Subscription-based services have fast become the norm, with services like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime and Graze now an integral part of everyday life for many. But what if you applied the ‘all you can eat’ subscription model to a private jet?
SurfAir is doing just that, offering its customers as many private jet journeys as they can take for just £1,750 per month – or £58 per day. Considering many people spend similar amounts on season tickets and train journeys on the UK’s expensive rail networks, it may look like a bargain to some people.
SurfAir membership offers unlimited flights to and from London Luton, Cannes, Geneva, Milan and Zurich, with additional European cities expected to be added to the roster in the coming months. There will be just eight clients on each flight, and the interiors will be as luxurious as you might imagine, with leather seats, work counters and two friendly pilots on every journey.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages is gaining access to a private terminal, meaning subscribers can skip the arduous process of going through a regular airport. Check-in, luggage and security are all carried out in the private terminal, which means no lengthy queues and no long waits to be patted down by a security agent.
SurfAir has already made a success of its subscription model in the US, serving almost twenty American destinations from hubs in California and Texas. The service intends to make flying effortless, rather than stressful.
JetSmarter is another company aiming to make flying a breeze. Described as ‘the Uber of private jets’, the company offers a $15,000 per year subscription service, where you can take unlimited shuttle flights between London, Paris, Nice, Geneva, Ibiza, Moscow and Milan. For journeys that are longer than three hours, JetSmarter customers must pay a surcharge – or they can use the app to charter a private jet immediately, to a destination of their choosing.
Will subscription-based flight packages take off, bridging the gap between the uber-wealthy and the just-plain-rich? Only time will tell – but with both SurfAir and JetSmarter adding extra cities to their roster and regular air travel costs from the UK set to increase as a result of Brexit, it’s looking likely that this model will find some traction.
