Elevate Jet: Inside Private Jet Travel, The Exclusivity and Complexities It Delivers

What does luxury really mean in private aviation today?

In this episode of Caviar & Candy, host Paula Conway sits down with colleague Maya Lubaroff to explore the evolving world of private jet travel. From exclusive terminals and personalized service to emerging business models that are making private aviation more accessible, they discuss why affluent travelers are increasingly choosing private jets over traditional first-class travel.

The conversation examines some of the industry's leading players, including NetJets, VistaJet and Elevate Jet, while also looking at innovative options such as semi-private carrier JSX. Paula and Maya discuss the conveniences that define the private jet experience, how technology is changing the booking process, and what the future may hold for luxury air travel.

Whether you're curious about private aviation, fascinated by luxury travel trends, or simply want a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's most exclusive industries, this episode offers an insider's perspective on where private jet travel is headed next.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to the Caviar and Candy Podcast. I'm your host, Paula Conway, and today I'm joined by my colleague and intrepid producer, Maya Lubarov. Maya Lubarov.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Thank you so much for joining me. Yes, of course. We had such a good conversation this week about how the world of private jet travel is an industry that has become kind of synonymous with luxury exclusivity and convenience. And also from what you were telling me earlier, it's evolving rapidly at a pace none of us could have even expected. So I'm really excited to just hop right into it. What defines a luxury private jet experience?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

There's a few things, but I'm going to start with convenience. So right now, as we know in this world, the TSA lines are becoming completely unbearable. And there are myriad of FAA staffing decreases, and people are really uncomfortable and afraid to fly. So you're afraid, you're uncomfortable, you're afraid and uncomfortable. And it's starting to become the best option, flying private. It's it's so convenient, but you need quite a few things to be in place for it to be, you know, luxury. You need the speed of booking, you need the price to be competitive because it's all quite expensive. And I want to talk about some of those different business models. Um, and the service, like anything else, has to be the best. Service, service, service, convenience, convenience, convenience, ease of booking, the ease of getting the jet, and then of course the price.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Amazing. Well, so can we kind of talk a little bit more about who the leaders are in private aviation and kind of what sets them apart?

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Yeah. So again, getting into the subject of defining that luxury experience, you you arrive at the private jet portion of the airport, which is called the fixed base operator. It sounds really cold and really technical, but the fixed base operator can't is typically the that's the organization that is servicing, helping fuel. Um, they're like the concierge, basically, for all of the private aviators and the private jet owners and the companies that are servicing, you know, uh consumers who are flying private. So like NetJet and VistaJet, they have their own. So if you go to NetJet, if you fly through NetJet, it's all labeled NetJet. You walk in, it says NetJet, and they have a certain protocol and a certain service that goes along with that that is signature to them. Same for VistaJet. Um, the outsider, the third part company operating more like a concierge to many private jet owners and flyers, multiple brands. There's a waiting area, they they all have it. It's it's just sort of to how they do it, how they execute it. They have snacks, they have drinks, very curated experiences. Um, on the higher level, on the on the ones that are uh branded NetJet, Visa Jet, they'll have like European chocolates and champagne. It just depends on the brand and what they've decided to do. So it's from the time you book to the time you arrive and you check in, there's a certain experience that you expect to have with it, just like you would at a five-star hotel.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

That makes a lot of sense. Um, I know recently you flew Elevate Jet. So, how does Elevate Jet specifically exemplify the private jet experience?

