There’s an app for that, even if ‘that’ is booking a private jet to fly you home. A spate of recent launches offer passengers new faster, cheaper and more efficient ways of booking business jets.
For example, in Europe PrivateFly has launched an app that lets you search for flights, get an indicative price and then get firm quotes from different operators. It also gives access to a constantly updated list of lower-cost empty legs.
For example when I looked this morning, there was a flight on a six-seat Embraer Phenom 300 from Paris Le Bourget to London Oxford for £1,600; which split six ways is less than a scheduled airline seat on a fully-flexible fare.
Long lines or stress-free
So, imagine you’re in Paris with your team and you’re called back home on short notice. Which would you rather do? Two hours of security hell at Charles De Gaulle airport followed by a cramped seat and a stale roll or get whisked straight through to a waiting plane and home in time for tea and medals?
According to a recent survey by PrivateFly, PAs spend 20 percent of their time organising their bosses’ travel and iPhone and iPad apps also have the advantage of being easier to use than web-based booking systems.
BlackJet: per-seat not per-plane
BlackJet has taken the app concept even further. Instead of chartering whole planes, they offer a guaranteed seat on a private jet operating between certain city pairs, such as Los Angeles and New York. The idea is to offer the convenience and luxury of private jets but at a price closer to a first class fare. Think of it as Uber for the jet set.
For example, a flight this Friday between San Francisco and Los Angeles was quoted at $1,508.90. And a seat from San Francisco to New York was $3,551.40.
Their iPhone app lets you book a seat in seconds and pick up your final itinerary before your trip.
According to the company, seats are guaranteed given two business days’ notice and inside that they ‘will do their best’ and you get your final itinerary the day before the flight, specifying airport, aircraft, operator and departure time. Note that you get a guaranteed seat, but you may not get the plane to yourself and, unlike chartering, you don’t get to say when the plane goes.
Uber for private jets
This is a variation on an existing concept. DayJet tried this air taxi model but with a company-owned fleet of Eclipse 500 very light jets. Unlike DayJet, BlackJet is working with third party aircraft operators who are authorised by the FAA and DOT to provide an on-demand air charter service.
(Hat tips: TechCrunch, BlackJet images, PrivateFly images, Embraer picture.)
