Skippy Air Charter is proposing to begin shared flight memberships between Melbourne and Sydney later this year
A Melbourne, Australia-based private jet charter company, Skippy Air Charter, is looking to offer shared private flight memberships for weekly trips to Sydney.
Six-month Corporate X Memberships provide one roundtrip seat per week between the two cities. Aircraft will include eight seats in a club configuration, onboard galley, flight attendant, and toilet facilities. The shuttle will use private lounges, enabling members to avoid security lines, large terminals, and crowded airliners.
More than 1,000 TSA agents have tested positive for COVID-19, and 6 have died from the Coronavirus
TSA federal security director Jay Brainard filed a whistleblower complaint in June on how his own agency had failed to implement key safety measures to protect agents and passengers
Consumer Reports is petitioning DOT Secretary Chao to make COVID-19 safety standards mandatory for airlines and airports
As private jet travel increased 5% year-over-year during the July 4th holiday period, airlines, airport authorities, and the federal government are giving you more reasons to fly privately.
I have no doubt whatsoever that our people became Typhoid Marys and contributed to the spread of that virus because TSA senior leadership did not make sure (screeners) were adequately protected
– Jay Brainard, TSA director and whistleblower
That’s if you need any. A study first published by Private Jet Card Comparisons on March 11, showed that potential contact points for contracting the COVID-19 Coronavirus are 30 times lower when flying privately.
Shared private jet charters offer big savings. Are they ready to take off? An in-depth comparison of the three major shared flight providers.
Jet Linx says last year it flew 40,000 empty seats; XO says it has sold over 160,000 single seats on shared flights
Sharing half of your flights between New York and South Florida during the winter could save as much as $75,000
Restrictions in jet sharing may mean it’s not right for you
Can you fly for the same price as first-class with the airlines?
Everyone wants to fly privately, says Kenny Dichter, the CEO and co-founder of Wheels Up. And the idea is the cheaper it is to fly privately, the more people who will do it. Dichter says that was his idea using the eight-seat King Air 350i to “democratize” short flight.
In the world of chartering your entire aircraft, he cut the price for a one-hour flight for eight people to around $5,000 compared to a cost of $8,000 to $10,000 for the same trip on a jet. His argument was that there was a minimal time penalty since landings and takeoffs are not at full speed, and often as you get near to your destination airport, airplanes are slowed down to similar speeds.
A dozen lawsuits brought by unhappy members have recently been referred to arbitration in separate actions
Ellen Leesfield, the arbitrator overseeing the class action settlement between JetSmarter and its members, approved the agreement on July 11, 2019. The next step will take place on Aug. 22 when a judge in Miami-Dade County will need to decide whether or not to confirm the arbitrator’s decision.
In her ruling, Leesfield, a former judge, overruled several objections writing, “Plaintiffs and the class faced a multitude of serious, substantive defenses, any one of which could have precluded or drastically reduced prospects of recovery.” She also noted JetSmarter has “consistently denied liability and indicated an intention to vigorously pursue its potential defenses.”
As of June 27, settlement administrators received 1,567 claim forms and 101 requests for exclusion. Previous reports had indicated close to 12,000 current or former members of the jet sharing service could be eligible.
Cash payments are expected to range between $250 and $21,000 with nearly $3 million to be split between the class and a similar amount going to the lawyers who represented the plaintiffs.
