At Airly we have always taken your safety seriously and while private jets are always maintained to the highest standards of cleanliness we have added in a few extra precautions for when you fly:
We request all guests flying on shared flights to wear a mask
Passengers will be temperature checked at the lounge before the flight
Use of hand sanitizer pre and post flight
We will also take a 14 day travel history
Some operators also strongly encourage the use of the COVID safe app
An Airly member on a recent Gold Coast – Melbourne flight.
For your peace mind we can also provide whole plane charters if you prefer, please ask us for a quote via the Airly App or WhatsApp.
If you have any concerns about your safety please let us know.
Australia’s fastest growing aviation company, Airly, has announced plans to resume offering members seats on private flights to Byron Bay and Mt Hotham just in time for the July school holidays.
Airly members can opt into an existing flight or initiate a new one on a luxury private jet via the Airly app. The innovative on-demand service, which requires arrival only 15 minutes prior to departure, makes flying private convenient and affordable.
The cost of the seats on the member-only flights from Sydney and Melbourne are comparable to business class.
With the commercial airlines still only planning to be at 40 per cent pre-pandemic capacity by the end of July, and only 46 Sydney to Melbourne flights a week for the foreseeable future, interest in Airly has grown significantly since COVID-19. App-usage is up by 80% and membership has more than doubled since Airly’s popular Sydney / Melbourne flights resumed in May.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a surge in business travellers using our service to get their businesses moving now that restrictions are easing. With limited local options from the commercial airlines, and no way to holiday overseas, we expect domestic travellers looking to make the most of the upcoming winter break will make up the next wave,” explained Luke Hampshire, Airly’s Co-founder.
“For holiday makers, Airly creates the opportunity to travel in style for very little additional cost compared to flying business class with the commercial airlines. The more members fly with Airly, the more flights become available. Our innovative membership-based approach creates a network effect,” added Luke.
As borders reopen more shared flight opportunities will be offered including the Gold Coast from both Sydney and Melbourne.
While the travel industry has taken a massive hit from the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people using Aussie private jet startup Airly has risen.
Airly, which launched in 2016, is an app-based service where members can book flights on a private jet – either by opting-in to an existing flight, or initiating a new one.
Co-founder Luke Hampshire told Business Insider Australia the service had been busy during the fourth quarter of 2019 until the bushfires hit and travel started declining. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, initially causing a decline in usage.
But, in recent months, that has changed. Hampshire said usage on the app is up 80%, with the company doubling its membership numbers over the last three months.
Hampshire said flights over the past two weeks have been above average with June “looking very busy”.
“We’re in one of the best positions globally from the COVID perspective,” Hampshire said. “We’re very nimble. We’re able to move quickly, we see the demand, we see the interest [and] we can apply that model to what’s required. Whereas the airlines are slow-moving. They have a lot of assets, they have a lot of moving parts that take time to scale up.”
How Airly works
Hampshire describes Airly as a service that merges the perks of private travel with the predictability of commercial flights. “The big goal has always been how can we make private [flights] accessible and affordable to more sophisticated travellers,” he said.
Airly doesn’t require users to pay ongoing membership fees.
“We don’t want people paying for not using us,” Hampshire said. “So basically we can get members in now with no ongoing fees, let them check the app out, let them initiate a flight risk-free, get them on board and get them flying.” It was a decision the company made once the coronavirus pandemic set in, as a new way to provide value for its members.
Once you download the app and apply for membership, you get to either opt in for an existing flight or initiate a flight.
“What happens is that it sends out a notification to all the other members that the flight’s been initiated,” Hampshire explained. “The big difference for us is that you’re not paying for the whole jet, you’re just paying for what you need. And then we rely on other members to get on board, get involved and to book as well.”
Cost-wise, a flight from Melbourne to Sydney or Sydney to the Gold Coast flight costs $1295 a seat each way.
Most of Airly’s customers are business owners
Airly isn’t a scheduled operation. The company had considered it as a business model in the past but never went ahead with it.
“What we feel is the best option is to let our members decide when they need to go,” he said. “Ironically, they tend to be at similar times, which is helpful. It means you can get more than one group of members on a round trip.”
“Members who didn’t know each other prior to the flight actually become strong connections by the end of the flight,” Hampshire added.
Most of Airly’s current customer base are business owners. “Essential travel hasn’t stopped,” Hampshire said.
