Comment: Slick Marketing For Frye Festival Shows Why Due Diligence Is Necessary When Buying Private Jet Solutions

Last week as groups on chartered private jets and other affluent party-goers descended on Exuma in The Bahamas they were expecting to party on yachts with models, stay in luxury tents and sip designer cocktails. Blink-182, Migos, Lil Yachty, and Major Lazer were scheduled to perform. The remote location would make it more exclusive than Coachella and packages for the weekend cost up to $12,000, according to reports. Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid promoted the Fyre Festival via social media and Ja Rule was a founder and investor. What the partygoers found when they arrived was the acts had canceled, apparently not paid, mattresses but no tents and bread and cheese sandwiches that looked suited for a third grader’s lunch box. 

In private aviation recently there has been a surge in celebrity and lifestyle focused private jet offerings using celebrities as endorsers, investors and positioning private aviation as a lifestyle choice. Having celebrities gracing private jet ads isn’t necessarily new. NetJets, the fractional and jet card seller owned by Berkshire Hathaway, has used the likes of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. And certainly, while many use private jets for business, for those who can afford it, private aviation improves your quality of life. I like to say, “Flying by private jet won’t add five years to your life, but it will add five years of enjoyment to your life.”

Jet cards and private jet membership programs have become more popular than ever, with the amount of money you have to put up in advance varying greatly. Some programs which are focused on empty legs and shuttles like Jet Smarter have buy-ins that range from under $10,000 to $40,000 while others, where you are securing a contracted rate to have an entire jet to yourself, can range to $500,000.

Ashton Kutcher and Jay-Z were investors in BlackJet which closed down leaving members to lose money they had prepaid. The Fyre Festival shows that just because recognized names are associated with something doesn’t guarantee success, and while losing $40,000 or $150,000 may not break the bank, there is an easy way to do basic due diligence.

Private Jet Card Comparisons covers over 20 jet card providers and over 80 programs. As part of our comparison of 65 variables for each company, we cover when it was founded, who owns the company, where it’s based, who the CEO is and how many employees it has. We also cover its safety standards for sourcing planes and pilots and whether your money is refundable, and also if the provider has an escrow program. Before you buy private jet travel, register for access to Private Jet Card Comparisons and know before you buy.