A growing number of private jets sit parked at Scottsdale Airport back in February. With the Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament in town the private jet traffic into the Phoenix-area airports was expected to increase. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Overall, during the six months, ARGUS tracked 1,293,348 U.S. private aviation departures over the six month period. American Airlines, operating about 6,700 flights per day, would have operated about 1,250,000 flights worldwide during the same period. United Airlines puts its daily departures at 4,550, so 850,000 departures every six months. Southwest says it operates 3,900 flights per day, or 729,300 flights every six months. So one point you can take away, is that while private aviation is a fragmented industry, its combined flying based on departures, would rank it alongside the largest U.S. airlines.

The report tracks aircraft operated under Part 91, which includes corporate flight departments and fractional operators, and Part 135, which covers the companies that offer private aircraft charter.

Among some of the other interesting data points, Thursday is the most popular day for flying privately, followed by Wednesday and Friday. Also, nine of the 10 busiest days were Thursdays, the exception being Friday before President’s Day.

Overall, private aviation activity increased five out of six months with flights rising by 3.1 percent, and flight hours up by 2.7 percent, meaning shorter flights, a possible reflection that the biggest times savings of flying privately are on shorter flights where when flying commercially a disproportionate amount of time is wasted getting in and out of the airport.

ARGUS is also bullish for the next three months, projecting a 3.4 percent increase in flights for the August to October period.

Departures January to June 2016:

State Departures
1 Florida 135,338
2 Texas 129,458
3 California 129,220
4 New Jersey 48,124
5 Georgia 47,644
6 Colorado 42,472
7 New York 40,523
8 Illinois 38,955
9 North Carolina 35,943
10 Ohio 32,478
11 Arizona 31,466
12 Tennessee 30,449
13 Virginia/DC 28,723
14 Pennsylvania 27,685
15 Michigan 26,012
16 Missouri 23,660
17 Nevada 23,560
18 Louisiana 21,723
19 Minnesota 21,720
20 Massachusetts 21,371
21 South Carolina 21,297
22 Indiana 20,886
23 Kansas 20,406
24 Alabama 20,353
25 Wisconsin 19,575
26 Washington 18,340
27 Arkansas 16,447
28 Oklahoma 16,310
29 Oregon 15,063
30 Maryland 14,316
31 Nebraska 13,761
32 Utah 13,527
33 Kentucky 13,382
34 New Mexico 13,090
35 Iowa 12,458
36 Mississippi 12,209
37 Montana 11,198
38 Alaska 10,882
39 South Dakota 10,649
40 Idaho 9,895
41 Wyoming 9,183
42 North Dakota 8,591
43 Connecticut 7,580
44 Hawaii 6,082
45 New Hampshire 4,865
46 West Virginia 4,740
47 Maine 4,258
48 Delaware 3,226
49 Rhode Island 2,248
50 Vermont 2,007

See the article at Forbes.com
by Doug Gollan, contributor

Charter Operator Jet Edge International Posts Soaring Numbers

Charter operator Jet Edge International, an industry specialist in long-range and large-cabin private jet charters, announced key business performance indicators that highlight the company’s success, according to a company press release.

“Five years post acquisition, Jet Edge has gained significant distinction by climbing to the top in the business aviation industry and surpassing prominent veteran operators in overall flight hours, safety policies, fleet size, and charter flight activity”

Jet Edge LogoAccording to the company, by total hours flown, Jet Edge is ranked eighth in Aviation Research Group’s “Top US Part 135 Operators” mid-year report, 2016. With nearly 9,000 charter hours flown on-fleet by the midpoint of the year, this ranking establishes Jet Edge within the top 1 percent of more than 1,000 charter operators globally. Last month, Jet Edge ranked first by a magnitude greater than 10 percent when calculating average distance per flight segment, or cycle, on the company’s large-cabin fleet with 1,198 nautical miles per flight segment.

Earlier this year, Jet Edge reached another key milestone by ranking within the top ten domestic charter operators of 2015 by charter hours flown throughout last year. In 2016, the company is on track to move within the top six domestic charter operators by total charter hours flown.

The entire Jet Edge fleet and operator details are available ONLY in FlightList PRO.

Since its acquisition in late 2011, Jet Edge has grown by double digits in nearly every business metric year-over-year, including revenue, staff members, and fleet size. Jet Edge has already added 13 charter jets to the company’s charter fleet in 2016, with another eight in the pipeline for delivery later this year. In June 2016 , Jet Edge announced that it had reached the coveted fifty aircraft milestone, positioning the fleet as the sixth largest charter company by fleet size and second largest exclusively large-cabin fleet in the U.S.

Noted by the company as contributing to its increases are key partnerships they established this year, as well as the company’s existing partnership with Asia Jet in Hong Kong. Additionally, newly established strategic marketing partnerships and large-volume supplemental lift agreements have increased the company’s flight activity by more than 40 percent this year, providing consistent charter revenue to both the company and Jet Edge’s aircraft owners, according to the release.
“Five years post acquisition, Jet Edge has gained significant distinction by climbing to the top in the business aviation industry and surpassing prominent veteran operators in overall flight hours, safety policies, fleet size, and charter flight activity,” said Bill Papariella, chief executive officer of Jet Edge.

Jet Edge also added several new key personnel in management, flight operations, and sales this year.

