JetEight is a German travel club start-up that will come with an all-you-can-fly offer mid-2017. It claims to revolutionize the short-haul business class market. JetEight will use small private jets and is currently looking at connecting European business centers such as Berlin, Zurich, and Frankfurt. JetEight comes in response to the ever-longer waiting times at airports.
“We will save our members hours of valuable time by using smaller jets and lower-traffic private terminals” says Ruben Portz, founder of JetEight.
When asked “Why JetEight”, he explains that “the company is the result of European carriers losing focus on value and underserving their business class passengers. Trying to compete with low-cost carriers they simply forgot what short-haul “business class” stands for. Where the business traveler would like to travel quickly from A to B, he or she ends up in dreadful security checks, slow boarding procedures and waiting for transfer passengers. It is understandable that airlines focus more on the costs than the “experience” as a lot of passengers simply want to fly as cheap as possible; but there has to be a good alternative.”
JetEight will operate smaller aircraft from lower-traffic terminals between Europe’s business centers partnering with leading private aircraft operators to ensure safety and compliance.
“We will use VIP terminals at major airports as well as smaller general aviation airports like Frankfurt Egelsbach. By doing so, our members can arrive just 15 minutes before departure, park their car in front of the terminal’s entrance and board directly. No security lines will make you arrive 1 or 2 hours in advance. Don’t wait for anybody – fly with just 8 people on board that are frequent business travelers just like you are. And the most important thing – pay a fixed fee per month, no matter how often you fly. To ensure affordability we decided to keep the monthly fee comparable to the sum of a few business class return tickets.”
For a monthly fee of 2,500 Euro, JetEight members will have not only the opportunity to fly unlimited within the network, but also to get reimbursed for other flights they take.
“Philosophy behind it is quite simple – we do not offer (yet) a wide network and want our members to remain flexible. Shall they fly less often with us in a certain month, we will cover their expense for using other airline’s services.”1 Referrals by the members are benefited by the company with a nice discount, as well. In the first stage, JetEight is to launch the service between Berlin, Frankfurt and Zurich. Upcoming expansions will strongly depend on the wishes of JetEight’s members.