SPEAKER_01 3:47

So we'll talk about um to your question, it just came back into my mind. The leaders in the private aviation right now. So NetJet, VistaJet, Elevate Jet are three top competitors. They are consistently in the news, they are consistently being spoken about. Um, NetJet's been around around for a while, BestaJet has been around for a while, um, and Elevate Jet. So I was just recently, in fact, the image behind me is the sushi that we were served on the jet. Wow, that's on Elevate. I rolled the hat, you know, climb in and have lunch. It was amazing. Um, it is the only jet company that is Uber for jets in this Uber for Jet space, which is how they want to be known and how they are really branding themselves. They also have the most commit competitive pricing. So, how are they Uber like? You can go to the app, you you pick your destination, you have an option, it's like a drop-down menu, um, of uh just like you would if you're booking an airline. Okay, these are the different jets that you have available for that day at that time that you want to fly, and then you choose your jet and you show up just like you would in an Uber. It also has they also have the most competitive pricing. So you can imagine, you know, the gas to go. Let's say it's New York to Miami. So you're basically starting at a three $13,000 one-way price. That's where you're starting. The one that I was in, where you see the lunch behind us, that was $25,000 for a one-way trip. It it changes by the day, it changes by the gas prices. But that's the point. They're they're consistently watching it 24-7 to see that they are competitive with the pricing with their competitors. Um, and they will pretty much always have the most competitive pricing. Um, so that's an important part of this. Another important part of this is just how you book. So when you go to some of their competitors, they're gonna give you a price. They're gonna say it's 17,000, it's $13,000. And it's gonna look like you're booking your jet. And it's even gonna say, like, you just booked your jet for that day and that time. But then after you get off of the app or however the website, however you booked it, somebody's gonna call you and they're gonna go over the reservation with you. Now, uh Neckjet has their own fleet of jets, that's their business model. But if they don't have enough jets for every booking that they have, obviously, that would be very expensive. Um, and as it is, they do have a healthy fleet of jets. But a broker is gonna call you, a salesperson is gonna call you, and that person is going to say, Oh, you know, I see you booked this and I see that you want this particular type of plane and it's $13,000. Unfortunately, that plane's not available on that route. I apologize. Um, we do have this other one, but that is $17,000. And that's intentional to just get you to pay more. Or we don't have that jet available at that time. But if you go an hour earlier or an hour later, it's $17,000. Whatever. And you can deny, decline, and then somebody else will call you. Like it'll just the process will just not be convenient, not be uber like. Whereas with Elevate, it's once and done. Once it says you're booked, you're booked. Once it says the price, you have the price. And that's a big, big deal. Uh, they're also very kind of hip and forward thinking, not only in the technology that they're using through their app and the convenience and the pricing and all of the things that they're doing to be really, really the most competitive in the market. They have the youngest female CMO in jet travel, Rowan Perun. And she is amazing. She's in her 30s, she's gorgeous. It's just like a very smart company with a very smart CMO who is really monitoring how they're doing business, how they're marketing their business, what their outreach looks like, and that they are the most competitive in the market. It's very impressive what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

That's so impressive, especially for someone so young to be at such a high position in a company that I feel like is uh creating so much evolution in the industry. So, speaking of evolution, uh you touched a little bit on this already, but how has private jet travel evolved in recent years?

