Private Aviation Industry News

Click2Jet.com Platform Streamlines Operator Quoting Process, Eliminates Broker Mark-up; Gives Charter Users Direct Access to Best Priced Jet Charters

Click2Jet, a California web start-up that connects charter users directly with charter operators in the fast growing on-demand jet charter market segment, announced November 6 the rollout of service in its Los Angeles and San Francisco launch markets via this company press release. Click2Jet contracts with charter operators to offer a lower-priced, real time search and booking alternative to quote-based broker mark-up models that have historically driven the charter market. “We believe that Click2Jet represents a truly unique market offering in that we have eliminated the traditional middleman to the advantage of both charter users and charter operators,” said John Andruilli, Jr., Click2Jet Founder and Managing Partner. “We contract directly with premier charter operators, like Clay Lacy Aviation & Dreamline Aviation, to offer their aircraft at predetermined prices on the highest demand charter routes from our hub cities. Our operators upload pricing, inventory, and fleet information directly to our platform.”

Headquartered in Carpinteria, California. Click2Jet operator partners include Clay Lacy Aviation, Dreamline Aviation, Sun Air Jets, Global Exec Aviation, Paragon Airways, and MACAIR

Click2Jet.com provides immediate search results similar to traditional online travel sites, but in a departure from other web and app-based private charter companies, Click2Jet’s optimized search results represent the actual price for a specific aircraft flying a specific route from one of Click2Jet’s operator partners. Andruilli noted that many competitors generate quotes based on aggregated marketplace data as the basis for their search function. “The Click2Jet model is direct and transparent. We’re not accessing general data about the 7,000 jets parked around the world, creating quotes and then going back and forth trying to meet a members’ search request.” Lower charter prices are the result of a more efficient operator quoting process and the absence of a broker mark up, said Andruilli. “At Click2Jet, we’ve developed the platform and partnerships to create a sustainable business that will help grow the on-demand segment with a direct, streamlined booking process providing charter users with more transparency and less frustration in their efforts to book private air charter.” About Click2Jet Headquartered in Carpinteria, California. Click2Jet operator partners include Clay Lacy Aviation, Dreamline Aviation, Sun Air Jets, Global Exec Aviation, Paragon Airways, and MACAIR. Expansion to charter hubs across the U.S. will follow the west coast rollout. Operator and investor inquiries are welcome. Please visit www.click2jet.com. Press Release Nov. 6 2015, CARPINTERIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

By Joe Martin, Reporter- Houston Business Journal, 11/3/15 A new private jet service based out of Florida is expanding its operations to Houston with a regular flight to and from Dallas. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based JetSmarter Inc. operates a global network of 3,200 aircraft in 170 countries. The company is focusing on the Dallas-to-Houston route because of the high volume of daily travelers between the cities, said CEO Sergey Petrossov.

JetSmarter charges an annual fee of $9,000 to be a member. From there, members get access to regularly scheduled shuttle flights from market to market, like the one from Houston to Dallas. In addition, if the regularly scheduled flights don't work, members are able to create an entirely new flight — for the up-front cost of $1,900, which includes access to four guaranteed seats. Members do have the ability to charter an entire jet for themselves, as well. The flight to Dallas departs from Houston's William P. Hobby Airport on Tuesdays at 7 a.m., with a return flight to Houston at 8:30 a.m. On Thursdays, JetSmarter flies out of Hobby at 6 p.m., with a return flight at 7:30 p.m. The service works through a smartphone app, where members can look at flight availability and create a new flight, entirely from their smartphone. For now, the JetShuttle flights from Houston only fly to Dallas, but sometime in 2016, the company expects to have more flights to and from other Texas destinations as well as outside the state, Petrossov said. "Consumers hate travel because of the airport experience. It's not fun like the golden age," Petrossov said. "What we're trying to do is bring aviation back to the elevated experience where it's fun and exciting." In July, Dallas-based Rise announced daily flights to and from Dallas, as well. Article at Houston Business Journal

By Kristin Tablang , Forbes staff

The sculptural tower now underway at 111 Murray Street might be planned to top off at 792 feet—but for the high-end building’s soon-to-be residents, the sky’s the limit. Pioneering the next generation of luxury living, the project’s developers—Fisher Brothers, Witkoff, and New Valley—have entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with Blue Star Jets, offering tenants of the up-and-coming development exclusive access to private aircraft, car services, and hotels across the globe courtesy of Blue Star’s 25 Hour Sky Card program.

