April 27, 2024
A former telecom exec and jet card customer has started BC Flight offering financed jet cards.
The newest seller of guaranteed availability, fixed-rate jet cards – BC Flight – comes from a jet card customer who brings to the market a novel approach.
The company was founded late last year by Thane Namy, a telecom industry veteran who spent more than two decades launching, building, and selling his company.
BC, by the way, doesn’t stand for British Columbia. It is short for Broadside Concepts.
That’s because Namy had a few different ideas for his next act after selling his business.
Based outside Detroit, BC Flight launched its jet card program in August.
Namy started flying privately a decade ago after discovering his four-year-old son had autism.
“My wife likes to travel, but we were nervous about flying on the airlines. We would read these stories about families being kicked off the airplane,” he says.
However, he found chartering each time took a lot of time, and the experience was inconsistent.
He then moved to jet cards but felt provider service was average and there were too many small mistakes, such as not communicating changes in FBOs, errors on catering bills, and such.
“When you join a big company, you are one of 1,000 or 2,000. I grew my business by ensuring my clients were happy,” he says.
A private pilot and experienced private aviation user, he has built a six-person team, including veterans from the charter segment and a luxury marketing specialist.
“We do plan to scale. The current facility can handle 15 employees,” he notes.
BC Flight’s jet card starts at 10 hours, providing a lower entry point than many programs, although it is non-refundable.
There are options across the four typical aircraft size categories – light, midsize, super-midsize, and large cabin.
The new entrant brings back a twist several providers, including jet card inventor Sentient Jet, did away with during the Covid surge.
Namely, BC Flight has two tiers for each category – Classic and Premier – with the latter offering upgraded cabin interiors.
Premier buyers can request flights on Classic airplanes, but not the reverse.
There is a 10% charge on peak days and only 31 peak days.
The Caribbean, excluding Bermuda and Canada, are included at a 20% surcharge.
On all flights, clients get a charcuterie tray and a bottle of wine as complimentary catering.
“Most airplanes are too small to have hot meals, and there isn’t room for tray after tray of food, so we wanted something that added to the experience, but you don’t get billed for hundreds of dollars for some sandwiches,” he says.
The big twist is BC Flight will allow qualifying customers to finance their jet card purchases.
For example, to buy a 10-hour Classic light jet card, you can pay $59,500 or $9,500 down and then $1,962 per month for 27 months.
The financing option cost is $62,474, so an extra $2,974.
Prices exclude FET, but there are no fuel surcharges.
There’s also no penalty for paying early.
Namy says the inspiration to offer the financing is making private travel accessible to parents of autistic children who want to take a couple of vacation trips per year to places too far to drive and make good money but don’t want to write a six-figure check.
BC Flight’s jet cards are specifically targeting leisure flyers.
Booking and cancelation for peak and non-peak travel is seven days before departure, and daily minimums are 120 minutes, including taxi time, across all categories.
While BC Flight sells its jet cards nationally, it focuses on its hometown.
Clients departing Detroit area airports get a meet-and-greet sendoff.
Buyers of 25-hour jet cards get four tickets in a luxury box at a Detroit Red Wings hockey game, including an after-game meet-and-greet with Team Captain Dylan Larkin.