“As our company grows, we’re reminded of the outstanding contributions that every member of our staff brings to Jet Edge, further ensuring our success,” added Geoff Makely, executive vice president and general manager for Jet Edge. “The company absolutely embodies the modern workplace by providing an environment that welcomes new ideas from every staff member, invests in cutting edge resources across every department, and fosters both employee and client loyalty.”

Source:  Company Press Release

Bliss Jet Launches Individually-Ticketed Private Jet Passenger Service New York To London

Bliss JetBliss Jet announced yesterday the first individually-ticketed private jet flights between New York and London on a regular schedule, according to a press release from the company. This new service offers sophisticated travelers an ultra-exclusive transatlantic travel experience that is significantly more efficient, convenient and secure than the airlines’ first and business class products.

Pre-screened travelers, who are accustomed to flying private or in premium cabins, can begin taking advantage of Bliss Jet’s new class of service between New York’s Westchester County Airport and London’s Biggin Hill Airport in September. Bliss Jet is now accepting reservations.

According to the Bliss Jet website, the leadership team consists of David Rimmer, Toni Drummond, Omar Diaz and other familiar names in the U.S. jet charter industry.

“Bliss Jet is for people who schedule time in minutes, not hours,” says President and CEO David Rimmer. “We will cater to discerning, intercontinental travelers who seek a unique, private jet experience that is superior to any scheduled premium cabin service, yet far more cost-effective than bespoke private jet charter.”

Bliss Jet’s premier service will enable busy travelers to circumvent the hassles of flying from congested major airports. According to the company, Bliss Jet passengers can expect to:

• Arrive at the airport only 30 minutes before departure
• Board an aircraft just a few steps from the private terminal
• Benefit from discreet, highly professional security
• Avoid lengthy airport and flight delays
• Proceed rapidly through boarding, deplaning and customs
• Arrive faster at their final destination with immediate baggage retrieval and ground
transfers

“We are offering all the advantages of a private jet experience on optimally-scheduled flights that bypass the inefficiencies of business class travel,” Rimmer says. “Not since the days of the Concorde has a door-to-door journey between New York and London been this fast or refined.”

Bliss Jet passengers will be able to choose custom meals from an extensive menu, access a variety of inflight entertainment options, and connect to worldwide Wi-Fi. Upon request, Bliss Concierge services will arrange ground or helicopter transportation, or private charters for passengers flying to another location.

Bliss Jet flights will depart from New York on Sunday nights so that passengers will arrive at London’s uncrowded Biggin Hill Airport refreshed, relaxed, and ready for a productive work week. Return flights depart from London after lunch on Friday so passengers can schedule morning meetings and arrive back in the United States for a family dinner or a Broadway play. Travelers accustomed to private jet charter will appreciate that Bliss Jet provides virtually the same amenities at a fraction of the cost. Seats on the 14-passenger jets will cost $11,995 each way. Unlike crowded business class sections, Bliss Jet will limit seat sales well below the maximum aircraft’s capacity for extra comfort.

“Bliss Jet security will be supervised by top global firms in New York and London to ensure the safety and security of everyone on board,” Rimmer says. “Our security team, complemented by high-level security intelligence, will provide comprehensive, discreet coverage that far exceeds regulatory requirements and the industry’s best practices.”

Every flight will be operated by a highly-experienced carrier and crew on aircraft judged superior by respected third-party safety audit standards such as Wyvern Wingman, ARGUS Platinum ISBAO and the Air Charter Safety Foundation. The initial schedule of flights will be operated for Bliss Jet by Jet Access Aviation under a Public Charter approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Bliss Jet CEO David Rimmer is an experienced premium air travel and charter industry innovator. He will lead a seasoned team of private jet professionals who will ensure Bliss Jet passengers receive the highest level of customer service. A pioneer with more than 15 years of private aviation leadership experience, Rimmer has created exponential growth and generated significant success in the private aviation market by championing industry-leading safety standards and business practices.

“Throughout our careers in private aviation, the Bliss Jet team and I have catered to the needs of the world’s most prominent and successful people, including CEOs, heads of state, royalty, film and music superstars, and ultra-high net worth individuals, all of whom have very high expectations when they travel,” Rimmer explains. “Bliss Jet will capitalize on that priceless insight to meet, and exceed, the expectations of these discriminating passengers.”

Source:  company press release

Start-Ups Selling Seats on Private Jets Don’t Always Make It

Dannel Schwartz was agonizing over his wife’s 60th birthday gift when she proposed an idea herself.

“She said, ‘You know, I don’t want to wait on another T.S.A. line. I want a private plane,’” said Mr. Schwartz, a retired rabbi who splits time between Florida and Maine. “We laughed. Then comes this email about how it would cost $4 a flight.”

Intrigued by the all-you-can-fly model offered by BlackJet, the couple in March paid $15,000 for a membership that would allow them cheap seats on private jets with empty spots, scheduling their first trip for the weekend of April 30.

But it quickly became clear that the Schwartzes would not be making the flight to New York. The company stalled when Mr. Schwartz tried to confirm the flight a few days before it was scheduled.

A few days later came even worse news in an email from BlackJet.

“It is with great regret and personal disappointment that I need to report the following,” wrote the company’s chief executive, Dean Rotchin. “Recent events have resulted in abruptly ceasing BlackJet operations.”

The Schwartzes’ $15,000 was gone. They said they had wired the money to the company, which told the couple it was no longer accepting credit cards.

“Not even one trip,” said Mr. Schwartz, 70. “It’s embarrassing to go through this.”

