XO has big plans under new owner Vista Global Holdings

After buying XOJET and then JetSmarter, last year Vista Global Holdings merged the two companies to create XO. Newly appointed chief commercial officer Ron Silverman talks about what’s next…

Recently, Vista Global Holdings (VCH) moved its president of client experiences, Ron Silverman, to its XO unit as the chief commercial officer. A veteran of both Executive Jet Management and Wheels Up, Silverman joined VistaJet in 2014 to lead its launch into the North American market.

Our 3.5-hour billing cap on super-midsize aircraft is a phenomenal value and great opportunity for anyone traveling cross country. On a Citation X, it’s $31,625, including taxi time, with guaranteed availability.

Ron Silverman, chief commercial officer, XO

Now following VCH’s acquisition of XOJET and JetSmarter, and rebranding the combined duo as XO, chairman Thomas Flohr is promising an expansion of the brand to Europe, plus a range of new programs.

Private Jet Card Comparisons caught up with Silverman earlier this week to find out what’s being planned.

Tell us about your new role?

My role at XO is leading the commercial effort and drive the sales and marketing execution, which includes providing revenue and financial support to the other company leaders and managing the sales team.

What do you see as program strengths?

We have 116 group-owned aircraft to service our client base. We also offer the best dynamic priced solutions along with fixed pricing options. There are domestic and global flight solutions with a worldwide fleet. In summary, we think the XO program is the best alternative between ad hoc charter and traditional jet cards, backed by the largest owned on-demand fleet.

What’s the starting point?

You can book individual seats on shared flights and full aircraft charters without needing a membership. However, RISE is our program for people who fly 15 hours or less per year privately. It’s $595 per year and you can book the entire aircraft, buy seats, as well as sell seats on flights you book, but don’t need. You can do it all digitally or use one of our dedicated aviation advisors.

What about for folks who travel privately more frequently?

Select Access starts at $50,000 and Signature Access is $100,000, and both offer flight credits as well as guaranteed availability with 24-hours-notice. Elite Access is our fixed-rate program. All-inclusive rates, including FET and deicing, are $5,500 per hour for light jets, $6,750 for midsize, and $8,500 for the Citation X or $10,000 per hour for the Challenger 300. With Signature and Elite, there is a $600 per hour rate cap when you buy seats, so for a seat on a two-hour flight shared private jet flight would cost $1,200 or less. There are also empty leg and last-minute flight deals.

Where do you see opportunities – in North America and globally? 

With our global footprint and large fleet, we see huge opportunities all over the world. Our 3.5-hour billing cap on super-midsize aircraft is a phenomenal value and great opportunity for anyone traveling cross country. On a Citation X, it’s $31,625, including taxi time, with guaranteed availability. There is no other program where you can get guaranteed availability at a rate like that to fly from coast to coast. We also offer fixed one-way rates on the Challenger 350 for Hawaii and Alaska, which is something rare.

Vista Global Holdings chairman Thomas Flohr had specifically mentioned expanding XO to Europe last year. Is that still the plan? 

It’s something we are planning, and I look forward to sharing more details in the near future.

He had also talked about adding more aircraft to the XO fleet?

As you know, we added the first of what should be over a dozen Global 7500s to the VistaJet fleet, and yes, we will be expanding the XO fleet as well. Stay tuned.

Are there any other new programs or enhancements in the pipeline?

We have very exciting things coming. We’ve already announced upgrading WiFi to state-of-the-art high-speed connectivity across both the VistaJet and XO fleets. There is also an extensive cabin refurbishment program that will bring to the XO fleet up to the VistaJet level. Last year, we launched a tier system to help dynamic pricing customers find the right jet for their needs. All aircraft are safely vetted and verified. But for example, Lux offers the newest aircraft with WiFi and high-end amenities; Classic provides the best value, and Premium is in the middle, also with guaranteed WiFi. It makes the booking process much easier and straightforward.