Sign-up fees are common with private jet programs in the United States, but the concept is less common or proven in Australia. This article helps explain what it is, why we have it in place, and how it enables our value-driven occupied hourly rate.
Our Access by Airlyprogram comes with an annual fee of $9,950 for two card holders.
For those who aren’t familiar with private, or perhaps have only chartered once or twice in the past, this can feel like quite a charge for no immediate product or service.
The reason the annual fee exists is to help smooth and flatten the fixed costs involved in operating, positioning, and making available six premium Cessna Citation Mustang jets for card holders. This enables us to deliver a consistent and low occupied hourly rate by reducing and removing unexpected operating costs caused by factors such as repositioning, holding, taxiing, and delays.
Additionally, the annual fee contributes to ensuring the highest quality service providers, operators, pilots, building an incredible team, and being able to update our platform on a regular basis.
So when real-world Access cardholder George was in the process of signing up, he also had some reservations about the annual fee. However, the fact that he was planning to fly 5-8 times a year made the cost savings compelling.
How soon did George make back his annual fee in savings?
Despite traveling mostly for business, George first utilised his Access by Airly card in taking his family to Byron Bay for a five-night holiday.
To charter, it would have cost him $20,500 return for a similar size jet.
Under Access by Airly, George paid $10,387 return, immediately saving him more than the annual fee he paid.
On average, our card holders make their annual fee back by the second or third trip – and that’s not including all the additional value the program provides outside of competitive flight pricing:
Six jets available to you on the east coast – no other provider can provide such coverage;
The most consumer-friendly booking, cancellation, and change terms;
A neat, comfortable and super cost effective modern twin engine jet, for what it lacks in size it definitely makes up for in design.
When Cessna went to the drawing board back in 2002 they had a clear focus on the Mustang being that smaller family SUV.
One that could take the family to smaller airports but not restrict everyone to one piece of hand luggage each.
One of the design breakthroughs wasn’t in the cabin itself.
Found in the rear luggage compartment, Cessna specifically designed a 191cm long, rectangular tube dubbed the ‘Ski Tube’.
Connected to to the larger luggage hold, this ski tube allows passengers to take their skis, snowboards, golf clubs and even surfboards with them.
So we put the ski tube to the test. Rhys – one of our card holder’s favourite pilots sent us this video.
So this brings us back to Victoria. For those who don’t know, Victoria is part of our ACCESS by Airly program.
We transformed her A to B with the assistance of the ski tube.
Victoria would fly by private jet from Sydney to Cooma (then VIP chauffeur to the ski slopes) and was able to bring her skis saving money and plenty of hassles at the other end.
Like any parent, we always want the best for our children. We want to keep them safe, we want them to experience as much as possible.
And for Victoria, she would make the most of every Winter by driving her daughter to the snowfields several times during the snow season.
But with school and a busy personal schedule during the week, Victoria would leave late Friday driving five hours in low light and bad weather to ensure that come Saturday morning they could maximise their time on the slopes.
The long drives took its toll, so Victoria sought to find a way to maximise the time spent on the slopes without the dangers of driving at night for long hours.
Victoria explored the option of flying by private jet to save time, and make for a stress-free trip. However, paying over $15,000 for a weekend away just didn’t make sense.
Thankfully, via social media, Victoria came across ACCESS by Airly.
Through the program, Victoria could now fly from Sydney to Cooma in 35 minutes and jump on the waiting Mercedes van to whisk her and the family to Thredbo.
ACCESS by Airly reduced the travel time from 5 hours to just 90 minutes.
The process to book was simple, the experience was seamless and the price point was also far more palatable: under $3,000 each way.
ACCESS has had a profound impact on Victoria and her family’s life.
Simple and seamless A to B at a far more reasonable price point gave Victoria her life back and alleviated her stress when it came to travel.
Back in June of 2021, in the midst of some pretty horrid market conditions we launched the first twenty five ACCESS cards in a stealth fashion.
We kept marketing to a minimum so those who followed us on our journey could be the first to experience the new offering.
The card program was the first of its kind in Australia, many have conceptualised and tried, but never managed to get the product operational.
In February we managed to effectively sell our initial release out, and prepare to launch the next 15 cards.
Fast forward to this morning, we had our card holder and her family arrive to some special treats and a nice chilled bottle of bubbly to celebrate our 100th demand hour.
An incredible way to start their long weekend in Tasmania.
We always knew ACCESS would be impactful – either by making private more affordable, easier to consume or understand. But it’s had a far greater impact than we first thought.
We are giving our card holders their lives back.
