April 18, 2024
In Europe, Directional Aviation’s PrivateFly is upscaling its jet card product as Flexjet returns to its fractional focus.
PrivateFly has revamped its jet card line-up as sister Flexjet stops selling jet cards in Europe.
The move reflects parent Directional Aviation’s objective of providing a more segmented and synergistic offering between its two flagship brands in Europe.
Marine Eugene, European Managing Director says the moves are part of a larger strategy to provide premium private aviation solutions.
“Flexjet (in Europe) was never really in the card business,” Eugene tells Private Jet Card Comparisons.
She says the Legacy 500 jet card program introduced in April 2021 was meant to launch Flexjet’s fractional offering in Europe, which debuted in late 2020.
She notes, “Even though the fractional model allows up to 16 (share) owners, in a perfect world we shouldn’t have more than 11 or 12 owners per aircraft. That’s how you protect the service. The original (NetJets) QS model meant a quarter share, four owners. The challenge with the cards is (you are giving) 32 points of access (800 hours divided by 25-hour cards) with a contract that guarantees availability.”
Currently, the Flexjet Europe fleet has seven Praetor 600s. That is set to grow to a dozen aircraft this year, although Eugene declined to specify what types will be added.
However, Directional is not backing off its European card business. Instead, she says it is making it a more premium offering, designed as a stepping stone to fractional ownership.
For PrivateFly that means it has ditched its entry-level light jet card, replacing it with Light Jet Plus. It has also replaced its Midsize segment with Super Midsize. There is a Large Cabin program.
In December, the broker launched fixed hourly rates from Europe to North America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
Both brands now offer fixed rates for flying in North America and transAtlantic flights.
Eugene says the new approach enables the Flexjet and PrivateFly sales teams to take a more consultative approach, guiding customers between company offerings.
In May 2021, Directional bought helicopter operator Halo providing its London-based and bound customers a last-mile solution.
