How $99 saved me $10k on a private jet flight

Oh great I might hear you say - a founder self-promoting his own product.  Well sure, I am promoting my own product, but what I experienced is also available to our growing JetShare membership.  For a one-time payment of $99, our members get access to selected private jet and helicopter flights at a fraction of the cost.

Here is my experience.

Ten second booking

Once I become a member I was able to view all available private jet flights including unique packages.  I found an Essendon - Brisbane flight on the eight-seat Cessna Citation Sovereign.  With a full-ticked price of $15k+ it was listed for $5k.  Divide that by the eight seats and the price is comparable to a business class ticket.  I would soon realise that business class doesn't even come close to flying private.

To book I simply clicked 'Book Trip', my credit card was charged and my reservation confirmed by email.  I was now in direct contact with the operator and could request additional services should I require them.

The flight

On the day of the flight I drove up to the operator's executive lounge about 15 minutes prior to the listed departure time.  After a quick bathroom stop I was escorted to my plane just outside the hanger.  Although we had a set departure time, we were slightly delayed as we had a few latecomers due to the Tullamarine Freeway traffic.  The big difference here was how calm the crew were.  No stress, no need to sprint through crowds, embarrassingly being called out over the PA and subsequently refused boarding.  This was an incredible feeling I wasn't used to after flying commercial all these years.

No boarding passes here, I picked the nicest looking seat (well, they all looked amazing).  My six feet seven inch frame was no problem with ample legroom. The flight attendant gave her safety briefing and within minutes we were climbing out of the terrible Melbourne weather bound for sunny Queensland.

Along the way we were served premium drinks, cheese, muffins and more.  Mid flight I made my way to the cockpit to have another chat with the crew and take in the beautiful view from the pointy end of the jet.

A little under two hours later we were touching down in Brisbane and came to a rest at the jet lounge well away from the crowds, queues and terminals.

Paying $99 gave me access to this?

Upon reflection it was clear that this was the identical level of service that I would have received paying full price.  The reason why this trip was discounted by 66% was due to it being a repositioning flight for a subsequent charter the following day.  I had to be flexible with my schedule, depart by a certain time and, of course, if the full paying charter was cancelled I would receive a full refund and have had to settle for the commercial airlines to get to Brisbane.  A little flexibility gave me a new insight to a product that is usually reserved for the top 0.1% of income earners.

How on earth can I fly commercial again?

Note:  The operators will hate me for discussing the calm around the delayed departure.  Flying into major airports can pose issues with slots and we were lucky to make up time en route.  Please arrive on time, it'll make your flight even more enjoyable.

If you want the full 'my plane leaves when I want it to' experience you're going to love a feature we'll be releasing in the coming months.