Elite Traveler Summer 2021

INSPIRE 20TH ANNIVERSARY GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE LUXURY

Private jet providers by Doug Gollan

In 2020, shared private jet solutions — jet cards, memberships, fractional ownership and charters — accounted for more than 50% of US private aviation flight hours for the first time. This Argus TRAQPak insight might seem like a small data point but it is, in fact, one giant step in the industry’s push for sustainability. Instead of one jet serving one owner or company, a single aircraft is serving hundreds of customers. Innovative solutions like timesharing, card programs, pay-as-you-go memberships, by-the-seat models and charter fleets of pre-owned aircraft don’t get the same attention as carbon offsets and sustainable aviation fuel. Still, they are playing an equally critical role in making private flying green. Here, we look at the most significant innovations over the past two decades by the companies that fly you.

JET LINX AVIATION You show up at the FBO on a busy Friday. There’s a line at the desk, the seats are all taken, and a dozen or so pilots are milling around. You have no idea which one is yours or if your pilot is even there. Do you want a drink? Go to the vending machine. Then land late at night. After you step off your flight, you still have to wander the parking lot and, once you find your car, scrape the ice off its windshield. The place where private flying falls short is on the ground. Many FBOs provide little more than couches, coffee and popcorn. Jet Linx Aviation, on the other hand, has extended its jet card program with its own private terminals in 19 American markets. Don’t worry about finding a shady parking spot. There’s a valet. While you are away, your car is detailed. When you land, it is ready — air conditioning or heating running as appropriate. In its terminals, you’ll feel more like you dropped by to see a friend. Since they are only used by owners of the airplanes it manages and its jet card customers, it’s a place where they know your name — and what you like. In the lounge, a trolley is set up with the preferred libations and snacks for its customers who are traveling that day. With recent expansions to Austin, Chicago, New York and Boston, and plans to add South Florida and Southern California, it’s a name you will hear more often in coming years. jetlinx.com

Jamie Walker, CEO of Jet Linx Aviation

Photos Heather Hall Photography