Dannel Schwartz at the former location of BlackJet, a private jet broker in West Palm Beach, Fla.  Mr. Schwartz lost a $15,000 membership fee when the company shut down. Credit Scott McIntyre for The New York Times

The Schwartzes’ experience is a warning to travelers considering start-ups that offer relatively inexpensive access to private jets, once out of reach to the average customer. New companies pop up frequently, many with apps that allow travelers to book seats in minutes. But not all of them will survive.

BlackJet was founded in 2012 and aimed to apply the Uber model to private jets. It was backed by a founder of Uber, Garrett Camp, and celebrities like Ashton Kutcher. But about a year after it began, it laid off staff and suspended service. It later shifted to the membership model, which allowed customers to find unused seats on nearby jets. That is what enticed the Schwartzes, who found that travelers who join can be on the line for thousands of dollars.

In his email to clients last month, Mr. Rotchin said “inaccurate bad press” had caused BlackJet’s sudden closing, a reference to a TechCrunch article in April that incorrectly reported that the company had expired, which dented membership sales. He also blamed delays in short-term and long-term financing.

But in an interview late last month, he said the collapse happened mainly because a BlackJet official who was crucial to operations left the company, though he would not name the executive.

Mr. Rotchin acknowledged that the private jet business was inherently risky and said that the company stopped accepting credit cards late last year because of high fees.

“Everybody knew when they signed up that there would be no refunds,” he said. “There is some risk when you pay upfront for anything.”

Another company, Beacon, shut down this year after finding that its membership-based, all-you-can-fly model for private flights between New York and Boston was not sustainable.

The BlackJet app provided information on available seats on private jets.CreditBlackJet, via PR Newswire

For travelers looking into private jet services, Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst and consultant, suggests considering companies that have a history and own their own planes, as opposed to BlackJet, which acted as a broker, matching travelers with empty seats. Several major or developing players — some of which have evolved since their founding — have their own fleets, including the 10-year-old XOJet and the 2013 start-up Surf Air.

Too many start-ups are playing fast and loose with both safety and finances, said Mr. Mann, citing the 2005 crash of a Platinum Jet plane at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Federal authorities said the accident, which led to several felony convictions, illustrated the need for better oversight of charter companies.

“It really is the Wild West,” Mr. Mann said, referring to recent charter jet accidents in Massachusetts and Ohio.

Executives who have tried — and sometimes failed — to “democratize” private aviation are not giving up. Mr. Rotchin first tried out the plane-hailing concept with Greenjets, which fell into financial trouble and reorganized, becoming BlackJet. He is now considering his next move, but he said he realized that failures like these raise investors’ skepticism and make it more difficult for start-ups to raise money.

A founder of Beacon, Wade Eyerly, is now at Wheels Up, which counts the tennis star Serena Williams and the sports broadcaster Erin Andrews among its members. Mr. Eyerly, Wheels Up’s managing director, acknowledged that Beacon had miscalculated the demand for flights between New York and Boston.

“Beacon was a failure to execute,” he said. “There’s no way to sugarcoat that.”

But he remains optimistic about consumers’ desire for private air travel, he said. Wheels Up, he noted, is offering a range of memberships and more destinations, and it operates its own fleet through contractors. He also advised consumers to conduct thorough research before choosing a company.

“In a technology-driven world, little companies and big companies can look similar,” said Mr. Eyerly, who also helped start Surf Air.

With so many competitors in the private aviation world, travelers can have difficulty telling the difference between stable and shaky companies. Mr. Schwartz, for example, said he looked into BlackJet before buying a membership, but nothing he found indicated that the company would crumble so suddenly.

“Red flags should have gone up, but they didn’t,” he said, adding that he should have looked deeper into the company before paying.

Those kinds of failures threaten to erode trust in the industry, said Alex Wilcox, chief executive of JetSuite, a seven-year-old jet charter company based in California with its own fleet.

“We’re all going to be painted with the same brush,” he said. “But I think people understand the difference between Spirit Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Hopefully, we can distinguish ourselves in the same way.”

Mr. Wilcox, Mr. Eyerly and others in the industry said potential customers should look as closely as possible at a company’s financial backing before paying. Talk to the executives and ask tough questions, they said, which is more easily accomplished at small start-ups.

A lot of newer companies just do not have a chance of surviving because the cost of operating jets is so high, said Sergey Petrossov, the founder and chief executive of JetSmarter, which several industry insiders said was a successful example of an aviation start-up, allows members to reserve seats on charters and other private planes using an Uber-like app. Although it allowed nonmembers to book seats until last week, only members may use the service now.

“This industry as a whole really operates in an unsophisticated way,” he said. “Anyone who isn’t implementing sophisticated math and yield management isn’t going to survive.”

Source:  New York Times online article 6/13/16
Full article here:  Start-Ups Selling Seats on Private Jets Don’t Always Make It

Private Jet Service New Flight Charters Is Awarded A+ Rating From Better Business Bureau

Jet Charter Company Also Awarded BBB Accreditation, Affirming It Meets And Will Abide By Certain Standards of Practice and Ethics.

private jet charter flightsU.S. air charter industry leader New Flight Charters announces the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has awarded it an A+ rating, according to a company press release.

The BBB has been tracking New Flight Charters since 2011, and the rating is based on 13 different factors revolving around customer satisfaction.  According to the BBB, factors that raised the rating for New Flight Charters include length of time in business (12 years) along with no complaints filed.

