November 4, 2024
VistaJet has launched a new website designed to be interactive. It includes a number of new functions, including the ability to get an on-demand charter quote on the home page as well as comparison features to various ownership options. The company is also enhancing online tools for customers, including being able to changes flights digitally and download invoices from past flights instantly.
“Our previous website was beautiful and clean, but not conducive to a conversation. It was more of a brochure,” executive vice president, marketing and innovation Matteo Atti tells Private Jet Card Comparisons.
He says, “It’s quite hard to compare jet companies (based on information from their websites).” The new VistaJet website he adds, “Gives users a sense of initiating a conversation. Who we are? What happens in the cabin when you fly VistaJet, which is unique.”
It also brings some functions previously only on its app. For example, flight quotes. Atti says many visitors were saying, “Can I just get a flight? What’s the cost?”
Because VistaJet owns its own fleet, he said the company can provide quotes back in 30 minutes to two hours after its team figures out which of its more than 70 Bombardier super midsize and large-cabin jets are available, and various costs to fulfill the request.
A key new feature is a “Build Your Program” function. Users enter the flights they are expecting to make, including whether they are one-way or roundtrip, how many times per year they will be making each trip, and number passengers.
You then get a summary showing the Vistajet aircraft type which best fits your travel, how many hours you will need, and highlights the benefits of VistaJet’s jet card, which is referred to as the Program.
You can request a callback right away or set a specific time. However, knowing that many UHNWs don’t want to immediately engage with salespeople while they are in the research mode, there is also a cost calculator.
You select the type of aircraft you either own or are planning to buy outright, via fractional ownership, or lease. The list of aircraft options includes types in the VistaJet fleet, but also other types such as the Falcon 2000, Citation X, Challenger 350, and Gulfstream’s G450, G550, and G650.
With the click of a button, you get a comparison between the aircraft type you were considering and the preferred VistaJet solution. The calculator takes into account ownership expenses such as monthly management fees, cost of capital and depreciation highlighting VistaJet’s asset-light approach.
Comparative cost information, Atti says, comes from several industry databases. Results, he says, are not meant to be exact, but to encourage users to do an actual comparison with one of its associates.
In a couple of tests I ran, the savings offered by VistaJet’s asset-light approach, which are articulated by the hour, seemed significantly higher than seemed to make sense. For example, for 100 hours per year in a VistaJet Challenger 350 I would save $9,600 per hour compared to the same amount of hours buying a fractional share of a Citation X (below), according to the tool. I guess I would definitely call to see if that’s indeed possible, but I might be disappointed if it wasn’t.
Atti says a comparison to other non-ownership options such as on-demand or jet cards isn’t possible as there are too many variables, which is true particularly for VistaJet’s core customer who is flying international mid-and-long-haul flights. He adds its best prospects are usually comparing VistaJet against leasing or purchasing jets.
(Private Jet Card Comparisons’ Quick Compare Flight Pricing compares the all-in costs for over 200 U.S. national fixed rate programs for nine domestic flight scenarios, including factoring in deicing for winter flights.)
Atti said while the consumer side of the site is about 90% of where he wants it, the customer side is continuing to add functionality, including the ability to modify an itinerary online, even though there is 24/7 phone support.
A page showing the program account balance (below) has the starting and ending dates for the customer’s contract, how many hours were contracted, how many were used, and how many hours are left.
A listing of past flights shows how many hours were billed for each, and enables users to instantly download a PDF invoice for each flight where they can review any additional charges.
An upcoming itinerary page (below) shows flight both booked and requested, date, departure and arrival time, and aircraft type and are made in a way they can be shared easily with any relevant persons the customers want. Flights can also be shared with digital calendars. There is also pricing for upcoming flights.
On the home page, as you scroll down, there is information on VistaJet Direct, its one-way and empty leg program, as well as a listing of empty legs. For each aircraft type, there is a 360-degree tour, as well as seat maps showing day and night configuration, plus range and performance data.
At the bottom of each page are links to holding company Vista Global and group companies XOJET, and the newly acquired JetSmarter.
There is a separate U.S. site, with the main differences that in its fleet overview, the site provides flying range from various American cities, as well as compliance with regulations for its N-tail fleet.
While the new website is more engaging, and now offers an on-demand booking facility, Atti says VistaJets focus remains its Program clients who fly at least 50 hours per year and commit to multiple year agreements.
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