Founders Kenny Dichter and Robert Withers say after 18 months they have built a team and are strengthening key operator relationships.
Real SLX Chairman Kenny Dichter says he expects the company’s Real Jet charter jet brokerage to close 2027 with a run rate that will put it on track for $100 million in sales by 2028.
The founder of Marquis Jet Partners (sold to NetJets in 2010) and Wheels Up says he has no plans to launch programs similar to his first two ventures, namely guaranteed rate jet cards and moving from broker to operator.
Despite that, Dichter, along with Real Jet President Robert Withers, an early employee at Marquis Jet and co-founder at Wheels Up, says they have laid the groundwork for growth.
Real Jet launched in May 2025.
It made its industry debut at NBAA’s annual convention in Las Vegas last year.
The Atlanta-based broker already has 25 full-time employees, including 10 sales and support staff across headquarters in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and Seattle.
The team’s average industry experience is 10 years overall, and 15–20 years for the sales team.
While much media about on-demand charter focuses on technology and instant booking, Dichter and Withers said they are focused on personal interactions and relationships.
They have brought back their Real Jet touring bus, which debuted last year.
Last year, the Real Jet bus made 52 stops and covered 30,000 miles, reaching Boston, Miami, Seattle, and Palm Springs.
They met with more than 25 operators, as well as customers, prospects, and partners.
“The charter customers want human intelligence, personal service, and the bus connects businesses and people to people through the bus tour,” Withers says.
Chater operators are bombarded with hundreds of quote requests daily from brokers, many who they have never met.
Withers says taking the time and making the investment to bring Real Jet to them via its bus builds those partnerships, which in turn means better service and care for Real Jet customers.
At the same time, Real Jet is partnering with former NFL superstar Russell Wilson.
Wilson is now a CBS Sports analyst for The NFL Today team.
The bus serves as a venue for Wilson before his broadcasts and serves as a platform to promote his Why Not You Foundation.
The foundation focuses on promoting health, education, and the fight against poverty.
Before this week’s NBAA convention in Las Vegas, it hosted Wilson before and after the Raiders home game against the Buffalo Bills.
It also supports fundraising for The Joey Logano Foundation.
Withers said Real Jet even loaned it to a customer for his daughter’s bat mitzvah.
Withers said the bus has been key to both generating brand awareness and serving as a venue for client meetings.
Its upcoming schedule includes stops at Talladega, six more NFL games where Wilson will be using it for his podcast, the Georgia at Ole Miss game in Oxford, the Georgia versus Georgia Tech contest in Atlanta, Heisman week festivities in New York City, Art Basel Miami, the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, and the Daytona 500.
This week’s NBAA convention is also serving as a set for The VIP Seat, a popular industry podcast.
In an industry that often favors buzzwords like asset light, Dichter calls Real Jet “asset zero.”
It is part of the Real SLX group.
Dichter and Withers see Real SLX and its in-person experiences during tentpole events such as the Super Bowl and the Masters as creating a canvas for the future.
While there may not be a formal membership program, Withers says Real is creating “a community of customers” across its business units.
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