The popularity of business jet flights increased tenfold during the pandemic, turning thousands of commercial airlines into customers looking for safer, more sanitary travel options. Once the pandemic was over and newbies got a taste of private flying, however, the rationale shifted from safety to a desire for convenient, efficient direct flights that commercial airlines often cannot provide.
Sentient launched the industry’s first jet card in 1999, with terms that customers could see. Since then, the jet card concept has grown in popularity due to its simplicity and apparent similarity to a credit card. There’s something reassuring about a prepaid card with clear terms. In reality, jet cards have morphed into many different forms, with dozens of providers tailoring their cards to very different terms and pricing models.
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Covid newbies were forced to navigate this unfamiliar territory in late 2020, lured by brochures featuring smiling customers sipping champagne in beautiful jets. Yet when it came time for the customer to select a program, he or she was faced with a dizzying array of options that would most likely have a dramatic impact on the actual cost of the flight.
“The images of jets and lifestyle are all beautiful,” says Doug Gollan, founder of Private Jet Card Comparisons. “But when you have 80 providers offering 1,000 options, it becomes extremely confusing.”
First-time flyers had to learn the language and unique nuances of business aviation, which, most discovered, is more complex than booking a first-class seat on a commercial airline. To avoid a financial minefield, it was necessary to understand fixed and dynamic pricing, empty leg fees, lead times, jet types, blackout periods and other restrictions, and dozens of other variables, as well as non-flexible terms that can put customers at a disadvantage if they don’t stick to the plan.
“Jet card contracts can be dozens of pages long, while fractional ownership involves three different contracts with a lot of fine print,” says Gollan. “Most companies don’t provide the contracts until after prospects have reviewed the initial offers, which means multiple phone calls and emails.”
When Gollan started Private Jet Card Comparisons in 2017, he positioned it as Consumer Reports for private jets, provides up-to-date news on industry providers while offering an objective comparison of programs. Members received detailed analysis of the different programs, their terms and the final prices for flights. “We started with XL spreadsheets to compare the many terms and conditions of different programs,” he says. “It was a manual, very time-consuming process. Today it is much more automated.”
The enhanced Decider Custom Analysis Report, released today, looks sleeker and resembles a report produced by a family office or wealth fund, with a logical representation of the companies. I filled out the 20-question new member questionnaire to find out who would be the best fit for a program that includes 50 hours on a midsize jet from my home airport of Tampa, Florida, to Columbus, Ohio, where my mother lives.
The easy-to-answer questions resulted in a detailed 25-page analysis of seven providers, ranging from small boutique operators to some of the largest fractional companies (where you buy a share in a particular aircraft type), along with detailed information about each company, including their service areas, history, fleet size, and, most importantly, the cost of each flight from Tampa to Columbus, which varied considerably by provider.
Even better, it includes detailed information like peak days, additional costs and blackout days, cancellation policy, how many hours in advance reservations are required, taxi times and de-icing costs. I specified that I must have Wi-Fi (a surprising number of jets don’t have this on their jets) and an enclosed lavatory (most mid-range jets do, but light jets may only have a curtain or no lavatory at all) and that I can travel with minors and pets.
The initial selection often determines which providers are listed in the report. Gollan recalls an angry call from a subscriber complaining about not having Wi-Fi on his last flight. He asked the subscriber if he had specified Wi-Fi on the initial questionnaire: “They said no, and that was reflected in the choices we gave them.”
The report does not recommend any particular provider over another, but simply provides comparison details to the customer. Private Jet Card Comparisons, which receives no commission or reimbursement from the providers in the report, is unable to verify the financial due diligence of the providers. However, there is a link to recent news that is surprisingly incisive, so any red flags about the providers are clear.
The report is easy to understand and thorough, which is impressive. But its real value is in the time savings it offers. For high-net-worth individuals, Gollan adds, time is a precious commodity. “Nobody likes spending hours researching multiple providers to figure out which one best fits their needs,” he says. “But they also want to make a smart choice for something that could potentially cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.”
The best part about the $500 membership fee? Customers can order multiple reports per year. “Sometimes circumstances change or they want to switch providers,” says Gollan. “We take that into account and accommodate their needs.”
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