In addition, as of 2016 the BBB has determined that New Flight Charters is now a BBB Accredited Business, affirming that it meets and will continue to abide by the following BBB standards;  Build Trust, Advertise Honestly, Tell the Truth, Be Transparent, Honor Promises, Be Responsive, Safeguard Privacy and Embody Integrity.

Details on each of these and New Flight Charters Accreditation are available at the BBB review of New Flight Charters.

According to the BBB, their New Flight Charters Business Review includes background, licensing, consumer experience and other information, such as governmental actions, that is known to BBB. These reviews are provided for businesses that are BBB accredited and also for businesses that are not BBB accredited.

Source; company press release

Online Charter Broker Stratajet Gets $8M Influx For Booking Platform

Private jet charter booking platform Stratajet announced an influx of $8 million in additional funding. The new investment, which adds to $6 million in capital previously raised, came from London-based venture capital group Octopus Ventures, with support from Stratajet’s existing backers Playfair Capital and JamJar Investments.

stratajet logoUK-based Stratajet launched its platform to consumers earlier this year and according to the company has since generated more than 2 million charter flight quotes.

“This milestone of Stratajet generating two million quotes proves how effective our system can be at giving a wider range of travelers access to the private jet industry,” said Stratajet founder and CEO Jonny Nicol. “Unlike other online brokers, we can provide all customers with accurate prices without wasting the time of the operators.”

Sources:  AINonline, company press release

Other Charter Alerts for StrataJet: 9/17/15 Stratajet Set To Launch Online Charter Booking Engine

Why Are Some Private Jet Startups Failing, With Commercial Airlines Soaring?

— Private jet charters Blackjet, Blue Star Jets and Beacon, among others, have ended operations in recent months, citing funding difficulties as well as problems securing planes, among other issues. —

With commercial airlines soaring, why have some private jet start-ups failed?

By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2016

The nation’s commercial airlines are reporting soaring profit margins and enough revenue to invest billions of dollars in new planes, airport lounges and even designer-made employee uniforms.

So why hasn’t that success extended to the fleet of private jet start-ups that launched in the last few years?

Private jet charters Blackjet, Blue Star Jets and Beacon, among others, have ended operations in recent months, citing funding difficulties as well as problems securing planes, among other issues.

Many of the new jet charter businesses have tried to jump on the popularity of the “shared economy,” with some comparing themselves to the ride-hailing business Uber. The private jet businesses have also promoted themselves as a way to avoid long airport security lines.

SurfAir

Captain Chris Pimentel, right, waits for passengers to board the SurfAir airplane at the Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Hawthorne last year. SurfAir is an all-you-can-fly membership airline. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“There was this feeling that we have this unmet demand,” said Brad Stewart, chief executive and president of XOJET, a San Francisco-based charter jet business.

But according to industry experts, too many of the charters either overestimated the demand or underestimated the funding needed to keep the businesses in the air.

Commercial airlines can squeeze more seats into each cabin and use each jet as extensively as possible to keep costs down, but private charter jets don’t have that option, said Seth Kaplan, managing partner at the trade magazine Airline Weekly.

“The economics of small private jets are not the same as the economics of commercial carriers,” he said.

The most publicized failure was the sudden closure of Florida-based BlackJet, which was backed by tech executives and Hollywood celebrities including Ashton Kutcher, Jay-Z and Will Smith. It collected annual membership fees of $3,000 and up plus fares starting at about $950 to share a ride on other people’s jets.

BlackJet Chief Executive Dean Rotchin wrote a letter to members of the business May 5, saying he was “abruptly ceasing Blackjet operations,” citing “bad press,” the departure of a “critical team member” and finance problems.

Source:  Los Angeles Times

JetSuite Expands With L.A.-Las Vegas Regional Jet Public Charters

Service begins May 26 with service between Burbank and Las Vegas daily- Sunday though Thursday.  Seats are priced at $129 each way if booked in advance.

web1_jetsuite.jpg

Photo: JetSuiteX (Facebook)

The nation’s fourth largest public charter operator, Jet Suite, will offer a new luxury travel option with scheduled service between Las Vegas and California later this month.

JetSuiteX will offer the advantage of boarding and arriving at private air terminals. The company will operate from the Atlantic Aviation terminal just off Tropicana Avenue and will fly to and from Burbank, California’s Bob Hope International Airport and the JSX Terminal in Concord, California.

Service begins May 26 with service between Burbank and Las Vegas daily- Sunday though Thursday.  Tickets are priced at $129 each way if booked in advance.

“Airport congestion and worsening security delays have made short-haul air travel sometimes more of a hassle than it’s worth,” said JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox. “In fact, between 2000 and 2014, LA-to-Las Vegas air travel lost more than 1 million enplanements to the freeways. After all, who wants to spend more time in the airport than in the air? JetSuiteX was created for people who prefer to fly but want to avoid crowded airport terminals and long security lines.”

 

A former executive with JetBlue Airways who opened that airline’s route between Las Vegas and Long Beach, California, Wilcox said airline consolidation has driven up airfare prices.

“There’s plenty of air service between Southern California and Las Vegas, but this is a much different experience,” he said.

Because public charters operate under a different security system, passengers won’t have to wade through long lines at the main terminal. The Transportation Security Administration still maintains security checks, but instead of hundreds of passengers going to dozens of flights at the main terminal, it’s 30 passengers going out on one flight in the private terminal.