Residents of the development will receive 10-20% discounts on jet memberships

The newfangled amenity will allow residents to book custom travel arrangements within as few as four hours no matter the reason or desired destination—whether it be a spontaneous holiday in the Hamptons, or business trip to Shanghai. A single call to the building’s concierge will put residents in direct contact with a personal flight director, to whom they may relay bespoke travel plans (including any personal food, beverage, and in-flight entertainment requests).

“We have made it our mission to provide the residents of 111 Murray Street with thoughtful, meaningful, and one-of-a-kind amenities, and our strategic partnership is the result of a very deep understanding of our clients’ personal and professional needs,” says Fisher Brothers partner Winston Fisher, who notes that buyers—many of whom own second and third homes all over the world—frequently depend on air travel for both business and pleasure.

Sky Card holders will benefit from lower rates at resorts and villas all over the globe

“Blue Star Jets offers a truly unique and comprehensive menu of services that cater to our very discerning buyers,” says Steve Witkoff, chairman and CEO of Witkoff. “Its worldwide access to fleets of private jets and helicopters is on-par with the level of luxury we are providing at 111 Murray Street.” Indeed, the New York-based company boasts access to over 5,000 aircraft worldwide, from a Eurocopter capable of transporting up to six passengers, to an A380 jumbo jet fit to accommodate over 50. Residents of the development will receive a 10% discount on Blue Star’s light and medium jet memberships (which normally cost $125,000 and $188,000, respectively), and 20% off super-medium and heavy jet memberships (which typically cost $300,000). Astar helicopter memberships will also be available for $30,000.

In addition, denizen Sky Card holders will benefit from lower rates at resorts and villas all over the globe, including the Fisher Island Club, One&Only Resorts, and Quasar Expeditions. Preferred pricing will also apply to auto and yacht services via Denison Yacht Sales, Gotham Dream Cars, Northrop & Johnson, and International Yachtsman (to name a few). “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Fisher family, Steve Witkoff, and Howard Lorber, whose commitment to building the best in luxury residential development is unparalleled,” says Todd Rome, founder and CEO of Blue Star Jets. “111 Murray Street will be the premier downtown address, and we are honored to be part of this exciting new project.” Nestled in Manhattan’s Tribeca, the pending residential skyscraper—which broke ground in July—is the joint masterpiece of four of the most renowned names in the architectural realm: Kohn Pedersen Fox, who drafted the 64-floor structure’s distinct flared physique; MR Architecture + Decor founder David Mann, who designed the residences’ modern interiors; Edmund Hollander, who developed the landscape plaza and resident garden; and David Rockwell, who conceptualized the building’s 20,000 square feet of luxury amenity spaces (which include a tearoom, patisserie, Turkish bath, and fitness center with a 75-foot lap pool). Since sales launched last June, over 50% of the building’s 157 condominiums—spanning one- to five-bedrooms—have already been sold, with the 10 units presently available for purchase ranging from a 791-square-foot one-bedroom home on the eighth floor asking $2.025 million, to a 3,366-square-foot four-bedroom spread on the 54th floor listed at $15.15 million. Yet to be offered are the tower’s two full-floor penthouses, which will each be priced north of $17.5 million. View article at Forbes.com

Hawthorne Global Aviation Services today announced that ExcelAire, its private jet charter and management company, has hired a significant air charter veteran as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Joining ExcelAire with more than 15 years of diverse corporate aviation experience and more than 15 years of diverse corporate aviation experience in both Part 91 and Part 135 operations, as well as a proven track record of successful business development, is Mr. Keith Ruggirello.  Prior to ExcelAire, Ruggirello served as Vice President of Management Sales at Priester Aviation (Teterboro, NJ) and as Vice President at Key Air (Oxford, Conn). He was also Business Development Manager for Universal Weather and Aviation (Houston). "Keith's dedication to his clients, passion for aviation and his strong track record of success make him a great addition to the ExcelAire team," said Greg Brinkman, president of ExcelAire. "We are growing quickly and Keith's appointment will help us continue to build on this momentum and growth in our private jet charter and aircraft management business." In addition to his extensive sales experience offering aircraft management and global charter services, Mr. Ruggirello served as a Dispatcher for Part 135 operations and had held a Commercial Pilot's rating since 1992. His commitment to the aviation industry had led him to actively participate in various industry groups including serving as the former President of Aviation Professionals Sharing Information (APSI). He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Science from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. A Hawthorne Global Aviation Services company, ExcelAire is one of the nation's leading private jet charter firms, specializing in worldwide jet charters, aircraft management, maintenance and sales. The company maintains office and hangar space at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), with 9 jet aircraft based throughout the Northeast and Midwest available for worldwide charter.