Appreciating how much time we have given back to card holders based in Regional Victoria who can now be on location at their farm in Central Queensland within 2 hours where it used to take a full day of road and commercial travel.
Or getting a father back to his children in time for dinner after a day on the ‘road’. Where in the past he used to spend several days travelling to achieve the same outcome.
We aren’t about transactions, we’re about people: our card holders.
Because when you have a true understanding of what impact you have on people, it makes all of our pain and hard work in building this product worth it.
We are so proud, so grateful and so excited for what’s to come.
While the content is correct, the headline and messaging is somewhat misleading, and the context is everything.
Flight tracking works through combining several public aviation surveillance data sources, such as radar, scheduling, and airline flight status data, into a flight tracking service provider, such as Flightradar24 or ADSBExchange. But the key to real-time flight tracking rests in a relatively new technology called ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, which has allowed Elon Musk’s private jet to be tracked.
ADS-B is a surveillance technology in which electronic equipment onboard an aircraft automatically broadcasts the precise location of the aircraft via a digital data link (Airservices Australia, 2022). These signals can be picked up by ADS-B receivers on the ground (and in the air, for increased situational awareness and safety) and fed to flight tracking service providers who are able to overlay this information in real-time, accurate positions of aircraft. ADS-B is increasingly mandated by civil aviation authorities, with “roughly 70% of all commercial passenger aircraft equipped with an ADS-B transponder (Flightradar24, 2022). General aviation is far lower, while military aircraft may disable ADS-B for tactical reasons.
Ultimately, ADS-B is a safety-enhancing technology that improves the situational awareness of airborne aircrew. Some flight tracking websites do allow flights to have their ADS-B information not shown, but in the case of Elon Musk’s jet tracking Twitter-bot, ADSBExchange does not allow this.
Real-time flight tracking should not be portrayed as a safety or security risk, as it really is an airborne safety-enhancing capability. A privacy issue, perhaps, but aviation safety arguably takes precedence.
Interstate border restrictions are crumbling on the East Coast.
And there’s a growing number of travellers who don’t want to wear masks or be forced into isolation after a commercial flight is declared an exposure site.
This is why private aviation is the natural alternative.
But in the past deciding who to book with, what jet to select, confusing pricing options and inconsistent experience can really defeat the purpose of the ‘stress-free’ promise.
We’ve doubled our card holders in the last month, have seen a 500% jump in inbound interest and we are adding more value outside of the flying program.
Three reasons ACCESS will be the talk of the summer.
1. Palatable price point
After the annual membership fee, you only pay for the time you’re physically in the jet. This could be half the cost when compared to chartering with another broker.
Whether you’re flying one way, overnight or staying for five weeks it does not impact the fixed, all-inclusive, occupied hourly rate of $3,995 for the four seat Citation Mustang jet.
The way you book ACCESS flights is unmatched. You can utilise our app, WhatsApp, SMS or email.
Then there’s the experience. A streamlined fleet of jets that look and feel the same, the in-flight meals (included in hourly rate) available to/from major airports is clean and wholesome and caters to all dietary restrictions.
Finally, being able to plan your annual travel budget couldn’t be easier. The only variable you need to consider is the flight duration.
3. Additional value
Our card holders join ACCESS for the flying, but stay for the added value.
We’ve secured member-only rates for the best five star hotels in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Members can also receive discounts on our premium Sydney chauffeur as well.
ACCESS members will soon be able to take their card overseas – but more on that at a later date.
We have a huge vision for this program far beyond what you see today, so get in early and enjoy the offering at todays price point.
To maintain sound availability over the summer we will be capping our memberships so if you’re interested in joining the program please reach out via the link below, or apply via the app.
We’re pleased to inform you that the latest version of the Airly app is now available.
Less bugs, more features and better experience.
Let’s explore some of the new features.
ACCESS at your fingertips
We’ve added in all the functionality and features of the newly-launched and popular program, ACCESS.
You can request an ACCESS membership, book and manage ACCESS flights as well as manage prepaid hours.
Enhanced SHARED features
A flow on benefit from the ACCESS program is the reduction in seat prices along SHARED routes.
It’s also now easier to share your itinerary with others and we created preferred departure time selections (only available to SHARED members) to help group members together for the purpose of flight activation.
Improved charter flow
The development team have improved user experience, flow and visuals on the charter-specific sections as well.
To enjoy the new features please update your app or click here to be taken to the appropriate app store.
Did you know you can take your pets on private jets.
We’re extending our private jet membership programs to include your four legged family members.
2020 and 2021 have seen a large number of interstate relocations. And thanks to border restrictions the reduction in commercial flights have seen four legged family members get left behind.
