A new internet-based private jet operation which aims to "democratise" the business aviation market made its official debut on 15 August.
The business, entitled Victor, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Clive Jackson. It claims to provide total transparency for anyone looking to charter an aircraft, as well as making business jet travel more "affordable and accessible".
Since its soft launch in March this year, it has attracted 309 members. They are able to search for and book flights online through Victor's 22 partner aircraft operators, with a claimed total fleet of 200 aircraft.
In the case of excess capacity on a flight, operators can sell seats to the site's other members, receiving 70% of the sale price as a refund and driving the overall charter cost down. Seat prices are in-line with business- or first-class rates offered by scheduled airlines.
Jackson said the business was created because of dissatisfaction with the "black art" of booking a jet through existing methods.
"I wanted something that would deliver from a consumer perspective," he said. "Victor provides all the information so the consumer can make an informed choice."
Fleet and aircraft details of all the jets operated by its partner companies are visible, so a customer could even choose between travelling on a newer or older aircraft, he said.
"We are going to upset the brokers, jet card operators and the fractional [ownership] market. But we are not here to ruffle feathers, we want to build something from a consumer perspective that really works."
He said the site will be good for operators as it will "drive up bookings and traffic and [operators] will fly more aircraft".
Victor claims to offer 441,000 route pairings covering 940 different airports across Europe. Jackson said he plans to roll the model out to the USA in the first quarter of 2012. India and China are also future target markets, he said.
Source: Flight International