After a year of quiet development, Stellar Labs of Palo Alto, Calif., will launch its air charter marketplace platform and app on November 16 at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas. Stellar aims to bring air charter the same ease of online business-to-commerce (B2C) seen in the hotel and airline industries. Several similar efforts have faltered since the rise and demise in 2009 of Virgin Charter, but company founder Paul Touw—who co-founded B2B platform Ariba, which was sold to SAP for $4.3 billion in 2012, and foundedXOJet—told Aviation Internatinal News that Stellar has identified and resolved all key issues. Technologically feasible or not, many industry veterans maintain that the complexity of the transactions and the sums involved deter charter customers from booking online. “I fundamentally disagree with that view,” Touw said, citing the growth in online auto sales and luxury home rentals, which initially aroused similar skepticism. Stellar has raised about $10 million, $7 million of which came in September from venture capital firms. Startup costs are low, Touw said, because developers are foregoing large paychecks they would otherwise command in favor of equity.

AviationWeek Network, 10/26/15 David Rimmer President, JFI Jets Farmingdale, New York; Long Beach, California; and West Palm Beach, Florida New York native Rimmer developed two passions by his mid-teen years: broadcasting and aviation. While still in high school, he pursued the former and, after college, rose through the executive ranks in the commercial radio business until ultimately owning his own station in Jacksonville, Florida. Then in his early 40s, he decided to satisfy his second yearning, joining this magazine as a news and feature writer and immersing himself in the world of aviation. Following a successful stint as a wordsmith, he combined his professional experiences to enter the aircraft management and charter industry, rising to the presidency of ExcelAire, a Long Island operator later acquired by Hawthorne Global Aviation. Notably, and sadly, in 2006, he was a passenger on a delivery flight of an ExcelAire Legacy that collided with a Gol 737 over the Amazon, a tragedy drawing international attention. This past January assumed his current position at JFI Jets. He is a private pilot.   JFI has grabbed attention for flights into Cuba. An important market? Rimmer: There are few occasions in this business to pioneer a new market. I see Cuba as a huge opportunity and offering flights there was among my first initiatives in this position. I believe there’s pent-up demand and interest among Americans about Cuba, and thanks to the Pope’s well-publicized visit there, the curiosity level is even greater now. Damon Danneker, our director of operations, obtained all the necessary approvals from the various federal departments — Transportation, Treasury and State — and figured out how to get trips authorized. As of October, we had flown three trips, had three more booked and others in the pipeline. Currently, licenses to travel there are restricted to certain mission categories such as media, cultural exchanges and such, but that will change in time. How else can you differentiate from the big operators? Rimmer: We just agreed to acquire ACP Jets, a well-respected Palm Beach operation, which increases our fleet to 17 jets, ranging from Hawker 800XPs to a G450. That raises us to the second-tier level of operators but still well below the 100-plus fleets of EJM and Landmark, soon to be Signature. While some customers think bigger is better, and there are some advantages that come with large size, a boutique operation like ours can offer a higher level of passenger attention than can a goliath. And while the big operators can realize economies of scale, they’re not shy about charging a lot for their service. On the FBO side, if the big chains start showing favoritism, we get to vote with our feet, or wings, and go elsewhere. Competition keeps everyone honest. Charter brokers: a bane or a blessing? Rimmer: We do a lot of work with brokers. They’re essentially sales organizations and I think they do a better job of generating business than most operators can do on their own. Some brokers are perceived as commoditizing our business, making all aircraft and operations seemingly equal, but knowledgeable customers understand the difference. After all, you wouldn’t select a surgeon just based on price. Operators who don’t want to work with brokers would be well advised to rethink that strategy if they hope to continue in business. Looking back nearly a decade, what lessons did the tragedy in Brazil provide? Rimmer: I support the NTSB’s conclusions that the primary cause of the accident was an air traffic control failure and that ATC could have prevented it. That said, when planning an international trip, especially to a place with known ATC issues, I strongly suggest having a native speaker aboard. Yes, English is the language of aviation, but a native speaker can help alleviate any inadequacies a controller may have in communicating. As for communicating, is it harder to sell a charter package or write a feature for BCA? Rimmer: Without question, writing a feature. Just ask Jessica [Salerno, BCA’s executive editor] about how I did meeting deadlines. David Rimmer | Business & Commercial Aviation On AviationWeek Network, 10/26/15

By Jennifer Agress, Haute Living

For most of us, there are few things more exhilarating than hopping on a plane and flying somewhere exotic. And with private jet travel gaining popularity in South Florida — a 22% rise in the past year alone, to be exact — Miami’s finest are traveling with more luxuries than ever.

