seat sharing Archives

COVID-19 raises illegal charter concerns a year after Sala’s deadly plane crash

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020by Doug Gollan

As private jet travel attracts price-sensitive newcomers, illegal charters with unqualified pilots and aircraft are creating new dangers

“We’ve just got done with a case..The PIC (Pilot-in-Charge) was not typed in the aircraft and the SIC (Second Officer-in-Charge) was a student pilot with less than 50 hours. That’s one of the most unsafe things I’ve seen. This stuff goes on. It happens.”

– FAA Inspector

Back in 2016, I was visiting the headquarters of Jet Linx Aviation in Omaha, Nebraska. Walking with its CEO Jamie Walker between a series of meetings, he suggested I write about illegal charters. He said it was a subject he didn’t think was getting enough attention.

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Jet Linx joins Wheels Up and XO in private jet seat sharing

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019by Doug Gollan

The fast-growing private jet management company is giving its aircraft owners as well as jet card customers the option to buy and sell extra seats on their flights

The Jet Linx base model with 18 locations provides a unique advantage giving it critical mass in the markets it serves, says its CEO Jamie Walker

Last year there were over 40,000 empty seats on flights operated by Jet Linx for the owners of the private jets it manages and the members of its jet card program. Now the fast-growing Omaha-based private aviation provider is enabling both aircraft owners and card customers the ability to sell seats within its customer network.

OpenSeat Exchange private jet seat sharing

OpenSeat Exchange is available on its updated mobile app being launched today.

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Everything you need to know about XO’s updated jet card programs

July 10, 2019July 11, 2019by Doug Gollan

Vista Global’s move to combine XOJET and JetSmarter under a new brand, XO, and new website, FlyXO.com, has brought some significant changes for jet-card customers. Here are the details.

The revised XO jet cards expand light and midsize programs nationwide and offer a new discount structure for longer flights

Thomas Flohr’s Vista Global group has been moving fast. Since the founder of VistaJet set up a Dubai-based holding company last September, he bought XOJET and JetSmarter. Then last month, he merged the two companies into a new brand, XO, and a new website, FlyXO.com.

The result has been an integration of JetSmarter’s Instant Booking private jet charter rates and seat sharing options into XOJET’s existing jet cards, potentially providing customers with a wider variety of options.

Of course, the devil is usually in the details. But first, a quick review of the program basics.

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Facing mounting lawsuits, JetSmarter fires back, says litigation represents “less than 0.1% of growing customer base”

December 20, 2018December 20, 2018by Doug GollanLeave a comment

Against the backdrop of three more lawsuits, the sharing economy private jet company is responding, saying programs changes were within its rights, and the “vast majority” of “core” members are understanding

Over the past two weeks, at least three more lawsuits have been filed against JetSmarter, including two customers who say shortly after spending $97,500 upfront for discounted multi-year memberships they found themselves without the benefits they paid for. The lawsuits filed in New Jersey, Illinois and New York each allege shortly after joining or renewing key benefits they were promised were no longer available. With the mounting lawsuits, in general, they detail a series of back and forth communications with JetSmarter employees as benefits were being changed, and after failing to receive a refund or satisfactory solution, in each case, the members decided to take JetSmarter to court.

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