businesstraveller.com OCTOBER 2017
Private jets I 37exciting development in business
aviation, making the accessibility of
business jets even greater,” he says.
“With just a few clicks, the latest
mobile apps enable users to book a
flight on a private jet quickly, while
giving the operators the opportunity
to optimise the use of the private
jets. We believe these models, which
were introduced primarily in North
America, have the potential to
grow to other markets, of course,
including Asia.” Qaverage, almost a third fly within
24 hours of booking, and 66 per
cent within a week.
“In general, jet cards came about
as a natural evolution of the private
jet market. First, you could own
your own private aircraft, then
fractional ownership was created
for those who wanted a share
in a specific fleet, then a jet card
became desirable, offering a block
of flying time, but without the full
or part-share financial investment
of the aircraft asset.”
Journalist and jet expert Doug
Gollan says doing your research is
essential, which is why he founded
privatejetcardcomparisons.com,
a site designed to help you work
out what suits you best. He says:
“Do rich people really buy these
programmes without reading
the fine print? All the time. What
happens? They get very upset after
they see their first invoice.”
Embraer’s Froes is optimistic
that these developments will
help position business jets as a
productivity tool rather than simply
a luxury item. “The ride-share and
membership-based models are an