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Before Jet Token’s newest HondaJet Elite could lift off the runway on delivery day, the company had pre-sold its jet card capacity. Jet Token is one of two options for the public to buy shares in a pure-play private aviation company and to get behind the COVID-related private travel boom. The other option, Wheels Up Experience, Inc. UP is a recent SPAC deal that has a fleet primarily of propeller planes, whereas Jet Token is focused solely on jets, the HondaJet Elite/S in particular.
A recent study from McKinsey and Co. showed that 1.5 million new private flyers have come to market when there are simply no planes to spare. Most manufacturers and large fractional programs have waits of a year or more. At the time of this writing, Jet Token still has fractional shares available for sale.
The world can produce about 800 private aircraft per year, with an inventory of about 11,000 truly private and otherwise inaccessible jets and 3,500 or so available on charter or fractional ownership programs. That is to say, 3,500 jets were available before the demand shock (or perhaps a permanent shift in demand) that has created waitlists for fractions and whole aircraft alike.
Photo: From left to right, Founder Mike Winston, Head of Sales Brenda Paauwe-Navori and CEO George Murnane - photo taken at the HondaJet delivery center in Greensboro, NC - HondaJet Elite SN181 pictured in background
While it’s straightforward to book travel on airlines like American Airlines Group Inc. AAL, Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL, Southwest Airlines Co. LUV, and United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL, private jet travel is neither widely understood nor intuitive to access.
Founded in 2018, Jet Token wants to make private jet service more open and easily accessible to all — like Uber Technologies Inc. UBER transformed the ridesharing industry. However, as founder Mike Winston is quick to point out, planes are different from cars and therefore a comparison to Uber, while intuitively helpful, does not truly reflect the complexities of aircraft sharing. Specifically, one can get away with not having a car and instead rely on Uber, but when it comes to airplanes - the supply demand imbalance at certain points each year - makes such an approach unrealistic. This explains the existence of private jet membership programs such as Jet Token that, in addition to an uber-like feature, also offer blocks of guaranteed time for those willing to purchase in advance and/or buy a partial interest in an aircraft.
The company makes it possible for people to book its HondaJets or (in a normal demand environment) any one of 4,000 jets on their marketplace — including one of the most extensive safety vetted open fleet of private aircraft in the country.
Through its iOS/Android app, Jet Token envisions a time when travelers will be able to use one app to book a private jet, a commercial airline ticket, or both all on the same itinerary.
Experience in the Air and on the Ground
The company states that driving its business model is a passionate team with years of experience in the aviation industry. The company’s board includes former senior officers from Embraer SA EMBR, FlexJet by Bombardier Inc. BBD, IAF, and the founders of GoGo Jet and Myjets.com.
George Murnane, Jet Token’s CEO, highlighting what the company believes is its unique advantage, said in an interview, “If you fly from London to Palm Springs, CA and go private all the way, you’re looking at a cost of $110,000, but if you book it through us, you can fly first class to Los Angeles and then pick up one of our jets for the rest of the way. Altogether, it’ll only set you back $16,500 instead of $110,000.”
Photo: George Murnane, CEO of Jet Token, Photo taken at Cirrus Aviation, Las Vegas, NV 2021
Murnane has over 30 years of experience in aviation and is a pilot with commercial, instrument, and multi-engine ratings. He spent 5 years at the International Airline Support Group and served as the chief operating officer of Atlas Air. After spells at Mesa Air Group Inc. MESA, VistaJet, and Amiral Holdings, he was recruited to become CEO of ImperialJet. He joined Jet Token in 2019 after seven years of running Imperial Jet, a European private jet charter company with its own fleet.
The Million Dollar Arm
Photo: Brenda Paauwe-Navori, Member of Jet Token Board of Advisors and Head of Sales
Another key member of Jet Token’s team is Brenda Paauwe-Navori, Head of Sales and member of the Advisory Board. Brenda is an aviation and space veteran with over 25 years of senior leadership at global industry giants such as Embraer Aircraft Inc., Antilles Genot & Partners, Virgin Group, and Bombardier Aviation. In 2014, her life’s journey helped inspire the Disney movie Million Dollar Arm, starring John Hamm, Suraj Sharma, and Alan Arkin.
Don’t get left behind
Jet Token is one of two options for the public to buy shares in a pure play private aviation company and to get behind the COVID related private travel boom. At the time of this writing, Jet Token still has fractional shares available for sale.
Disclaimer: While Jet Token may plan to begin preparing for a public listing, we have not taken any additional steps toward a public listing beyond reservation of the ticker symbol, and there can be no guarantee that such an offering will take place. Even if the company is publicly listed, there is also no guarantee that an active market for trading shares will develop or be sustained.
The ongoing Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular and Risks related to this offering before investing.
The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. Benzinga may receive monetary compensation from the issuer, or its agency, for publicizing the offering of the issuer’s securities. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. This is a paid ad. Please see 17b disclosure linked in the campaign page for more information.
For more information you can always reach a live US based Jet Token Inc. representative 24/7 at 1-866-694-0014 and be sure to visit https://www.jettoken.com/investors.
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