EUROPEAN JET MEMBERSHIPS COMPARED PREPARED FOR AIR PARTNER, PLC GATWICK, UNITED KINGDOM SEPTEMBER 2017 Conklin & de Decker 62B Cranberry Hwy PO Box 1142 Orleans, MA 02653 T 508-255-5975 F 508-255-9380 www.conklindd.com
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Contents Introduction High Level Overview Air Partner JetCard NetJets Europe VistaJet Flexibility Compared 4 5 6 7 9 Jet Card Memberships Compared 3
Introduction Air Partner is a global aviation services company offering a jet membership program called JetCard in both Europe and US. The company is looking for an unbiased review of their jet membership with that of some of their main European based competitors: NetJets Europe, and VistaJet. To that end, the general requirements are: A high-level review of the programs Comparison of costs Comparison on aircraft types available Comparison of contract particulars such as booking restrictions, added fees, etc. to focus on the programs flexibility and guarantees. Some comparative items include: Ability to interchange aircraft categories Ability to switch between on-demand charter and JetCard rates Global coverage Do flight hours expire? Fully refundable account balances are balances refundable at any time, without exit penalty? Information was derived from Conklin & de Decker research, the respective companies web sites and mystery shopper data. The information used was current as of August 2017. Note: JetCard is used by the Air Partner program while the other programs use jet card as two words. We used jet membership for the purpose of this study. 4 Jet Card Memberships Compared
Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. Air Partner JetCard The Company is structured into four primary divisions: Private Jets, Commercial Jets (20+ passengers), Freight, and Consulting & Training. The Commercial Jets division includes Air Partner Remarketing, while Consulting & Training comprises the aviation safety consultancies Baines Simmons and Clockwork Research. Headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK, Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is also ISO 9001:2008 compliant. Air Partner strives to maintain the highest standards of service to its clients, and faces significant competition in the UK, Europe and North America. Pre-purchased flight time starting at 25 hours Your choice of six private jet categories with guaranteed availability Fully refundable account balances with no exit penalty Flight credit that never expires No monthly management fees or long-term contracts No peak-day restrictions in Europe Round-trip discounts of 15% on qualifying return trips The freedom to apply JetCard funds towards on-demand charter Air Partner offers JetCard coverage from very light jets to global business jets Jet Card Memberships Compared 5
NetJets Europe is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and a sister to their US NetJets program. NetJets Europe offers a fractional ownership program as well as their Private Jet Card. NetJets Europe The Private Jet Card program is based on the US Marquis Card. NetJets aircraft tend to be newer models and thus, the card program aircraft are also newer models, typically less than 10 years old. General features are: Locked in rate for a year Five jet aircraft sizes range from light jets to global business jets Guaranteed aircraft availability Can use NetJets US aircraft when in the US Unused hours can be applied to a subsequent Jet Card Fuel cost adjustment applies in addition to hourly rate 6 Jet Card Memberships Compared
VistaJet is a private jet membership program with major operations in Europe and the US. The offer traditional on demand charter plus pre-paid programs. They are somewhat unique in that VistaJet owns all of the aircraft they offer. VistaJet Jet Aviation is the primary operator of the VistaJet fleet. Currently they operate over 70 Bombardier products from Challenger 350 super mid-size jets to Global 6000. The global aircraft do require a minimum three-hour billing. All of these aircraft were purchased new by VistaJet and have Vista-branded paint colors and common interiors in each type of jet. Additional costs may apply, such as landing and handling charges. These are payable monthly in arrears. VistaJet recently announced the elimination of all positioning fees worldwide. VistaJet Direct is a pre-paid product that has an initial fee of USD $40,000 and an annual fee of USD $10,000 per year thereafter. All of the annual fees are applied to jet travel. Pricing is based US Dollars. General features are: Deposits are refundable and do not expire Up to 20% of the annual hours can be rolled over into the next year Best pricing requires seven-day advanced notice for a premium, they offer as little as 24-hours advance Jet categories ranging in size from super mid-size to global jets One-way pricing may be available depending on destination No peak travel restrictions Jet Card Memberships Compared 7
Flexibility Compared We selected 11 characteristics to compare these programs. Some or all may be important to a potential client whose air travel needs may change over time. One area not listed is Quality of Service. We found no single reference that has done customer surveys of all these programs. 1. Interchange: If you purchase a jet membership in one category, can you upgrade to a larger aircraft, or downgrade to a smaller aircraft? If yes, are there extra fees other than an exchange ratio (swap hours based on ratio of hourly cost)? 2. Can you choose newer aircraft? Does the provider offer the ability to limit your trips to newer model aircraft only? 3. Round-trip discounts? Are there discounts if you fly round trip on or near the same day (out-and-back)? 4. Can you use the jet membership funds for on-demand charter? Can the monies in the card be applied to an on-demand charter? 5. Can the card be used for travel globally? 6. Do the hours or jet membership expire if you do not to use all the hours/funds? 7. Are the unused hours or account balances completely refundable? 8. How long are the rates guaranteed? 9. Some of these programs have peak travel days. Is there an added charge for travel on these days? 10. What is the guaranteed minimum response time to book a trip? 11. Is the company publicly traded? Financial reports are published for public companies. This can help a customer determine the financial stability of a company. The table on the next page shows each program. 8 Jet Card Memberships Compared
JETCARD AIR PARTNER NETJETS EUROPE VISTAJET Interchange Aircraft Categories Choose newer aircraft? Round Trip Discounts? Can use card funds for charter, too? NA Global coverage? EU / North America Hours Expire? 18 Months Unused funds refundable? Rates guaranteed? No Increase Peak Travel Surcharge? None in Europe Response Time (hrs) 24 10 24 hours to 7 days Public Company? Air Partner funds are fully refundable with rates fixed for the life of the hours which never expire. Air Partner offers global coverage and as such the funds can be used for on demand charter. These funds can be used to charter aircraft ranging from turboprops to global business jets and helicopters. VistaJet offers global coverage and is based on US Dollars. For 24-hour advanced booking, a premium applies. There is a requirement to use your funds within a timeframe although you may rollover 20%. The quality of their aircraft is well respected but the program does not include all costs, or allow for guaranteed rates. NetJets Europe is only tied into their US-based Nets Jets program. Their response time is the quickest of the three at 10 hour minimum. You must fly your hours within a set time frame or else these may be lost. The rates are not fully inclusive and are not refundable. Of these major jet membership programs, Air Partner has the lowest base costs (when all costs are taken into account), the most flexible terms, and is the only one that is fully refundable. Air Partner offers an impressive JetCard program worthy of anyone s consideration. Jet Card Memberships Compared 9