SPEAKER_01 8:39

There are so many differences. Like if we go back 10 years ago, even five years ago, it was different. But people have always associated that private jet with money. I can't fly unless I have a lot of money. Um, it's not exactly that way anymore. So, first of all, uh, you know, it's becoming much more common to fly privately. It is becoming more accessible in terms of price and also in terms of convenience and the ability to book, like with Elevate, the ability to book quickly and conveniently for, for example, same-day travel. It is also involved in these shared rides. So there's a company out of Texas called JSX. And what they specialize in are these semi-private, they do have private flights where you can get your own jet, meaning you've basically rented it to go wherever, and it's just yours. So if there's eight seats, it's you and seven empty seats, or you can fill them with your friends and family. JSX, their sort of edge in the business is that they it's a shared ride. So let's say it has eight seats, and you just want one, or you just want two, you there could be six or seven other people on there, and each of them have done the same thing. The routes are there, um, but they're more limited. They're fixed, and the times when they go are fixed. So it might be that you could get to Miami on a Wednesday at 9 a.m. You can't come back until the next following week, Monday at 2 p.m. But for many, many people who want to fly privately and want the convenience of flying privately, that that's actually a great, that's actually great. So it's fixed flights, you share the flights. Um, but that model raises, brings the price way, way down. So, in that model, what's interesting about that model, and this is where it's becoming very democratized, is that you can get very close, if not nose to nose, with what you might pay to fly commercially in first class, for example, because it's typically people who are flying first class who or business work are going to book this ticket, as you as you would if you just went online and you went to AA.com and you priced it out, you know. So that's the difference. And that's sort of that's sort of that idea of like, well, why wouldn't I pay $200 more? Let's say it's $200 more. I don't have to go through TSA lines. I don't have to go, I don't have to wait for anything. I don't have to worry about my flight being canceled. It's it's because it's it's privately controlled. So it's so convenient. And then the other layer of this that is interesting, and this has been going on for a long time, is that you people see private flying as networking opportunities with people who are movers and shakers. So it's typically people who are um, you know, high-level chief marketing officers, entrepreneurs, business owners, could be a celebrity on the plane with you. And that idea, and town of country actually did an article on this last month about sort of the pros and cons of private jet travel and sort of what it has historically meant. And it has always been a model where you'll have very high-profile people who have private jets, but they will offer rides to their friends, they will share the rides with people. You know, it can also backfire. You could be somebody like, oh, I don't know, Bill Clinton, who was on a particular jet, can't remember the business he might have been doing. Um and once those records are received, you know, like everybody knows whose jet you were on. So you got it can backfire as well. But the idea that you share rides is not a new one. And there's all there's something very nice about being able to socialize and network while you're flying. So that shared experience can be really very profitable too.

SPEAKER_00 12:59

Yeah, no, totally. And it's so interesting because I never have viewed, I've never viewed airplanes or airports as a particular networking opportunity. So it's really interesting that companies like JSX are pioneering this whole um networking craze.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

It is. And when you think about it, when we fly commercially, some of us do talk to people next to us, but most of us don't want to.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

We just Most of us have our headphones plugged in, something, watching something. You're just I don't remember the last time I did, quite truthfully.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, you just want to get from A to B. Yeah. But yes, it is. You had to go through security, you probably took your sneakers off, yeah, your back is broken because you had to pick up the bag, you had to sit, and then you had to go, you know, like it's you don't have to do that when you fly. Um that's awesome privately, but the the the the different mindset of flying privately is I want to share. I want to share that because I might be next to you know, somebody who's good for my business, or I'm good for their business, or you know what I mean? Yeah. It's or a celebrity.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

So what come upcoming trends do you see in private jet travel?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

I see it becoming more crowded. More and more people are getting into private jet travel. I see it as being more versatile and more accessible to everyone, um, more convenient. You know, I think elevate is ahead of the curve in making this the real deal in terms of that Uber example, being able to book quickly, being able to book efficiently, um, knowing that the price is the price. It's locked in and that they have priced it out, you know, every hour to see what their competitors are. That, you know, they have people who are just checking to make sure that they give you the very most competitive price. So I see that happening. I also see it becoming more marketing-driven, um, experiential marketing specifically. So sponsored flights that you can take. I I see companies like large brands, let's take Coca-Cola, say, you know, coming out with their own version of private jet sponsored flights for people who are fans of Coca-Cola or want to buy swag or trying to get to a concert that's sponsored by them, I see it being much more integrated. Lots of in-flight gifts. I mean, it kind of makes sense that if you have a 1% audience or a well-heeled audience or a white-collar audience, uh, whether it's shared or totally private, that you're going to want to get your skincare line, your beauty line, your fashion line, whatever it is, in front of those people. So if I was creating the perfect private jet company and experience, if I was doing that, I would be sending you a list of brands to choose from. I would probably have already vetted which ones you like somehow through the system. And then I'd send you a list of brands and it would say to you, Maya, which of these brands would you be interested in learning more about on your flight? Well, I love Legends, you know, I love Veronica Beard, I love Simkai, I love Alo, I love Cut from the Cloth, whatever it is, they might be on there and you're gonna say, Oh, I'll I'll take these three. Well, then the jet company would contact those brands and say, for this private flight, they've chosen your brands, send a capsule collection, meaning three, four, no more than five pieces that they might want to choose from. You could have already have your size. You might spend, particularly if you're not sharing the flight, the flight, having your champagne, having your cheese and crackers, having your sushi, and trying on new pairs of jeans, trying on some new sneakers. You'll make the purchase right there. It'll all be done for you. You'll do it through the app, through the Elevate Jet app. You'll make the purchase. Everybody's gonna get their cut. And that just took your experience to a whole new level.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

