With personal drivers available on demand, it was only a matter of time before private pilots would be too. And thanks to an influx of cash that charter company JetSmarter just received, booking one will soon be easier than ever.
According to Business Insider, JetSmarter recently announced a $20 million investment they've received from notables like Jay Z, the Saudi Royal Family and executives from Twitter and Goldman Sachs.
The funds will go to expanding the offerings on their namesake app, which allows users to hitch a ride in someone else's
private plane, a concept that has garnered comparisons to the ride-sharing app Uber.
JetSmarter founder, Sergey Petressov, told Business Insider that 5,000 hours of
flight time each year are empty planes en route to their starting destination.
JetSmarter aims to connect travelers to those flights as well as other
chartered flights that have empty seats.
An annual membership to the service costs $9,000 and gives the user unlimited access to those already-scheduled flights. Members also receive
discounts on the more expensive, customized flights. Non-members can still buy
the already-scheduled flights on an individual basis.
Recent fundraising will be used to expand JetSmarter's
flight options, Petrossov told Business Insider, saying he could see all air travel
being private in the future. "People fly private so they don't have to go
through the airport," he said. "You can show up five minutes before the flight,
park your car right next to the jet, and then just get on your flight."
JetSmarter is available for iOS and Android.
