DayJet RIP. Jumpjet RIP. BlackJet RIP.
JetSmarter RIP. Rise RIP. SetJet RIP.
Everyone wants the ease of flying privately, avoiding congested terminals, showing up minutes before departure, having comfortable seats, being out of the airport and on your way minutes after you land, yet paying the price like first or business class on the scheduled airlines. Investor decks promising to democratize private aviation have attracted billions of dollars from private equity, boldface names, and large scheduled airlines. Yet so far, access to the private skies has yet to reach down to the single-digit millionaires and below in a way that's proven commercially sustainable.
Looking back over the past four decades, the industry has seen big leaps in making itself more accessible. NetJets brought fractional ownership to private aviation. It costs millions of dollars but opened private jet ownership to a wider market than having to foot the bill for an entire airplane.
PlaneSense did the same with turboprops, taking the NetJets shared ownership model and applying it to the Pilatus PC-12. Sentient Jet and Marquis Jet Partners followed with jet cards, targeting flyers willing to spend $100,000 per year for private flights, but not necessarily millions. However, the jury is still out on whether entry-level HNWs and those inching towards entry into the top 1% can fly like their wealthier double-digit millionaire neighbors instead of waiting in line like the rest of us.
In February of 2021, befor.
