Vista Global’s XO is now offering empty legs to non-members

xo global

After the June merger of JetSmarter and XOJET, the new FlyXO.com has been tweaking the jet sharing part of its offering

Vista Global is continuing to put its stamp on its XO brand since merging JetSmarter and XOJET at the beginning of the summer. First, it added JetSmarter’s jet sharing functionality to the former XOJET dynamic jet card pricing memberships.

The move meant that XO Select and Signature memberships could all of a sudden share seats on flights they had booked with their deposits. Elite members who get fixed rates can’t share seats on those flights, but otherwise, get all the perks a JetSmarter member received.

XO also tweaked Select Access and non-member options. In essence, there are two versions of Select Access. But the big news is non-members can now book seats on at least some empty legs.

Air Partner adds fixed-rate, guaranteed availability transatlantic jet card pricing

The jet card broker is launching fixed-rate, guaranteed availability between the U.S. and Europe

U.K.-based charter broker Air Partner will announce later today it has signed up six charter operators who will provide more than 50 long-range private jets for new fixed-rate, guaranteed availability jet card pricing between the U.S. and Europe.

With a buy-in starting at just 10 hours, and the ability to refund unused funds, the new offering is likely to have a wide appeal for its target market, particularly travelers who want set pricing but don’t fly enough to make multi-year commitments to key competitors for the route such as NetJets, Flexjet and Vistajet.

The new cross the pond rates connect Air Partner’s existing fixed-rate, guaranteed availability primary service areas for its jet card customers covering the U.S., Caribbean, and Europe. Air Partner is one of the few jet card programs offering fixed rates for flights within both the U.S and Europe.

“Over the past few years, we’ve noticed increasing demand for an improved transatlantic option to better connect our clients in the United States with Europe,” said David McCown, president of Air Partner U.S. “We’re dedicated to continuously creating innovative travel solutions to best serve our customers, and we are pleased to today become the first jet membership program to offer a fixed Trans-Atlantic rate.”

Transatlantic jet card pricing

Beyond a cost of $15,650 per hour with a seven-hour segment minimum, there is a 15% roundtrip discount based on an average of at least four flight hours per day.

Jet Card Buyer’s Tip #3: Do I need guaranteed availability?

Why do I need guaranteed availability with a jet card?

In this article we talk about one of the key components of a jet card that not all programs offer

You might ask, “How can you say guaranteed availability is a key component of a jet card, yet not all programs offer it.” OK, call it a flourless cake. Unlike products such as the sparkling wine that comes from Champagne, France, there are no laws that regulate what’s in your jet card. As the number of providers and programs has exploded in the past decade, it has meant that new twists on cards that omit features traditionalists believe are mandatory.

10 reasons jet cards beat on-demand charter

Airstream Jets

While there are reasons to use jet cards and on-demand charter, there are a number of key selling points for jet cards

 

The age-old question of jet cards versus on-demand charter sees advocates of each dig their heels in. While many jet card providers also sell on-demand charter, many brokers only sell ad-hoc charters and don’t offer a jet card membership option. Their main arguments against jet cards are tying up your money with six-figure deposits and the promise of better pricing. They rightfully point out you need to do due diligence about the financial stability of the company you are giving that money to, or at least make sure there is an escrow account. At the same time, consumers have lost money through bankruptcies of on-demand charter operators.

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