Caveat Emptor: Avoiding private jet scams, bankruptcies, and shutdowns

Zetta Jet

New and veteran private jet flyers have discovered that if it seems too good to be true, it may well be. Here are some of the sad stories we’ve covered in the past five years

Summerset Maugham once wrote about the French Riveria it is “a sunny place for shady people.” While private aviation has a lot of great people, and I enjoy covering the industry, I have to admit I was surprised that, looking back over the past five years, there have been over a dozen private jet scams, bankruptcies, and shutdowns. To me, that seems like too many.

Private jet charter broker arrested in child sex probe

Central Jet Charter Paul Alexander

Central Jet Charter’s Paul Alexander was arrested for allegedly trying to sell sex with underage girls to an undercover agent

The future of Central Jet Charter, which sells on-demand private jet charters and 25-hour jet cards, is in the spotlight. Its founder and CEO, Paul Alexander, was arrested last week on sex crimes charges. The incident is being widely reported.

JetSuite’s SuiteKey customers unhappy with bankruptcy offer

JetSuite

In a filing last week, the grounded private jet charter operator outlined what its jet card customers might receive in exchange for their $50 million in unused flight credits

What’s nearly $50 million in unused flight credits worth when your jet card provider goes bust?

The answer looks to be less than customers had hoped for, but more than past bankruptcies and closures.

How not to get burned when you buy a private jet membership

Jet Card

Lawsuits, closures, bankruptcies and lack of transparency show the challenges consumers face

In the two years since I launched Private Jet Card Comparisons, I’ve been surprised by the number of bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits, and lack of transparency in private aviation. In Europe, Wijet liquidated its UK subsidiary while Surf Air closed its entire operation there. Zetta Jet filed for Chapter 11 and then Chapter 7, leaving bills estimated at between $50 million and $100 million. ImagineAir just closed shop without notice. Both JetSmarter and Ascension Air find themselves facing unhappy customers, including lawsuits. Of course, there have been other failures before, including Avantair and Blackjet to name just two fairly recent ones.

How not to lose on your private jet membership

To help you avoid the same pitfalls, here are some tips I put together. While they may not be foolproof, I think they are helpful to keep in mind:

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