Elite Traveler Summer 2021

etr li at ve eler SUMMER 2021 73

WHEELS UP An early innovator in the jet card space after founding Marquis Jet Partners in 2001 before selling it to NetJets in 2010, Kenny Dichter may be the Jeff Bezos of private aviation. He helped broaden the market in 2013, launching Wheels Up, popularizing turboprops like the King Air for shorter flights. His pay-as-you-go memberships gave customers the same benefits as jet cards without having to deposit six figures. Now he has turned the company into a supermarket of private aviation solutions, from aircraft management and jet sales to shared flights and online booking. He has put the brand front and center (which is equaled only by NetJets, according to Google Trends), and he now plans to build an online platform where you can rent anything from flights to villas, yachts and who knows what else. At industry events, he often talks about the millions of consumers who wear Ralph Lauren’s Polo apparel yet have never climbed onto a horse. In other words, even if you don’t have the funds to charter a private jet, you might still buy a Wheels Up logo backpack or baseball cap. wheelsup.com

NETJETS When Uber was fundraising to launch its car-sharing taxi service, it used NetJets as an example of how an asset typically owned by a single individual can be shared with many. Over the past 30 years, NetJets has been the leader in jet sharing. More recently, this unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has taken to using its spot at the top of the mountain to become a leading advocate for sustainability. Earlier this year, it purchased a stake in WasteFuel, a start-up that will produce sustainable aviation fuel from refuse. SAF, as it’s referred to, cuts carbon emissions by as much as 85%. It is also the launch customer for FBO chain Signature Flight Support’s sustainable fuel program, helping put a marker down for the rest of the industry. To make it easy for customers to offset their CO2 footprint, it now includes the option to purchase carbon offsets in all proposals, allowing offsets to be bought for an entire flying program or just a specific flight. netjets.com