September 22, 2025
After reducing its guaranteed rate service area in 2023, Wheels Up is riding its Phenom 300s and Challenger 300s back to a national program.
Competitors (and flyers) who had written off Wheels Up may need to give it a new look, especially those in the swaths of the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, and West Texas, where it pulled out of offering guaranteed pricing back in 2023.
The launch of its new Signature Membership this morning may also reveal a bit more about where the Delta Air Lines-backed flight provider is headed.
The new offering targets both corporate and leisure flyers who want premium aircraft.
However, it threads the needle, which continues its longtime proposition as a value provider.
The Signature Membership is divided into two options – one with dynamic pricing and the other with fixed rates.
The most significant news, however, is that the fixed rates are applicable nationwide.
They also extend to the Bahamas and Los Cabos, the latter of which had not been part of a Wheels Up guaranteed rate program for more than five years.
Both the dynamic and fixed options highlight the new fleet flagships.
The Embraer Phenom 300 serves as a light jet offering.
The Bombardier Challenger 300 series, with its stand-up cabin and flat floor, anchors the super-midsize options.
It may answer skeptics who have questioned Delta’s commitment as the private jet flight provider continues seeking profitability.
The Signature contracts can be extended up to five years, including on the fixed-rate side.
There is an annual CPI escalator, much like fractional ownership contracts.
For the time being, the new Signature Memberships are being sold alongside its Core capped-rated program, which offers guaranteed pricing on its King Air fleet, as well as light, midsize, and super-midsize aircraft on a category basis.
However, it’s worth noting that the legacy membership is no longer on its website, although you can still buy it, officials say.
Last October, Wheels Up announced a makeover for its fleet, transitioning to Embraer light jets and Bombardier airplanes for its super-midsize offering.
It moved quickly to build the Phenom 300 fleet by acquiring GrandView Aviation last year.
There will be over 30 of the two types in the fleet by end of the year.
The Signature Membership marks the debut of guaranteed pricing on its new fleet.
To date, members and non-members could book both types, but ad hoc, and only with dynamic pricing.
CEO George Mattson calls it a “milestone” in its fleet transition.
Mattson says, “When we announced our fleet modernization plan in October of last year, it included plans to integrate our premium Phenom 300 series and Challenger 300 series aircraft into our programmatic offering by the end of 2025.”
He continues, “The new Wheels Up Signature Membership does just that, offering guaranteed nationwide access to our modernized fleet of best-in-class aircraft, along with the reliability, flexibility, and premium experience fliers have come to expect from Wheels Up.”
Mattson, a longtime board member of chief investor Delta Air Lines, moved to the private jet company in September 2023.
In its press release, the company said:
‘The new Wheels Up Signature Membership is the most flexible way to fly – offering members access to the right aircraft for the right mission, wherever they want to travel. The low deposit minimums represent an attractive entry point to the program, and the comparative cost of flights elevate the value proposition compared to other fractional and programmatic offerings on the market, while program enhancements include no interchange fees, same day round trip discounts, and guaranteed global access and recovery in the U.S. Signature Members can access the full suite of aviation solutions available through Wheels Up, from guaranteed nationwide access to the company’s controlled fleet of Phenom and Challenger aircraft within the contiguous U.S. – plus a 225-mile radius beyond the coastline; to global charter of private aircraft accessing thousands of safety-vetted aircraft worldwide through Wheels Up’s leading global charter business, Air Partner; to booking on Delta Air Lines’ industry-leading commercial network; or hybrid travel utilizing both Wheels Up and Delta. This enables customers to curate their travel trip by trip, and segment by segment, across the widest array of solutions available in the industry.’
Wheels Up has long been a value player, from its King Air turboprops to highly discounted transcontinental rates powered by its aging Citation X fleet.
During the turmoil of its hyper-growth and more than a half-dozen acquisitions, which created both service and financial issues, Wheels Up was often the lowest-price guaranteed rate flight provider, in some cases offering flight prices half the cost of major competitors.
For example, you could fly coast-to-coast on a Citation X for under $35,000, while the King Air could haul up to eight passengers for short hops, often saving as much as $5,000 or more per leg over light and midsize jet alternatives.
Since Delta led a $500 million investment back in 2023, the goal has been for Wheels Up to recreate itself as the premium layer the airline can market to its roster of over 40,000 corporate accounts and leisure flyers who pay to fly in its Delta One- and First-Class cabins.
The Signature Membership may thread the needle, offering premium aircraft at value pricing.
Both the fixed-rate and dynamic pricing programs offer guaranteed availability and guaranteed recovery, along with attractive cancellation terms.
The latter two items are benefits that dynamic pricing options often omit.