Wilcox said JetSuiteX is acquiring its jets, once used by American Eagle Airlines, through Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The company plans to continue to offer its private charter service as well, an opportunity for University of Nevada, Las Vegas sports boosters to reserve private charters to follow teams when they play in California, Arizona or Utah.

Based in Irvine, California, near John Wayne International Airport in Orange County, JetSuiteX now has 200 employees, more than half of them pilots.

Wilcox said the airline’s jet experience will have a private jet feel. The company currently has two 30-passenger, twin-engine Embraer 135 jets configured three across with a single seat, an aisle and two seats. Seat sizes are comparable to domestic air carriers’ business class seats.

 

Wilcox said the airline would have 10 of the jets by the end of 2017.


Source:  Las Vegas Review-Journal

Other Charter Alerts about JetSuite public charter service:
JetSuite Launches Public Charter Service, Adds Regional Jets

First Ever FAA Charter Industry Report Released & Available

2016 report includes information and analysis on Part 135 operators – aircraft – revenues – utilization – safety – passengers – airports.

For the first time the U.S. FAA has fully quantified the Part 135 industry, providing a baseline to track its contribution to the economy and the effect of rulemakings on air charter operators. The agency released the long-awaited congressionally mandated FAA Charter Industry Report, finding that 2,155 U.S. charter companies operate 10,655 aircraft to more than 3,000 airports. The companies average 19 employees, have only a couple of aircraft and report less than $2.5 million in annual revenues. Business jets account for 30 percent of the fleet, with the remainder made up of pistons, turboprops and helicopters.

Review of charter operators

FAA Charter Industry report 2016

“In requesting this report, Congress recognized the importance of the air charter industry to the aviation sector and the fact that a full understanding of this segment’s importance to the national economy requires information culled from a number of disparate sources,” said NATA president and CEO Tom Hendricks. The report illustrates the vital role charter operators play in the economy, reaching five times as many communities as schedule airlines, he said.

The FAA’s study also “underscores the folly” of assessing user fees on that segment of general aviation, considering that most on-demand operators are small businesses, Hendricks added. Noting the report depicted a reduction in the number of charter certificates, he said, “Why would we want to make that harder by allowing an airline-dominated air traffic control corporation to become the de facto economic regulator of small businesses providing the only air service to thousands of communities across this nation?”

Source: AINonline

Operator SevenJet Adding Multiple Piaggios to Charter, Revives Fractional Avanti Service

U.S. charter operator SevenJet announced the addition of three more Avanti Piaggio turboprops – with still 2 more in conformity coming online soon – making eight total they will operate under Part-135, offering jet cards and on-demand charter.

SevenJet has started a fractional program for Piaggio Avantis at its base in St. Petersburg, Fla., using both former employees and aircraft from bankrupt Avantair. Notably, this marks the return of a fractional program for the Italian twin turboprop since Avantair, which also was based in St. Petersburg, ceased operations in June 2013.

The entire SevenJet fleet nationwide with aircraft/operator details are available ONLY in FlightList PRO.

The Avanti is a great aircraft thanks to its jet-like midsize cabin and speed combined with turboprop economics,” SevenJet president Chuck White told AIN.

White, a former vice president at Avantair, said that the company specifically chose St. Peterburg as the base for its six Avantis—all former Avantair airframes—since there is still a good pilot base for the aircraft there. Paul Woodard, the head of sales at SevenJet and a former customer service director at Avantair, rounds out the company’s leadership team.

We’re only operating east of the Mississippi for now, as we don’t want to become over-extended like Avantair did when it pushed westward,” he said. SevenJet is operating the Avantis under Part 135 rules and is offering jet cards and charter service in the aircraft. The company’s fleet includes four Beechjets based in Salt Lake City.

SevenJet is a subsidiary of C&L Aviation Group, an aviation maintenance, parts and support based in Bangor, Maine. C&L also maintain’s SevenJet’s fleet.

Source:  AINonline and SevenJet

Announcing New Operators and Aircraft to Charter

The below are new operators and aircraft to charter availability; light and heavy jets in California, Texas, St. Louis, Florida, Teterboro, Boston and internationally in the Middle-East:

  • JetsPlus (new charter operator)
    Citation I/SP, KFAT Fresno, CA
    Citation III, KFAT Fresno, CA
  • TapJets, Inc. (new charter operator)
    Falcon 10, KHOU Houston, TX
  • Silver Air
    Gulfstream IV-SP, KCMA Camarillo, CA
  • Solairus Aviation
    Falcon 900DX, KOAK Oakland, CA
    Global 5000, KBED Bedford, MA
    Legacy 450, KMCO Orlando, FL
  • Meridian Air Charter
    Falcon 7X, KTEB Teterboro, NJ
    Gulfstream GIV-SP, KTEB Teterboro, NJ
  • GainJet
    Challenger 605
    , OJAM Amman, Jordan
  • Qatar Executive
    Gulfstream G650ER, OTBD Doha, Qatar
    Gulfstream G650ER, OTBD Doha, Qatar

FlightList PRO tracks the industry and regularly updates the world’s largest air charter resource as the only platform with every aircraft and operator certified for charter worldwide.

Free 30-day trials of the air chater resource platform are currently being offered.

