Private Jet Card Comparisons celebrates its 1st anniversary as the only independent buyer’s guide to jet card programs

Comparing more than 250 jet card programs across 65+ variables, Private Jet Card Comparisons puts over 1,000 hours of our research at your fingertips.

By Doug Gollan, April 6, 2018

Comparing more than 250 jet card programs across 65+ variables, Private Jet Card Comparisons puts over 1,000 hours of our research at your fingertips

 

As Private Jet Card Comparisons completes its first year of operations, I wanted to take a moment to thank our team, the over 35 jet card companies who endorse transparency and consumer power by providing the detailed information we request about their programs we then format and provide to you, and of course your readership and the positive feedback you’ve generously given us. 

 

Last April, after more than seven months of research, Private Jet Card Comparisons opened shop. The website was an accident. It was the result of trying to put together a story about jet cards for Forbes.com, where I am a contributor, and finding out there were more players than I realized, and then learning there is a myriad of differences between the programs.

 

Private Jet Card Comparisons protects your privacy

 

Frankly, I was surprised there wasn’t already an independent buyer’s guide out there. The only information I could find what was on the websites of the jet card sellers and two websites, which spotlighted only a handful of providers, so incomplete information. I quickly learned these sites were lead generators, collecting your personal information, then selling it to the jet companies they profiled as sales leads.

 

My gut was that for folks who were planning to spend $50,000 to $1,000,000 on jet cards, an independent and comprehensive buyer’s guide might be useful, particularly one that didn’t make selling your data its revenue model. We figured most buyers or their surrogates who were helping with the research would probably be familiar with spreadsheets from owning and managing businesses, so we decided to use Google spreadsheets so that subscribers could download the data into Excel for personal use. With over 65 variables, after testing several formats, we saw spreadsheets provide the easiest way to make comparisons between the programs.

 

Knowing you would not want to get slammed by salespeople following up on “hot” leads from selling your data, we decided to go with a subscription model with the thinking at $250 it was a reasonable amount, considering that it took well over 1,000 hours to gather and compile the information, we continuously update it, send out alerts when there are special deals and changes to programs, and I make myself available to answer subscriber questions.

 

We launched by comparing 2017 jet card programs, and in January published our second edition to cover updates for 2018, so now we have two editions under our belt. The media noticed, and we’ve been profiled in Barron’s, which called us “a modern-day online Kelley Blue Book for private jet cards” as well as Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, Luxury Daily, Business Insider, Business Traveller, Business Travel Executive, MarketWatch, Aviation International News, Corporate Jet Investor and other key media.

 

What jet card features can you compare?

 

  • Company history, including date founded, ownership structure, headquarters location, the name of CEO and number of employees
  • All jet cards offered by each company, over 250 programs
  • Applicable aircraft for the programs
  • How the program is structured, be it hours, dollars or mileage
  • Hourly rate, including whether or not the 7.5% Federal Excise Tax (FET) is included
  • Program service detailing where your rates apply
  • Additional areas served at dynamic prices
  • Seating capacity for each program
  • How aircraft are sourced, including the standards for each program, ratings from third-party safety programs, including ARGUS, Wyvern Wingman and IS-BAO
  • Minimum pilot experience, including total hours and hours in aircraft type, based on program requirements
  • Are hourly rates guaranteed or are flights price dynamically
  • Expiration of hours
  • Refund policy
  • Ability to refill your card at the contracted rate
  • Availability of escrow account to house advance payments
  • Amount of liability and risk coverage
  • Initiation and membership fees
  • CPI escalators, rates and frequency applied
  • Fuel surcharges
  • De-icing charges
  • Charges for diversions and ATC reroutes
  • Taxi time billed per segment
  • Minimum flying time billed per day and per segment
  • One-way surcharges or ferry fees
  • Other fees and charges you may be billed
  • Peak days, including listing of peak days for travel planning, and peak day surcharges
  • Blackout days, including the list of blackout dates
  • Destinations subject to surcharges
  • Roundtrip discounts and definition of qualifying roundtrips
  • Lead time for reservations, including peak and regular days
  • Cancellation deadline, including peak and regular days
  • International reservations and cancellations deadlines
  • Ability to access multiple aircraft at the same time
  • Ability to upgrade or downgrade the size of aircraft, including additional fees and peak day availability
  • Ability to select your favorite FBO
  • What catering is included
  • Guaranteed WiFi availability
  • Guaranteed in-flight phone service
  • Inclusion of flight attendants on heavy jets
  • Guarantee of fully enclosed toilet on light jet programs
  • Pet transport policies and surcharges
  • Minimum age when sending unaccompanied minors
  • Service recovery policies for non-weather related delays
  • Customer service hours of operation
  • Lifestyle partnerships and perks
  • Key program selling points

 

Which jet card companies are covered?

 

Private Jet Card Comparisons compares over 250 jet card programs from more than 35 providers across 65+ variables in easy-to-use spreadsheets saving hours of research and thousands of dollars from choosing the wrong program. We do not charge companies to be included. Companies compared:

 

Which jet card program is best?

 

The best program for you is the one that fits your unique flying needs. It’s not something you can find by checking off a few boxes. However, by quickly reviewing the over 65 variables we compare, subscribers can easily focus on the areas that impact their flying, and then identify the programs that best fit their requirements, be it standards for sourcing aircraft and flight crew, guaranteed WiFi, hourly rates, roundtrip discounts, the ability to source multiple aircraft at the same time, etc.

 

Thanks for visiting. Thanks for subscribing. Happy flying!!!

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