Being rich is awesome, or so I’m told. They have the best toys, the most comfortable couches, and their scotches and steaks are aged the longest. Being wealthy grants you access to the most exclusive clubs and it leads to opportunities we plebeians could never even imagine. However, the company JetSmarter is seeking to level the playing field by offering an ‘Uber for Private Jets’ service to people that are merely well off (think ‘fat bank account but two or three fewer zeroes’ than traditionally wealthy people).
JetSmarter’s being heralded as a game changer and a company with an even better business model than Uber because their app offers more service options than just ‘pick me up and take me here’ like Uber. When recently feature on BGR they referred to JetSmarter as such “a brand new private transportation startup that many are calling the Uber of private jets. It is in a sense, but this company’s model is even better.”
Frankly I don’t see the ‘Uber’ comparison here because JetSmarter requires an annual membership that will set you back $9,000, which if you fly frequently and spent more than nine grand a year on flights isn’t bad at all, but Uber requires zero membership and I think that the comparison between the two is a bit unfair given that JetSmarter‘s charging you $$$$$ the second you step foot in the door.
Here’s what BGR’s Jonathan S. Geller had to say about JetSmarter’s three-fold business model:
Let’s start with the free JetShuttle flights because this is absolutely out of this world. You can fly on a private jet, mostly Gulfstream G4s and Challenger 850s, for free on scheduled flights around the country: New York to Florida, Chicago to Los Angeles, San Francisco to New York, Los Angeles to San Francisco, Dallas to Houston, and more. All of those flights, multiple shuttles per week, are totally free for members. That means you can fly on a Gulfstream G4 from New York to Los Angeles every week for a year and not be charged anything.
JetDeals represent another really exciting component of the membership. When charter companies reposition aircraft to pick up charter passengers, that plane flies empty. So, if someone charters a Challenger 300 from White Plains, NY to Nassau, Bahamas and the plane is currently in Miami, it has to fly from Miami to White Plains without any passengers. JetSmarter lets you book that plane for free and bring along companions for free as well.
The third part of the service, traditional charter, is attractive for people who already travel privately, as the service offers wholesale charter prices in a great interface that’s so easy to use.
If I was constantly flying for work or pleasure I’d be all about this, but it’s actually quite rare for me to hop on a plane these days, maybe five or six times a year. At this point I’m having trouble justifying paying the AmEx membership fee that gets me into badass airport lounges because I’m only getting to use them two or three times a year at most (seriously, American Express seems to be shitting the bed with their access to VIP airport lounges these days).
I DO think that they have an awesome service here, but it’s just not one that I see myself using at this point in my life. Maybe somewhere down the line, sure, if I was an entrepreneur I’d be all about this. I can’t help but wonder if they’re financially viable though, with an extreme reliance on bringing in wealthy new users/customers. I could see a scenario where a lot of the private jets go unused on various legs of the flight patterns and this company being forced to eat the cost of a shit ton of jet fuel, and that depleting their coffers faster than Enron went down.
This is one service I’m definitely going to keep on my radar, because if anything I’d like to give it a shot once or twice so I can report back on the first-person experience. I’ll just have to wait until the timing is perfect.
If you’re interested in learning more about JetSmarter membership just click that link and head on over to their website! You can also find JetSmarter on Facebook and Instagram.