Kenny Dichter's Real Jet plans to be a real player in charter

Kenny Dichter’s Real Jet wants to be a real player in the on-demand private jet charter segment.

Dichter told a press conference during the National Business Aviation Association annual conference in Las Vegas that he wants to grow his brokerage to $ 500 to $750 million in volume.

He put the timeline at three to five years.

The on-demand private jet charter broker launched in May.

Real Jet Target

Dichter’s target will be both existing private aviation users and those who can afford to fly privately but are currently on the sidelines.

Regarding the former, Real Jet has decades of past relationships.

Dichter founded Marquis Jet Partners in 2001 and Wheels Up in 2013.

Those ventures served over 40,000 customers and provided over two million flights.

While Real Jet will be a stand-alone business, Dichter says the partnerships Real SLX is building will help provide a flow of new users to private aviation.

Real SLX is a lifestyle platform that provides VIP activations at events such as the recent Ryder Cup and at venues such as the Super Bowl, the Masters, and so forth.

It’s inside the velvet ropes; access is designed to appeal to HNWs who don’t have the connections of celebrities and star athletes but value the sideline-pass experience.

Its partnerships with FanDuel and BetMGM enable their top online customers to access marquee events via Real SLX.

FanDuel boasts over 12 million active users.

BetMGM saw its active users jump 55% last year.

Dichter said at the launch of the experience company, “With Real SLX, you don’t have to be a professional sports team owner to have the team owner experience.”

First Time Private Flyers

Dichter told the press conference attendees he sees the opportunity to bring the powerful messages of private aviation – saving time, nonstop flying, more convenient airports – to high earners who are still connecting through hubs.

In an early morning meeting, Dichter told Private Jet Card Comparisons, “The thing about private aviation is once you start, you keep doing it. We think we can get more people to take their first private flight.”

Over 95% of Private Jet Card Comparisons’ subscribers who started flying privately since the pandemic continue to fly privately.

Dichter says a key segment will be the over 250,000 crypto millionaires.

He said they spend 10% of their digital currency earnings on lifestyle.

Their psychographic profile is ideal for both the Real SLX and Real Jet platforms.

Real Jet Game Plan

In terms of how Real Jet will separate itself, its president, Robert Withers, says it plans to empower the customer contact team to solve problems.

He said, “The most common pitfall is you get a phone call from a person who isn’t empowered to solve the problem for the customer.”

Dichter and Withers say plans call for serving customers and sourcing flights globally.

Both say Real Jet will rely heavily on its longstanding relationships with top-tier operators.

Its on-demand model means no membership fees or deposits required to use its jet charter service.

Withers did not rule out a membership program down the road.

He said that at this point, Real Jet will hold funds on account as a convenience, not a requirement.

The pair said the ad hoc charter model is getting quick traction with universities and corporate flight departments seeking couture solutions for supplemental lift.

In its first month of operations, Real Jet facilitated around 100 flights.

It has set up an operations center at PDK in Atlanta.

No Operator

There are no plans to become an operator or acquire an operator.

“We will have assets, our assets will be our people,” Dichter quipped.

Instead, Dichter says Real Jet will provide an operator-like approach to its brokerage.

“The more digital, the more artificial intelligence, the more AI, the more HI, that’s human intelligence,” Dichter says.

After funding Real SLX on his own, Dichter says the company has now added “a small group of highly strategic investors.”