Beyond its bespoke private jet cabin interiors, Global CEO Andrew Collins says terminals and training are separating Flexjet from competitors.
Flexjet is looking beyond its bespoke approach to aircraft cabin design to shape a luxury experience that begins on the ground and extends through every stage of a trip, Global CEO Andrew Collins said.
Speaking during the National Business Aviation Convention here in Las Vegas, Collins said vertical integration and technology are helping the second-largest fractional operator increase its luxury quotient cost-effectively for its fractional shareholders.
The company’s strategy includes expanding its network of private terminals and lounges, investing in its in-cabin service, and bringing more maintenance and manufacturing capabilities in-house.
The aim, Collins said, is to make Flexjet synonymous with luxury aviation and a bespoke approach.
Last year, a private equity company affiliated with LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault invested $800 million into the private jet operator.
LVMH owns brands from Louis Vuitton and Dior to Dom Pérignon and Belmond.
Flexjet already operates private lounges at key airports, including Teterboro and Westchester County in the New York metropolitan area, Love Field in Dallas, Naples, Florida, and Van Nuys serving the Los Angeles area.
Its latest terminal opened last month at London’s Farnborough Airport.
Partnerships in the air have included yachtmaker Riva and automarker Bentley.
For Collins, these spaces are not simply amenities.
He says they are part of a broader effort to connect the ground experience with the one onboard.
“It’s about (how private aviation saves) time (and) it’s about experience,” Collins says.
Collins cites Flexjet’s Red Label service, custom interiors and Starlink connectivity, and training for cabin servers through Red Label Academy, which he said now has two locations in London.
These elements are intended to work together as a coherent luxury experience.
Behind that visible experience is a substantial investment in maintenance.
Collins said Flexjet has about 1,500 maintenance technicians working across more than two million square feet of space and performs 95% of its maintenance in-house.
Controlling more of the maintenance environment, he said, gives the company greater control over quality and planning for aircraft availability, particularly during peak periods.
Collins described the company’s Flexjet Technical Services facility in Peterborough as a practical example of that strategy.
The site has two large hangars and includes equipment for producing components such as aircraft seats.
He said the company turned to in-house seat production after encountering supply-chain challenges with original equipment manufacturers.
The facility’s CNC machines automate parts of the production process, including measuring and cutting leather, Collins said.
The site also supports aircraft painting and includes an apprenticeship program.
For Collins, those capabilities are more than back-end operations: they help Flexjet control the product and service customers experience.
He said acquisitions of maintenance businesses Constant and Flying Colours delivered some of the quickest returns on investment he has seen in his career.
The broader rationale, he added, is that operational capabilities—from maintenance to terminals—can support reliable service and reinforce the company’s brand.
Last year it debuted a series of travel experiences for its customers.
Flexjet’s ambition, Collins said, is to bring those investments together into a distinctive customer experience. “In five to 10 years, if we’ve done our job, Flexjet should be synonymous with luxury,” he said.
More announcements for 2027 are in the works, he says.
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