We continue to hear heartbreaking stories of furry family members being stranded due to hotel quarantine requirements or the huge backlog experienced by animal transport providers.
So we’re in the process of enabling your pets to also be included into the SHARED and ACCESS program free of charge.
What does this mean?
It means you can now use your SHARED or ACCESS membership to transport your pet without the need for you to be on the aircraft.
How will this work?
Simply advise your member care team that it will be your pet travelling, and we’ll guide you through the process.
Airly will also send your dog or cat a luxury gift after the flight.
When can I book?
You can book using your SHARED or ACCESS membership now!
WE WANT TO HELP
If you, or someone you know, is currently separated from their dog or cat please contact us and we’ll work to put some flights together using our SHARED platform to help reunite family’s with their best friend.
Whether it’s a pandemic or change of plans, you shouldn’t be penalised for changing or cancelling your private jet flight.
As Australia enters a ‘hokey pokey’ phase of lockdowns and border closures we’re commonly asked what happens to your flight if plans change, or you get caught up amongst the lockdowns?
Whether you choose to book a trip with Airly or another provider, make sure you understand the requirements and penalty’s involved with changing or cancelling your trip.
If you’re not familiar with ACCESS, this product allows you to book from a streamlined fleet of jets for an all-inclusive fixed hourly occupied rate. That means members don’t pay empty positioning fees, overnight fees or lounge fees.
If you’re on the jet for one hour, you pay for that hour. Everything is included!
And best of all, unlike the SHARED program, flights are confirmed on booking – and you have the entire jet to yourself and your guests.
But one of the most impressive facets of the program is our cancellation and change terms.
We ask for 72 hours notice if your schedule changes if possible. But if your plan changes last minute we won’t charge any cancellation or change fees (so long as we haven’t already positioned to pick you up).
And if lockdowns or border closures get in the way there’s no penalty, ever.
A private jet product that is simple to understand, easy to predict, accessible to more at a far more palatable price point?
Private jet brokers don’t own aircraft and simply sit in between you and the private jet operator.
It’s no secret that there’s been a considerable uptick in private jet charter in Australia. Customers new and existing are making the most of increased availability of jets.
For new customers, it can be quite exciting to book your first private jet charter. The feeling of finally ‘making it’, or giving in to the utility and benefits of flying private.
While some private jet brokers have closed down during the pandemic, others are making the most of this uptick. However they can get a little greedy when it comes to pricing your trip. Let us explain.
How do private jet brokers price a charter?
When you provide your itinerary to the broker, they’ll try to get some further information from you such as preferred cabin size, budget and any other requirements outside of the normal to help make a decision on what operator to approach.
Operators will provide the broker with a price to facilitate your trip. The broker will then add a margin (5-20%) and present you with some options.
All of the process so far is very common, ethical and standard practice.
But what if you only fly one way, or the jet returns empty back to its home base during your stay at the destination? Empty capacity is then generated, in which brokers will then attempt to sell the newly created ‘empty leg’. This is when some brokers get a little greedy.
Should the broker sell the empty leg, they’ll keep all that revenue for themselves. There’s a fair chance you’ll have no idea about it. So what’s the problem with that?
You are paying full price for that empty leg to be created and sold. The broker has added their fee to your price (their profit), and are now making thousands of dollars on top of that thanks to you. We call it the double dip. So what can you do about it?
Negotiate a revenue share deal with brokers
In the name of fairness, you should ask your broker if any empty legs are attached to your flight. If that answer is yes, ask for a share of that empty leg revenue. There is no reason for the broker to not work out a deal to make everyone happy.
If they say no, it may be time to thank them for their efforts and find a more transparent company to work with.
How does Airly share empty leg revenue?
In the past few months we have credited or refunded tens of thousands of dollars back to our charter customers from the sale of empty legs, or combining their itinerary with another customer’s saving on empty positioning fees.
When pricing your flight, we will advise if empty flights are going to be marketed, and how much of a potential refund you will receive on the successful sale of said empty flight. We refund or credit at least 80% of empty leg revenue back to you.
Here’s some recent examples.
On the 17th of April we refunded or credited a total of $9,100 to two separate customers by selling their attached empty legs on a one-way trip.
On the 2nd of May we were able to sell three empty legs attached to a one-way charter. A total of $10,000 was credited to the customer’s next flight.
On the 8th of May we combined two itineraries onto the one jet saving both of our customers $4,000 each.
On the 11th of May we combined two itineraries onto the one jet saving both of our customers $3,000 each.
In summary, a good private jet broker can help guide you through the confusing world that is private aviation. But in order to find a good broker you need to keep them honest.
