April 18, 2024
Blade JetPass offers buyers a fixed-rate of $18,000, plus FET, on a midsize private jet between select New York and South Florida airports.
Blade Urban Air Mobility, best known for its helicopter shuttles, is launching its first-ever jet card.
Its JetPass, being announced later today, provides guaranteed availability with a fixed route rate between key New York City area airports and South Florida.
“Private jet offerings are rife with unnecessary complexity. We listened to our customers, and they had a very simple request: to fly between New York and Miami at a fixed and rational price, all season long, and with the level of service they’ve come to expect with Blade,” Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal tells Private Jet Card Comparisons.
He adds, “They want to do it without purchasing a share of a jet or putting down a six-figure deposit on a jet card that could be earning five-and-a-half percent for them.”
So, how does Blade JetPass work, and what does it cost?
There is a one-time seasonal price to join of $20,000.
Flight price between Teterboro Airport, across the Hudson River in New Jersey, and Palm Beach, Boca Raton, or Miami Opa Locka on a midsize aircraft with at least six seats is $18,000 each way, plus the 7.5% Federal Excise Tax.
Westchester County Airport and Fort Lauderdale International Airport are also available for a $2,500 repositioning fee, plus FET.
Airplanes include Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+ types, Gulfstream 150s, Hawker 800, and 900 series.
Blade acts as a broker and has negotiated guaranteed access via third-party operators, according to Wiesenthal.
He declined to disclose the operator or operators he is working with.
Upgrades are as-available to super midsize jets and large cabin jets, which are $7,000 and $12,000, respectively.
Standard availability on midsize jets is guaranteed with 72 hours notice for non-peak days and 168 hours for 22 peak days, although there is no surcharge.
There is a sliding departure time of up to +/- 3hours on peak days.
Non-peak day cancelation penalty is 30% five to seven days before departure. It’s 60% if you cancel three to five days before takeoff.
Peak days flights carry a 100% cancelation penalty after booking.
Paid subscribers can compare specific peak days in Column CH on the Program Details tab of the Jet Card, Fractional, and By-the-Seat Comparison Guide.
Catering and deicing are extra.
The program launches tomorrow and runs through April 2, 2024, the first Tuesday after Easter Sunday.
Other perks include discounts on helicopter flights, free first-day car rental from Go Rentals for each trip, and a complimentary Hamptons Summer 2024 Commuter Pass valued at $3,750.
You also get 5% of dynamic pricing for other fixed-wing jet charters with Blade for north-south routes.
You can book via Blade’s app or phone.
The person named on the pass – the lead passenger – must be onboard.
Amortizing the $20,000 joining fee over six roundtrips, the price each way with Blade JetPass, including FET, is $20,878.
From the Private Jet Card Comparisons database, other fixed-rate, guaranteed availability midsize options between Teterboro and Opa Locka range between $20,175 and $47,188, based on an estimated flight time of two hours and 45 minutes with taxi time, if charges, and also accounting for joining fees.
Competitive Peak Day prices range between $21,609 and $57,082, putting Blade squarely in the high-value segment.
By limiting the applicable airports for JetPass, Blade cuts repositioning flights, enabling it to offer low price points, Wiesenthal says.
Paid subscribers can compare Blade JetPass against options from over 80 private jet flight providers, including requesting a custom comparison versus their current solutions.
The number of passes being sold isn’t being disclosed. However, it is limited, according to the CEO.
Separately, BladeOne is being put on hiatus for the 2023/24 season.
BladeOne offered a scheduled by-the-seat seasonal shuttle between Westchester County Airport and Opa Locka and Palm Beach.
“Simply put, it’s challenging for us to grow BladeOne at scale without compromising the level of service and details to which our fliers grew accustomed,” Wiesenthal says.
He adds, “Our focus is on our fastest growing and most profitable businesses.”
In recent years, Blade’s by-the-seat fixed-wing offering has seen increased competition from Vista’s XO and JSX.