Texas Aviation Start-Up Rise Adds Crowd Sourcing of Private Flights

By Mary Grady, Robb Report, May 10, 2016AdTech Ad

The private-flight service Rise, based in Dallas and launched last year, does not own any airplanes but has created a system to help travelers “crowd source” a charter flight aboard eight-seat Beechcraft King Air 350 twin turboprops.

A Rise Beechcraft King Air 350

With Rise, users pay a $750 deposit and a monthly fee starting at $1,650 for unlimited flights between five Texas cities. The flights are reserved online and scheduled on demand. Multiple users filling up the empty seats on the private plane effectively crowd source each trip and lower the cost compared to a traditional whole-aircraft charter. The company estimates that each private flight saves a traveler 3 hours round-trip compared to commercial flying or driving. Passengers board minutes before takeoff at general-aviation terminals equipped with free Wi-Fi, snacks, a comfortable lobby, free parking, and a bespoke concierge—saving time and energy compared to the main passenger terminals.

8-passenger interior of Rise’s Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft

To date, Rise operates 60 flights per week between the Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Midland airports, but the company says they will expand to six more cities, in Texas and beyond, this year. The company also recently added a new feature, Rise Anywhere, that enables members to crowd source a flight to select destinations including New Orleans, Aspen, and Telluride.

Rise partners with charter flight companies to ensure members will have access to planes, pilots and flights.  The Rise-branded King Air is operated by Monarch Air, a Part 135 charter operator based at Dallas’ Addison Airport.

Source: Article in Robb Report online

Other Charter Alerts about Rise:
All-You-Can-Fly ‘Rise’ Startup Nearly Doubles Texas Flights – Expands Cities
Texas’ All-you-can fly Rise Adds More to Fly
Private Jet Membership Set To Take Off In 2016

Charter Operators Say Business Booming: “This is a tremendous time to be in aviation”

Tradewind Aviation

Tradewind Aviation

– A chorus of charter executives in the private aviation industry say business is booming due to several factors –  “This is a tremendous time to be in aviation,” according to Cory Rossi, who, with his wife, Shari, owns Eagle Air, a charter operator based at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains.

By Dave Donelson, Westchester Magazine, 5/10/16

“It’s a very large business in this area,” says Linda Schiavone, charter sales manager for White Cloud Charter, which is also based at HPN. “Just think about the number of major corporations and wealthy individuals; this is the area for it.” According to Rossi, HPN is the third-busiest airport in the country in terms of non-airline flights. Only Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and Van Nuys Airport in California boast more private traffic.

According to the FAA, there were about 125,000 charter, air taxi, and private flights at HPN in 2014, which represented 82 percent of the total takeoffs and landings there. What’s more, they carried more passengers than did the scheduled airlines.

It’s not hard to see why private aviation is growing in popularity: Anyone who suffers the agitation of flying commercial from LaGuardia Airport (LGA)—which Vice President Joseph Biden once described as reminiscent of something in a Third World country—could attest to that. Much the same holds true for JFK and Newark. “The all-day hassle with a two-hour flight in-between is becoming more and more common,” Rossi points out. “Our clientele recognizes this and says: ‘First class isn’t at the level it once was.’”

Eagle’s customers, like those of other charter companies we spoke with, experience something entirely different. Rossi describes the charter experience like this: “Let’s say you live within a 20-minute drive to Westchester airport. Your car drives right on the tarmac to the aircraft; the red carpet is rolled out; your catering is on board; and you have WiFi on the plane. The ground crew will handle your bags and park your car, and the plane will depart within 10 minutes of boarding. At your destination, you will have the same experience on the ground.” Sure, it costs more, but what is your time and comfort worth?

The private-aviation business isn’t monolithic. Some companies, like White Cloud, charter only their own planes, which are also at the (occasional) call of the company’s corporate parent, Conair Corporation. Others, like Aircraft Services Group, operate and manage planes owned by others, providing everything from crews to maintenance, as well as charter service for the aircraft, much like a vacation-home owner who rents out a condo when they’re not using it. Eagle Air does both, as does Tradewind Aviation, which is based in Oxford, Connecticut, but offers flights from HPN.

Eagle Air

Then, there are strictly private planes owned by individuals and corporations for their own use. They, along with the charter operators, support another big part of the business, fixed-base operators. FBOs, as they are known, provide hangars, fuel, and on-site maintenance, as well as ground amenities like passenger lobbies, parking, and rental cars, to planes going and coming through the airport. HPN has five FBO facilities.

Tradewind, meanwhile, serves yet another part of the market. “We’re best known for our Nantucket shuttle,” explains Tradewind president Eric Zipkin. “It is a shared charter, where people buy individual seats on the flights.” The service started with Friday-through-Sunday flights only but has grown to seven days a week. They fly a similar service to Boston and Martha’s Vineyard. The scheduled service is a good business on its own, Zipkin says, but it also serves another purpose: “Our shuttle service is a good marketing concept because people learn about us, then come back and charter individual flights.”

Tradewind operates 18 aircraft, up from 12 just two years ago. The company owns 11 planes, with the balance owned by others. “Our business was up almost 30 percent in 2015, and it’s full steam ahead for this year,” Zipkin says. “Margins in this business run the gamut. Boutique aircraft management companies like ours are in the 20- to 30-percent range. It’s also a high-risk business: If you lose management of an aircraft or two, there goes your profit.”

White Plains-based Wings Air Helicopters represents yet another variety of local private aviation: helicopter service. Wings’ president, Javier Diaz, says his five helicopters serve three distinct markets, including personal travel. “We do up to seven flights a day to the Hamptons,” he says, adding that Saratoga Springs and other locations upstate are popular, too. “We also have a strong business with the Atlantic City casinos, as well as Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.”

