In case you don’t read emails from your jet card company, here is our recap changes programs have been making in recent months
As private jet flying has reached record levels, capacity is being stretched. Providers are trying to line up more capacity. However, jet card rates, which in the past hadn’t changed for years at a time, have been on the rise. The midyear timing speaks to what’s happening in the market.
Fixed-rate jet cards are a contract to buy private jet flights at a set or capped price. But when the costs to source those flights increases, providers need to make changes. In a nutshell, that’s what’s happening, particularly for flights booked in the last 24 to 72 hours.
Out of the 64 North American programs in our database:
- 57 made changes since the beginning of June
- 52 of 52 with fixed/capped rates increased hourly rates
- 17 increased lead time for bookings
- 15 implemented blackout days; reduced guaranteed availability days
- 20 suspended jet card sales for some or all card types
- 15 increased daily minimums, a de facto rate increase for short legs
- 14 increased number of peak days
- 8 launched additional programs
- 5 eliminated or reduced long-flight discounts
- 10 added surcharges – fuel, international, etc.
- 4 providers restarted sales after a suspension; 2 on a limited basis
Jet card changes
These are the jet card changes we’ve seen over the past several months and are part of our comparisons available to paid subscribers. We’ve just posted our 100th update of the year!
- AeroVanti – Separated from Brazos Valley Air Charter, which was providing lift; Suspended new member sales; Increased rates
- Air Charter Service – Increased rates; Increased peak days for Gold program; Decreased for Platinum
- Air Partner – Implemented 30 + blackout dates for jet card fixed rates during Thanksgiving and New Year’s holiday period – however, the contract provides the right to implement on 30 days’ notice; Ended Caribbean and Mexico fixed rates; Increased rates
- Airshare – Increased prices; Temporarily paused new jet card sales and renewals
- Airstream Jets – Increased prices; Increased call-out; Increased daily minimums; Reduced Caribbean/Mexico destinations
- Ajax Jets – Increased prices; Temporarily suspended jet card sales – still selling shares in Falcon 50s
- Alliance Aviation – Increased prices; Increase call-out; Increased daily minimums for super mids and large-cabin jet
- Amalfi Jets – Increased prices
- Charter Flight Group – Suspended new customers for its fixed-rate jet card program; Launched dynamic pricing membership
- Concord Private Jet – Increased prices; Increased daily minimums; Implemented Caribbean surcharge; put light and super mid-program on hiatus.
- Dreamline Aviation – Increased prices; Changed service area for target customers
- Dumont Aviation – Increase prices; Increased peak days; suspended sales of light, midsize and super-midsize jet cards
- Elite Jets Charters – Increased prices; Suspended new sales to new customers
- Executive Jet Management – Temporarily suspended sales of Ascened membership program; Continues to sell on-demand charter
- Exec 1 Aviation – Eliminated guaranteed availability; Reduced light jet hourly rates; Eliminated midsize, super-midsize, and large cabin fixed rates; Increased price
- Flexjet – Increased rates, Increased call-out; Add peak days; stopped new jet card sales
- FlyExclusive – Revamped program – eliminated daily minimums, expanded service area, added shorter call-outs at surcharges, added peak and high-demand days, added daily access fee and monthly membership fee. However, lowered hourly rates. Increased hourly rates and daily access fees; Added a $500,000 level.
- FXAIR – Eliminated transcon rate cap
- International Jet – Eliminated fixed rates – only dynamic pricing
- Jet Aviation Flight Services, Inc. – Reinstated fuel surcharges; Suspended light and midsize card sales; Moved to a customized approach; As of June 2022 suspended sales of fixed-rate jet cards completely. Still selling dynamic pricing cards
- Jet Edge – Increased prices; Expanded fixed-rate service area; Implemented fuel surcharge
- Jet Linx Aviation – Raised daily minimums; Increased Prices; Reduced long-flight discounts; Expanded peak day departure window; Oct. 1 temporarily halted new jet card sales – waitlist only; Jan 3 restarted limited sales
- Jet the World – Increased lead-time for bookings; Increased Prices
- JetSet Group – Implemented Caribbean surcharge; Raised Prices; Increased Peak Days: Increased call-out
- Jets.com – Bought Part 135 operator to add inventory for customers; Temporarily suspended sales of new jet card memberships. At the end of September relaunched jet card with rate increases.
- Leviate Jets – Increases rates; extended daily minimums.
- Magellan Jets – Increased rates on the Phenom 300; Increased membership pricing and joining fees, extended lead time and implement peak day surcharges for memberships. Added a fuel surcharge.
- NetJets / Marquis Jet – Increased prices; Temporarily suspended sales of jet cards while creating waitlist at current pricing; Launched 25-hour, 3-and-5-year lease with 45 blackout dates and 45 peak days. Announced jet cards will remain suspended for 2022.
- Nicholas Air – Increased rates; Increased call-outs; Increased peak days; Eliminated Pilatus PC-12 jet card program
- ONEFlight International – Increased call-out; Increased prices; Increased Minimums; Implemented international fuel surcharges; Implemented additional fees; Reduced specific aircraft guarantees
- Outlier Jets – Increased rates; Increased call-out twice; Increased daily minimums; Added peak days; Switched entry-level price program to request basis
- Private Jet Service Group (PJS Group) – Increased light jet rates; Increased call-out; Increased peak days; Added ultra-long-haul-range private jet fixed-rate program; Not taking new members for fixed-rate programs
- Priester Aviation – Increased rates; Implemented temporary pause on new members Oct. 1. Restarted with longer call-outs and blackout dates.
- Prive Jets – Increased rates; Increased call-outs
- Sentient Jet – Increased rates, Increased call-out; Eliminated transcon rate caps; On Oct. 1 implemented a 90-day pause on new customers and daily booking cap; In January began taking limited new members but with flying restrictions until April 1, 2022. Implemented a 200-hour per day flying cap. Implemented fuel surcharge; Increased daily minimums. New customers must wait 90 days to fly.
- Silver Air Private Jets – Suspended fixed rate jet card program
- Silverhawk Aviation – Increased rates; Added guaranteed availability
- Solairus Aviation – Increased rates; Temporarily suspended new jet card sales – offered existing customers a refund or to use the money on account for dynamic pricing
- Starflight Aviation – Suspended U.S. and U.K. jet card program indefinitely
- Star Jets International LLC – Increased rates; Increased call-out
- Stratos Jet Charters – Launched its first fixed-rate jet card program
- Vault Aviation – Increased rates; New customers on a case-by-case basis
- Velocity Jets – Temporarily suspended new jet card sales; Feb. 1, 2022, restarted sales on a limited basis
- VeriJet – Increased rates
- VistaJet – Implemented fuel surcharge; Peak and high-demand days are blacked out for the first 90 days of new memberships.
- Wheels Up – Increased rates; Increased daily minimums; Increased call-outs; added a fuel surcharge
- XO – Increased hourly rates; Increased daily minimums; Reduced price caps on super mids; Added fuel surcharge; Added Citation Excel fleet; Dropped Elite Access fixed-rate program
What’s next for jet cards?
Our expectation is so long as demand stays at record levels, there will be more changes. The good news is, unless stated in your contract, most jet cards provide a rate lock for at least six to18 months, and in some cases is negotiable.
On the other hand, informally, we continue to see a spike in dynamic pricing – a reflection of the current market, particularly on short notice, which is a reason you will continue to see card providers extend booking deadlines.