However, you must choose dynamic or fixed rates.
You can switch in the first 60 days.
After that, you can only switch if you run out of your balance in the plan you choose.
You cannot have both a Signature fixed and a dynamic membership.
However, if you are an existing member, you can add Signature.
Why keep two memberships?
For example, you could want to keep guaranteed rates on the King Air.
Mattson tells Private Jet Card Comparisons that the focus is on providing customers – both leisure and corporate – with a choice.
Flexible flyers on high-traffic routes can benefit from the dynamic pricing.
Those who want to know how much they are paying on a per-hour basis can essentially lock in rates for the next five years without the commitment of fractional ownership.
They also benefit when they are flying efficient routes.
There is a list of several dozen airports in the Northeast U.S. and Southeast with discounted pricing for the Phenom 300.
Similarly, there is a list of airports in the East and West where you get more attractive fixed hourly pricing for transcontinental flights (see table below).
| Aircraft | Flight Minutes | Wheels Up Efficient Route Flight Price* | Competitor Low Flight Price* | Competitor High Flight Price* |
| Challenger 300 | 300 | $ 57,659 | $ 56,938 | $ 104,000 |
| Phenom 300 | 150 | $ 22,549 | Wheels Up | $ 34,014 |
*This Private Jet Card Comparisons QUICK COMPARE FLIGHT PRICING analysis includes base hourly rate, FET, fuel surcharges, taxi time, and amortized memberships and/or joining fees of fixed/capped rate jet card programs featuring Challenger 300 and Phenom 300 series.
Both the fixed and dynamic options have three deposit levels.
The Signature Membership deposit levels are $200,000, $500,000, and $1 million.
If you buy the dynamic pricing plan, you get escalating discounts of 2%, 5%, or 8% based on which tier you buy into.
For the fixed pricing plan, you get lower rates based on putting in more money.
You also get the efficient route pricing.
For the Phenom 300, the fixed-rate route pricing gives you a discount of between 15.9% to 23.9% (table below).
| Deposit | Hourly Rate | Efficient Route Hourly Rate | Discount |
| $1 million | $ 8,695 | $ 7,500 | 15.9% |
| $500,000 | $ 8,995 | $ 7,500 | 19.9% |
| $250,000 | $ 9,295 | $ 7,500 | 23.9% |
*Excluding fuel surcharge and FET
When you are flying the Challenger 300, the discounts range from 27% to 35% (table below).
| Deposit | Hourly Rate | Efficient Route Hourly Rate | Discount |
| $1 million | $ 12,695 | $ 10,000 | 27.0% |
| $500,000 | $ 12,995 | $ 10,000 | 30.0% |
| $250,000 | $ 13,495 | $ 10,000 | 35.0% |
*Excluding fuel surcharge and FET
In terms of callouts, the dynamic options require 24 hours non-peak and 48 hours on 20 peak days.
Cancelations are the same.
The fixed-rate option is 48 hours on non-peak days, unless you fund $1 million, in which case it is extended to 24 hours.
You need to book five days before departure on the same 20 peak days.
Penalty-free cancellation mirrors the callouts.
There is a 15% surcharge on peak days.
Travel to Canada and the Bahamas carries a 15% premium.
Mexico has a 25% surcharge.
Both membership types offer the ability to gain status in Delta’s loyalty program and discounts of 20% on certain Delta travel.
You can use your Signature funds to book ad hoc charters via Air Partner, on the legacy Wheels Up fleet, and on Delta.
Daily Minimums are 72 minutes on the Phenom 300s and 150 minutes on the Challenger 300s, both including taxi time.
The agreement lasts for up to five years and is renewed on the anniversary of joining or when funds dip below 10% of your original starting point.
In that case, you have three funding options to renew.
You can only renew five times, so depending on how much you fly, your agreement could run less than five years.
You would then join whatever program Wheels Up is selling at that point.
When deciding how much to fund, you will want to give a hard think to when it comes time to renew – either on the anniversary or when your funds go below 10% of your original deposit.
At that point, you need to add $50,000, 10% of your original fund amount, or fund the difference from your current balance to your original deposit, whichever is greater.
If you started at $500,000, and you were down to $150,000 after 12 months, you would end up having to put up $350,000 to maintain the $500,000 benefits.
At the same time, if you bought at the $200,000 tier, but only used $30,000 in 12 months, you would need to add $50,000.
There is a 12-month grace period to use existing funds if you don’t want to add funds, but funds are non-refundable, so you will want to think things through when you make your choice.
Through the end of the year, Wheels Up is waiving the $500 monthly membership fee.
Existing Core members who want to join Signature can move funds to the new program if they don’t want to keep both.
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