Business travelers take advantage of the versatility and convenience of helicopter service, especially out of Manhattan. “If you want to fly from NYC to Pittsburgh,” Diaz points out, “all you have to do is go to one of the heliports, and you’ll be in the air 90 minutes before you could even get on an airplane from LGA.” About 65 percent of his passengers fly from one of the three heliports in Manhattan. Then there is the aerial-movie-and-photography business, which is so good, Diaz is a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

“As people become busier and wealthier,” Diaz says, “their time becomes more valuable. They need to get to places ‘now,’ and that’s why the demand [for private aviation] is good. The demand will be there for the foreseeable future.”

Speaking of the future, does it hold tailwinds or headwinds for the private-aviation industry? Not surprisingly, regulation and technology may well be the determining factors. Google “air charter Westchester,” and you’ll get about 154,000 results. Almost all of them are for charter brokers—unregulated companies that don’t own, fly, or manage planes and may not even have an office. Brokers aren’t new, but their numbers mushroomed as instant worldwide communication enabled anyone with a cell phone and email address to open shop. Good ones, who can be reached 24/7 and have strong relationships with the charter companies, add value to the experience for both their customers and the airplane owners—but it pays to shop around.

A wave of new private-air-service concepts is rising along with demand in the market. As with anything new, some succeed and others don’t. Beacon Air debuted a Netflix-like subscription service in which passengers paid a flat monthly fee for unlimited flights from HPN to Boston last year, but it has already ceased operations.

ImagineAir, headquartered in Atlanta, started service in 2007 and entered the Westchester market two years ago. Its concept? On-demand private jet service at sharply reduced rates. Its service is aimed at business travelers who might be tempted to drive to their destinations. “We basically turn a three- to eight-hour drive into a one- to two-hour flight,” says President and CEO Ben Hamilton, who adds, “Our average price point is around $1,200, whereas a private jet might be $7,500.”

ImagineAir is able to offer the service because they fly a fleet of Cirrus SR22s, a three-passenger craft that’s very efficient, Hamilton explains. “We do mostly business trips, and the majority of them are three people or fewer. We have enough scale in our fleet of 11 aircraft to mix and match flights and fill dead legs, passing those savings on to the customer.” The company also handles bookings online rather than through a call center and, like a scheduled airline, uses demand-pricing models. “Our average customer books about four days in advance. You can book the same day if it’s available, but the price gets a little more expensive as the time gets closer,” Hamilton explains.

Any number of companies have been hailed as the “Uber of private aviation,” although none have (or probably will) been able to get past the FAA prohibition against selling seats in personal planes flown by amateur pilots. The safety requirements that charter operators have to meet are a major factor. That’s not to say there aren’t companies getting closer. “There are companies who have partnered to market empty seats,” White Cloud’s Schiavone points out. “If you’re in Chicago and want to get back to White Plains, there’s an app for that now. If there’s an aircraft flying empty on a leg, it just makes sense.”

Blue Star Jets, a NYC-based jet broker, recently launched an app that includes 24/7 personal telephone contact, to follow-up on the booking you make on your smartphone. Their business is designed to fill the 30 percent of business aircraft they estimate fly empty to or from their charter destination. The company claims that within four hours of booking a flight, you’ll be in the air.

Still, the industry does face some headwinds. “The uncertainty of the regulatory environment is a long-term obstacle,” Zipkin explains. Potential changes in security procedures, for example, could put a crimp in the private-aircraft experience. “We have internal security, but not the stand-in-line, take-your-shoes-off type of thing,” he says.

Another problem area is a shortage of pilots, according to Zipkin. “The FAA changed the rules for airline requirements for copilots, and that has had a ripple effect throughout the industry,” he says. “We used to pay twice what an entry-level airline pilot would make, because we wanted to attract the best candidates. The airline had trouble filling those seats, so they started raising their pay, which has set off a sort of race.”

Rossi adds one more industry-wide threat: budget constraints on air-traffic control. “The federal government has threatened to shut down operations at a number of small airports around the country,” he says. The ability of private-flight passengers to land at small airports, like Hilton Head Island Airport instead of Savannah International, is a big attraction for the business. “I’d hate to see that becoming a limiting factor on growth of the industry,” Rossi notes.

Overall, however, the private-aviation business in Westchester is strong. As Zipkin says, “The challenges we face are those faced by any business that’s growing. Our product has been very well received, and the market is growing here, so it’s onward and upward.”

Source:  Article in Westchester Magazine online

“Top 150 Empty Legs” Nationwide Listed by New Flight Charters

Source:  Company Press Release

All types of empty leg charters –  business turboprops through long range jets – available throughout the U.S.

New Flight Charters announced today that it is making available over 150 jet charter empty legs focused on the top private jet destinations nationwide.

These empty legs are available across the country, and are created when an aircraft needs to move for one reason or another, such as to pick up its owner, or returning home from a factory servicing, or returning to base after a charter flight.

This need to move the aircraft can result in low point-to-point pricing, and can be the absolute best values in private jet charter.

For example, a typical empty leg can be booked at around 50% the cost of a regular jet charter.

Currently, a Los Angeles to Las Vegas empty leg in a Beechjet 400A seating 8, lists at $2,900. While, a normal charter rate for this routing is around $6,000.