Just last week (on a Challenger 601, no less), we had the fabulous opportunity to meet Adam Twidell, CEO of the UK-based PrivateFly, to learn about his company, why private jets are the only way to fly, and of course, why the Magic City is hopping on the trend. Here’s what he had to say, below: 

When did you discover your passion for flying? “No one in my family was a pilot. I didn’t think you could just be a pilot! I was studying at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Air Force was hosting a program where they would teach you to fly for two years for free, with no commitment to join. I was taking electrical engineering classes and wanted something more fun to do, so I signed up for the program. By the end of the two years, I just loved flying, so I became a pilot in the Royal Air Force.”

Why do people love private jet travel? “Mainly, flexibility, privacy on board, schedule and time — you depart at your time, when you’re ready. On a commercial flight, you’re fixed by their roots. Private jets can also get to a lot more airports than commercial planes, so they can bring people closer to their destinations. For me, I’ve always thought the holiday starts as soon as you get to the airport. It’s a completely different feeling at a Fixed-Base Operator than at hectic airport, where you’re rushing and worried about baggage.”

What inspired you to start PrivateFly? When I left the Royal Air Force, most people went into commercial flying, like with British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. Then I discovered that you could be a private jet pilot, and it seemed fantastic. I joined NetJets, a great private air company, and I started speaking to customers there and noticed how unhappy they were; they were always so paranoid they were paying too much. One day, I was flying passengers from London to Nice, and we were flying back with an empty plane, only to go back later to pick them up. I met a crew of an identical plane flying the exact same route, but in opposite directions, and it made me think: If these two companies had known that they were both flying the same track, could they have worked together and worked it out? That’s where the internet came in — I talked to people in the industry and they told me no one would ever book a private jet online. I’m glad I didn’t listen!”

What sets PrivateFly apart from the competition? “When customers come to us with a plane or helicopter inquiry, we immediately tell them what it should cost. Then, the request goes out to market and aircraft operators quote against each other — the customers watch all this going on, and can choose who they want to fly with. They can do all this online or on an app, or if they prefer, they can also do it with our live customer service team that’s around for 24 hours a day. We always know where our aircraft are because our technology actually integrates with the software they use. The difference with PrivateFly is all in its service, attention and technology. We’re doing what no one else is doing, and in the most affordable way possible.”

How far in advance does someone need to book a plane? “Our record for getting someone airborne from inquiry is 42 minutes — and we even had a car waiting for him when he landed. Most reservations, however, are made 2-3 days in advance.”

Why do you think Miami is such a big market for private jet travel? “Because of its location, Miami is a hub where you can fly to markets in all directions. It even has South American access, which is emerging. There’s also a lot of wealth in Miami and it’s so close to great destinations for holiday trips. East, you have the Caribbean, and you’re only 40 minutes from Cuba. You can cover the whole of the United States from Miami. Outside of that, there are so many languages spoken here, and it’s a great place in terms of both lifestyle and weather. Who wouldn’t want to be here?”

courtesy Haute Living

For the third year in a row, the international World Travel Awards awarded ElJet the top spot in the "Leading Private Jet Charter Company in North America" category, according to a company press release. Those companies in the running this year were:

• Air Charter Service USA
• Blue Star Jets
• Celebrity Jet Charter
• NetJets
• Paramount Business Jets
• Prive' Jets
• US Jetways
• XOJET

Companies in the running completed a nomination on the World Travel Awards website, and were eligible to be voted for by travel and tourism industry and non-industry registered users, with industry users counting as 2 votes. "Having competed with NetJets, XOJet and other larger on-demand private jet charter companies and coming up number one once again speaks to how successfully the ElJet message is resonating with our clients and industry wide," said Ben Schusterman, ElJet's CEO. The 2013 and 2014 awards propelled ElJet to achieve a record number of new clients, and flight hours booked in 2015, according to the company. ElJet expects this year's recognition to continue to help the company soar to even greater heights in 2016. About The World Travel Awards The purpose of these awards is to recognize travel organizations in the world through a global industry vote.  In these recent awards, nearly 650,000 professionals in the tourism sector voted in 191 countries.  Of 8 regions, the North American region had 46 award categories.

Next month, the United Nations (UN) is hosting a procurement seminar in New York City.  The event, “Air Charter Opportunities with the United Nations: A seminar for U.S. Companies,” is on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at the U.S. Mission to the UN. The seminar will provide operators with information on doing business with the UN and the process to register and bid on future charter opportunities. Information, including an agenda and registration details is available for download from NATA here.