XO launches RISE membership, tweaks Select Access

RISE is targeting fliers traveling privately 15 hours per year

Vista Global has also dropped references to JetSmarter in its XO branding

XO, which was formed by the merger of JetSmarter and XOJET, is making more tweaks to its membership offerings.

The biggest is the launch of RISE, a new tier targeting private travelers who fly less 15 hours per year.

It is priced at $595 and joins Select Access, Signature Access and Elite Access in the XO line-up membership line-up.

In a press release, the company said, “RISE makes private aviation more accessible and valuable for those who seek to use it more frequently – or have never experienced it – as well as those who fly private regularly, but   are not getting the elevated service, flexibility and quality aircraft they deserve.”

At the same time, XO has now added a $395 per flight service fee for whole aircraft charter and $395 per seat for free members, which it terms Pay-As-You-Go members.

XO RISE membership benefits

The company says the new membership option was “created for travelers who are ready to rise to a new level of private flying XO-style.”

For RISE members the aforementioned $395 service fee is waived for whole aircraft charters and for up to two seats on shared flights.

RISE members also get “partial” benefits from Global Partners and a personal aviation advisor for charter bookings only.

Other benefits of RISE include:

• Instant booking for everything from full charter to individual seats
• The ability to initiate or join shared charters
• Discounts on empty legs
• Waived service fees

Private jet quality

Just last month during the National Business Aviation Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas Thomas Flohr, chairman of XO parent Vista Global, announced XO would add three quality classes for on-demand charter customers to better define what type of aircraft they are chartering.

• CLASSIC includes a variety of aircraft from turboprop to heavy jets; while not new, these are vetted and verified – the most affordable and most practical way to go private. Many are equipped with WiFi.
• PREMIUM is an industry-leading collection of newer aircraft that include light jets to ultra-long-range planes, all of which have modern cabins and WiFi access. 
• LUXE is the pinnacle of charter, the newest planes from super-midsize jets through ultra-long-range options.  Many have cabins created by world-class designers – all of which are complete with a flight attendant, sophisticated catering, complimentary WiFi and many other amenities.             

“The introduction of XO’s RISE Membership is a dramatic advance in our mission to make the benefits of private aviation more accessible to business and leisure travelers,” said Flohr in a prepared statement. 

He added, “We believe that the combination of innovative membership options, and the breadth and diversity of the aircraft in our fleet, more than 1,600 across all our service classes, will extend our leadership role.”

Flohr said he sees RISE “meeting the needs of every flyer, including those who fly typically up to 15 hours a year and seek alternatives to the status quo.”

He commented, “We want to help everyone go beyond the travails of commercial flying, the over-priced and inflexible model of fractional ownership, and the inherent inefficiencies of traditional middlemen and jet cards.”  

Select Access changes

It appears that XO has also fine-tuned its Select Access. Previously, Select membership was $5,000 per year on a pay-as-you-go basis or $250 per month with a $50,000 deposit, the latter now its sole option.

Select Access offers dynamic pricing and compared to RISE provides flight credit up to 2%. Select members also enjoy full access to partners, access to XO’s fleet of super-midsize Challenger 300s and Citation Xs on peak days, and guaranteed availability with a 24-hour notice on non-peak days.

De-emphasizing JetSmarter?

Another change seems to be dropping JetSmarter as part of the XO brand.

When the merger was first announced in June, the logo read “XO powered by JetSmarter” as seen below.

Now “XO” appears as a standalone logo as seen below.

Prior to being acquired by Vista Global, JetSmarter was the subject of numerous lawsuits, although it’s not apparent any were successful. Many were referred to arbitration per the JetSmarter membership terms.

The jet sharing innovator later agreed to a $6 million class-action arbitration settlement. While there continue to be references to JetSmarter on the XO website, it appears the brand is being further de-emphasized.