Click to view the complete list of available empty legs.

“The most common misperception is that empty legs are available between only those cities or airports listed,” said Rick Colson, President of New Flight Charters.

“Empty legs are usually listed as between two certain airports or cities because this is actually the departing and arrival points the aircraft is going, “he added.

“However, a charter can be flown anywhere along that very general route and direction. For example with a empty leg listed from Scottsdale, AZ to Philadelphia, PA, the aircraft can fly a charter from Los Angeles to New York at a discounted one-way price,” said Colson.

One-way charters may have a special cancellation clause because of their price advantage and their need to arrive at the other end.

The aircraft may have a charter booked after the current one-way, which is dependent on it being in that vicinity.

At any given time, hundreds of empty legs are scheduled in the jet charter industry.  New Flight Charters has culled them to 150 of the most popular destinations.  Any other destinations and routings can be searched by request.

Generally speaking floating fleet aircraft have a standard cancellation policy and true empty leg charters are non-cancelable upon booking.

Visit the nationwide empty legs list at NewFlightCharters.com or the specialty location Denver Jet Charter or Colorado Empty Legs for Denver, Aspen and other Colorado private jet charters.

Source:  Company press release

Broker and Membership Company BlackJet “Abruptly” Ceasing Operations

 

Fortune.com May 5, 2016:

BlackJet, an on-demand private jet service created by Uber co-founder and chairman Garrett Camp, yesterday informed members that it is “abruptly” ceasing operations.

The Florida-based company was launched in 2012, with the financial backing of venture capital firms (including First Round Capital and CrunchFund), tech executives (including Mark Benioff and Matt Mullenweg) and celebrities (including Ashton Kutcher, Jay-Z, and Will Smith).

The idea was basically to be Uber for the jet-set, eventually settling into a membership model whereby people paid an annual fee in exchange for access to a network of private jets on which they could book seats. But there were numerous hiccups (including layoffs and a prior service suspension), largely due to capital constraints that seem to have persisted. During the reorganization, Camp was among those who moved on (and gave up his investment).

In fact, TechCrunch inaccurately reported last month that the company had shut down, an incident that BlackJet CEO Dean Rotchin appears to have cited among the reasons for today’s decision (the story was later updated with a correction). A bigger one, however, was financing.

“We probably did more with less than anyone but it’s a critical mass business… There’s a reason why ‘critical’ is part of ‘critical mass,’” Rotchin tells Fortune. “The members were super supportive, the VCs wanted to see our progress continue over a longer period prior to jumping in. There are some aggressive interesting models out there today, someone will make this work.”

Below is Rotchin’s full email to members:

Dear Member:

It is with great regret and personal disappointment that I need to report the following.
Recent events have resulted in abruptly ceasing BlackJet operations.

In the last few days, there was some inaccurate bad press that stunted membership sales, a critical team member stepped down unexpectedly, near-term and longer term financing opportunities were delayed, and it became impossible to continue.

I personally appreciate the amazing support from most of our members. Perhaps I did not do a good enough job of reinforcing the fact that the membership was the key to the ability to deliver the service. Some members were so supportive, and I feel it is important to highlight this aspect because it became evident how most members tried to be as helpful, flexible and cooperative as possible. This was and is very much appreciated.

We are widely considered the pioneers in this field, and we know someone will leverage our learning and crack the code for making the private airfields and private jet fleet affordable and accessible as a part of the US transportation system. Your vision and involvement as early adopters helped to progress this ideal closer to fruition.

Please accept my thanks for your support, and also my sincere apologies for the inconvenience and disappointment this causes.

Sincerely,
Dean

Source:  Fortune online article May 5, 2016

Exclusive Charter Launches Fixed-Rate Flights to Cuba

Exclusive Charter Service is introducing special fixed-rate charters from various U.S. airports into the country’s main gateway, José Martí International Airport, according to a release from the company.

Flights in one of the company’s seven-passenger Piaggio Avanti II twin turboprops from Palm Beach International will be priced at $9,000 each way, or $10,000 from Fort Lauderdale or Miami and $11,000 from Orlando.

In a Hawker 800XP, the Palm Beach rate is $10,500, rising to $13,500 from Fort Lauderdale or Miami and $15,500 from Orlando.  The same aircraft charter from New York’s JFK International Airport is priced at $19,500.

Exclusive’s clearance to operate into Cuba extends to 17 other airports in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Key West, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Fort Myers, Tampa and Washington. It can also offer another 10 different aircraft types, including the Gulfstream G650.

Cuba flights are operated by Custom Jet Charters, LLC.

Meanwhile, the Florida-based company recently launched a membership program called Aero Club. With an annual membership fee, members receive fixed point-to-point flight-hour pricing for various categories of aircraft.

Source:  AIN Online

Announcing New California Jet Charter Operator (listed only in FlightList PRO)

JetsPlusAvailable only in FlightList PRO, charter operator JetsPlus flies their Citation light and midsize jets from their base at KFAT Fresno, CA, within easy positioning of the San Francisco Bay Area (132 NM), and Los Angeles (165 NM).  The aircraft are operated under FAA Part-135 certificate CVDA043D.

JetsPlus also operates for charter a Cessna 182 Skylane single engin piston based at Fresno Yosemite Int’l Airport.

JetsPlus is listed and available only in FlightList PRO.  Free 30-day trials upon request.
Full access for 3 users is available at only $90, no contract, cancel any time.