I love that idea. So don't you love it?

SPEAKER_01 17:28

I mean, someone's gonna take my idea. You, Maya, this this is what you sniff. Because here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna put it up on my social media. You should put it on your social media, and then within 12 months, somebody is going to take that idea if they're not doing it already. I haven't seen that anybody is in my homework. Someone's gonna take it, and you and I are gonna both know it happened on caviar and candy. Paula came up with the idea.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

And this is all where it started. Exactly. You could 100%. I also really love that idea from you know, just thinking of me like from a PR perspective. I feel like people really, really like it. People like getting their hands on things.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

I do.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

And they like seeing them in person, even though we are, you know, we like to think of ourselves as a as becoming more digitized, which is true, and we are in a lot of ways, but also people miss analog and physical items. They like to go see it in person. They like to go, you know, explore all the options, look at the colors, look at the fabric, look at the the formulas. So I feel like that's a really smart idea, especially for these very um, as you were saying, like white-collar 1% crowds. Right. I feel like that would be a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

And it could also be sampling programs, you know. There, there are companies, I do think some do already to some extent, and certainly they'll do it in the um the lounge in the, you know, at the airport at the lounge. There are products there intentionally for you to try. I think we're gonna see a lot more of that. Um, and that is a an opportunity for the private jet company to charge just to get you samples of this lotion or that lotion on the flight. So I think the goodie bags are gonna be a big deal. Um, think about like too, a lot of these companies are flying whole networks of sports teams. And there's also this model where you could get on the flight with the team. So they might be selling a seat, but it could be that members of the team or the family members of the team or whatever are sharing that jet with you. So there's a lot of iterations of this. So, from that perspective, there's a whole lot of things that you could be sold from point A to point B. And with brands like, you know, Nordstrom Closet, um, I think there's an Amazon closet. There's a few of these that will send, you know, they have your credit card, they'll send you a box of clothes to choose from. You just keep what you want and send the others back. And through the app, you tell them I'm keeping this, this, this, and this. The model's already there. It's just now doing it through the private check company.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

That's so smart. I bet they could partner. I know um Stitch Fix is a huge brand. Um, my mom actually, she used to be subscribed to Stitch Fix, and she would always, she would love it, and she would find like one piece or two pieces every month that she really loved and send back the rest. So I feel like doing it on a private jet, which already it feels luxury, that would just take it a whole other level completely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

And you know what? The box of mail at back could be the right there. You don't take it with you. Because when you land, there's there is somebody already, like a flight attendant or concierge on the plane, plus two pilots. You always want two, by the way, but not one. You always want two. That's an important if you're booking privately, always make sure there's two pilots. There's a whole staff of people who can just you'll just put it in the back, handled back in the box, and they'll just mail it from the fixed-based operative. They'll just mail it back. You're done.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

That's expert.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

So expert. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

I know. I'm so like they they have to be, you know what? They need to contact me. Because if anyone is listening right now, just go to my Forbes column. My email is right there. Go to my Instagram, Polyconway NYC. And thank you for joining us on today's episode of Cat VR and Candy Podcast, exploring private jet travel. Join me right here for more episodes on luxury travel and lifestyle. And follow Paula Conway on Instagram at Polyconway NYC. You can also read my Forbes column, and my email is right there, and it's public. So if you want to hire me to consult, I'm available.