November 22, 2024
Vista Global has merged its recently acquired XOJET and JetSmarter brands into something it is calling XO, powered by JetSmarter technology, and something it is saying is “the beginning of a new world, with instant booking and worldwide access for on-demand customers.”
Visitors to both the XOJET.com and JetSmarter.com websites as of this morning are redirected to a new FlyXO.com URL.
Customers will be able to choose the best jet card membership options, request a flight, or book a seat with instant confirmation at fixed one-way rates, essentially combining the functions of the previous JetSmarter and XOJET websites into a single platform with live personal support.
Existing XOJET and JetSmarter members will have access to Vista Global’s worldwide operational excellence and the option to switch to enhanced membership benefits, including additional rewards for loyal customers, according to the company.
Vista Global’s Founder and Chairman, Thomas Flohr, said, “In the first month after closing our acquisition of JetSmarter for its innovative technology, we have worked relentlessly to establish a new company, a new brand and new products to fulfill our vision to serve every single customer in the business aviation market. XO, powered by JetSmarter technology, is equipped to address the $11 billion per year global market of on-demand business aviation, as well as the new market of customers moving up from first and business class. We are ready to go live and introduce our suite of XO solutions to the market.”
In visiting the new FlyXO.com website, there are essentially several routes you can take. See the screenshot below.
Clicking the XO Charter, XO Seat Sharing, and Pay-As-Yo-Go buttons bring you to what appears to be a skin on the former JetSmarter booking engine allowing you to buy single seats, start a shared charter flight or book your own on-demand full aircraft charter.
XO Signature and Elite Access jet card members will be able to now sell seats on their full private charter flights turning them into shared charters.
They’ll also be able to book seats on flights shared flights for unaccompanied non-members, choose seats on shared flights, receive priority boarding and enjoy a $600 per hour, per seat cap when booking seats on crowdfunded flights.
Editor’s Note with additional information:
XOJET program members can make their program flights – either fixed rate or dynamic pricing into shared flights selling seats they don’t need. They can also use program funds for on-demand charter or buying seats, for example, if they see an Instant Booking rate that beats their jet card fixed-pricing.
In 2018, Vista Global, including VistaJet, arranged for 115,000 passengers to fly on over 70,000 flights on a fleet of 116 owned aircraft and its partners’ network of private jets. It said the result will be, “maximize utilization and provide higher value to customers compared to traditional full and fractional ownership costs.”
The XOJET name lives on as XOJET Aviation, LLC, which operates the former U.S.-based XOJET fleet for Challenger 300s and Citation Xs. Vista Global as a foreign entity is limited to a minority stake in the U.S. operator.
It’s not clear how long the “powered by JetSmarter technology” part of the new name hangs around or why the Jet part of XO disappeared, at least on the consumer side.
Certainly, the JetSmarter brand has had its share of challenges over the past two years, although I think many people would say XOJET over the past decade built a pretty strong and reputable consumer name in the space with lots of advertising and high-profile billboards in major markets like New York City.
For XOJET jet card customers, a brief scan of the overall program benefits seems to be the same, with fewer details, such as segment minimums, although there is still extensive information, such as which programs include deicing and which do not.
The new website becomes the front door for Vista Global’s on-demand brokerage business. XOJET was thought to be doing over $100 million in on-demand off-fleet and offline charter bookings before being acquired by Vista Global.
While JetSmarter was known mainly for its by-the-seat approach, it had also built a significant digital on-demand, full aircraft charter business. In 2016 it did over $40 million in whole aircraft charters and booked over 2,000 on-demand full charters, according to numbers I’ve seen. The new FlyXO.com brings that together and combines it with the previous XOJET jet card membership options.
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