He explained that there was a period of time during the start of the pandemic when everyone was isolating – something Airly was advocating for as well. No one was flying through March and part of April before travellers started returning, especially business owners who have to travel to each of their business locations.
“It’s quite a contrast to everyone expecting work from home and Zoom to take over,” Hampshire said. “We’re still seeing those business owners needing to get from A to B.”
As a charter flight company, Airly is capable of doing global flights, including repatriation trips all the way from Europe. However, the company’s core focus is its shared flights – mainly from Sydney to Melbourne.
While Airly can provide charter flights for one-off destinations, its shared flights aim to capture the most popular routes. They do seasonal flights to destinations like Byron Bay and the Sunshine Coast, as well as options later in June for the snow season.
The company considers itself a supplementary service rather than a competitor to commercial airlines
Airly has coronavirus preventative measures in place
Airly uses the Embraer range of aircraft – a four-seat option called a Phenom 100 and the eight-seater Phenom 300. Hampshire said having these planes provides consistency for passengers because “we don’t want to be throwing 10 different aircraft at members.”
The eight seat Phenom 300
“They’re the perfect jet for us,” Hampshire said. “They’re capable of carrying a lot of luggage, they’re extremely economical, they’re the most carbon efficient jet available in Australia and it’s just a very comfortable ride for your one to two to three-hour flights.”
Hampshire also went through the measures Airly is taking to prevent coronavirus on flights.
Each passenger is required to provide a 14-day travel history before the flight. On the day of the flight, there are temperature checks at the door, and passengers are encouraged to use hand sanitiser. On shared flights, you’ll be required to use face masks, especially when there’s more than one group of members boarding.
While Airly had under 100 members for “a long period of time” through 2019, it now has more than 180 members. It wants to become the first point of call for people looking for a flight.
“The big goal now is to aggressively expand with our investors and keep increasing flights and as borders open we get Australia moving,” Hampshire said. “Right now it’s business travellers [and] we can’t wait until we can start moving leisure travellers around again.”
In these uncertain times our new private jet membership with no ongoing fees gives you something to rely on.
With Virgin under a cloud and Qantas operating at 5% of its pre-pandemic capacity commercial flights are scarce, making it hard for you to get to where you need to go to get your business up and moving again.
A membership with Airly gives you access to shared flights on private jets across the eastern seaboard at a price that is comparable with business class.
To support Australian businesses we are waiving all membership fees until July and our new membership structure will have no ongoing fees.
So whether you need travel for yourself or for your entire team Airly will have a private flight solution for you, from single seats to a whole plane.
To learn more about our membership click the image below.
And if you think our program is perfect for you, apply in-app!
As a private travel club, your Airly membership makes private air travel accessible and affordable.
Private jet charter is available at any time, stay tuned for great options on empty legs but with few commercial flights available demand for an Airly membership is growing.
So here are a few things to consider when looking for a seat on a shared flight:
1. Check for activated flights before initiating a new one; which leads to 2. Flexible travel times; 3. Initiate flights early to give us more time to find fellow jet setters; 4. Refer Airly to colleagues and associates. The more members Airly has the more planes we can offer and the more benefits you receive.
Referring Airly to your friends with our new app is so simple. You’ll have a unique code, and with a simple click of ‘Share’ you can SMS, email or copy and paste the link.
To help, we have waived membership fees until at least July. Our new program won’t have ongoing fees either.
It’s been the hardest quarter for Australian businesses in living memory.
We have all had to change the way we live and work and that includes changing the way we travel.
Not everything can be done by video conference and as the country opens up again we know you have a backlog of items on your to do list.
We also know that in the current environment, even if you manage to book a commercial flight, airport queues are the last thing you feel like dealing with.
So whether you need travel for yourself or for your entire team Airly will have a private jet solution for you, from single seats to a whole plane.
If you’d like to speak more about our membership, additional COVID-19 in-flight measures or to book an on-demand charter contact us via WhatsApp and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
You might have considered chartering a private jet in the past. But for most, the price can sometimes be the deal breaker, especially when lengthy overnights are involved.
Aside from charter, you could hope that a discounted one-way, or empty leg, becomes available. But with empty legs comes unpredictability and the potential of cancellations or last minute route changes.
Not the best way to start your Formula One weekend.
Allow us to introduce you to semi-private.
Private for the price of business
At Airly we arrange charters and have empty legs booked on our app, but for years we’ve wanted to find a way to make private more affordable and predictable.
