Written by Chris Thomas, Senior Sales Director, JetCard by Air Partner
What is a jet card?
The term “jet card” is rarely used within Europe, making it challenging to understand its intricacies. Sifting through the contracts of the few available options to find the one that perfectly suits your own needs can be difficult.
Having been lucky enough to call Air Partner home for near on 15 years, where I have spent that time solely focused on our own JetCard offering - advising our members new and old on the right block hour programme - I want to share with you a few scenarios where I feel our JetCard by Air Partner membership has the edge within the wider market.
How do I know if a jet card is right for me?
First and foremost, let’s take some time to understand the history and experience each offering brings to the table. Air Partner boasts over 60 years of trading history plus almost two decades of providing a jet card solution that is not only unique but is the only all-inclusive offering available.
The breadth of our services covers all the core areas of aviation and the standards we work to are industry leading. For example, one of our sister companies here in the UK is Baines Simmons who specialise in all aspects of aviation safety and consulting, from compliance and safety management to crew training.
Baines Simmons has partnered with more than 750 aviation organisations and 40 aviation authorities around the world and led a comprehensive range of regulatory, compliance and safety improvement programmes, which have developed the skills and expertise of more than 120,000 aviation professionals across all sectors of the industry. Their support is a significant component of our success, and they are one of the key pillars within the organisation to ensure all aspects of safety, operations, and compliance are consistently overachieved.
Next, in my experience, especially when looking at a first move into a programme, one should make sure the contract and membership as a whole is stacked in your favour. Ensure that it’s flexible and allows you to control your own private flying without being penalised. It’s here that you begin to understand that each offering does differ, with some far more rigid than others.
This is when JetCard by Air Partner begins to separate itself from the pack, with its all-inclusive pricing model, flexible yet guaranteed contractual terms and consistent availability and pricing all year round.
Our industry is littered with peak day premiums and, even in some cases, blackout periods. These tend to be set by operators who are somewhat protecting their fractional member’s availability. These dates are often set during the peak summer travel season, key sporting events and school holidays.
With Air Partner there are no such restrictions, penalties, and premiums. Members fly using the same all-inclusive rate 365 days of the year. It’s a huge reason why we see families that are beholden to flying during school holidays turn to us over any other provider, as they can seamlessly book flights without the headache of juggling diaries, in the hope of avoiding a premium peak day.
Further comparison tends to centre around pricing and what is an all-inclusive model.
Why a jet card as opposed to fractional ownership?
Historically, private jet card memberships and fractional ownership models offer an occupied hourly rate, but with variable cost add-ons, which are only shared post-flight. These include (but are not limited to) such costs as fuel surcharges, high-density airports, pet fees, depreciation, management fees, passenger tax, and de-icing.
With Air Partner it has always been straightforward, providing a fixed hourly rate that is truly inclusive of all the above and offering transparency with a fixed pre-flown price and no post-flight invoices.
Why JetCard by Air Partner?
There are other key drivers that would always have me recommend Air Partner, whether that be as an alternative, first programme move and even in some cases supplementary.
One of these drivers is the ability to upgrade and downgrade through a variety of cabin categories. Passenger numbers and routes do change, and with that members need to be able to upgrade to larger aircraft to accommodate this. There are few offerings available that allow this, and even fewer that do so without imposing penalties or restrictions.
Air Partner offers guaranteed availability on all cabin categories from Light to Global, all of which have their own fixed all-inclusive rate.
What I can share is that JetCard by Air Partner members applaud how our team works closely with core operating partners to make sure you have the right aircraft and operating partner for every flight.
With new aircraft models consistently being purchased by our core 24 operators, now is a great time to allow our team to hand pick the aircraft that works for your needs, rather than only having access to a single operator’s fleet, which naturally ages over time, and as suggested has limitations.
I have always said there is a time and a place for an operator, and it’s not every time, with some specialising in winter destinations, others summer and others when specialist crew and runway performance is needed.
My belief is that JetCard by Air Partner truly adds value to one’s aviation portfolio, whatever the need.
For more information, request a conversation today.