Thus we created a membership which allows a closed group of like-minded individuals the ability to book the seats they need, versus chartering outright.
And with the Formula One coming up, Airly members can simply initiate the flights they need risk-free. They also don’t need to worry about picking the right jet or the overnight fees associated with charter over a weekend.
What’s the cost?
Melbourne’s Essendon Airport is the best option for a Formula One flight. Featuring plenty of FBO’s, no slots and minimal congestion it is also a quick 15 minute drive to the CBD. Essendon is also very hospitable with helicopter pickup and drop offs should you want to one-up your experience into/out of Albert Park.
Flying to Melbourne / Essendon Airport, members pay:
$1,219 per seat from Sydney Metro / Bankstown Airport; or $1,395 per seat from Sydney’s Mascot Airport
What about other locations you may ask?
We do open up member flights between Melbourne and Byron Bay, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Brisbane between December and February (2019/20).
What kind of jet?
Most of our member initiated flights are conducted on the modern and efficient Embraer Phenom 300E.
We do use other jets from time to time, but over a 12 month period you’d be far more accustomed to the Phenom over any other aircraft.
The Phenoms we regularly utilise via our Operator’s are only 12-24 months old.
Inside you’ll find a beautiful 8 seat cabin configuration with an enclosed lavatory at the rear.
There’s also ample luggage space which can easily fit skis, snowboards, golf clubs and more.
As part of our Project Green offset program the Phenom is a favourite of ours as its carbon emissions are about 50-66% lower than other jets in the same class.
Do I get any food or drink?
Of course you do. We have partnered with incredible catering suppliers who provide individually portioned meals for all dietary requirements.
You won’t have a cabin attendant, so rather than juggle platters or snack on a packet of chips, you can enjoy a super nutritious and delicious meal that’s also practical.
How do I book?
In order to fly semi-private you need to download the Airly app, register then upgrade to a membership.
Once we ensure you meet the criteria, you’ll be free to initiate your flights to the Formula One.
The best part is you won’t pay your reservation till the flight is confirmed!
Our member care team can also source hospitality tickets, helicopter or vehicle transfers or more. We’re just a WhatsApp message away.
Still want to charter?
Airly are more than capable of managing your charter requirements. Request your Formula One charter via our app, WhatsApp or call 1800 FLY AIRLY.
Business jet deliveries were up 7% in Q3 CY19 when compared to the same period last year.
According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) report, 183 business jets were delivered in Q3 2019, 12 more than the 171 delivered in the same period the previous year.
Of mention was the new Pilatus PC24 (pictured) up 83%.
As our membership continues to grow (effectively doubled this month alone) it’s been entertaining watching old habits of our members. The biggest one is automatically booking flights from Sydney’s Mascot Airport when in fact said member may live closer or equidistant to Sydney Metro / Bankstown.
This article, however, isn’t about the member who lives closer to Bankstown. This article is about the member who lives right near Mascot Airport.
Jamie booked his semi private flight on our app for The Fleetwood Mac concert in Melbourne (lucky him).
We activated his flight, and got everything organised in the background including aircraft selection, gourmet catering and slots at Mascot Airport. As this jet was based in Bankstown we needed to organise the positioning of the jet in time for pickup.
Things were looking great till the night before. Sydney Airport informed our operator that we lost our slot due to expected single runway operations and that there would be no room for us, as the capacity of Sydney will be halved.
Jamie would now need to depart Bankstown, as we couldn’t position to Sydney for the pickup.
For a guy who lives 15min from T3 drop-off, and 30 mins from Sydney Metro Airport Jamie wasn’t too thrilled with this news but agreed to travel with an open mind because the alternative of flying commercial was going to be far more painful.
Although it seemed a disadvantage, because of single runway operations, we felt he’d save hours overall for driving just that little bit further (plus our pricing is cheaper ex Sydney Metro). We were right.
Jamie arrived at the lounge at 10:45 and was wheels up by 10:55 landing in Melbourne a little over 70 minutes later. No slots, no long taxiing, no waiting.
While Jamie was en-route I sent him a screen grab of FlightRadar24 that showed the queue to depart Sydney as he departed Bankstown. I counted around 14 waiting.
Add that to the fact Melbourne were holding traffic inbound as well (Jamie’s flight was untouched all the way to Essendon) proved that on this particular day we saved Jamie in excess of 2 hours. If he had of flown commercial there was a greater chance of his flight being cancelled, and if it did go ahead the delays were not looking pretty on the flight board.
