Area served Worldwide Website jetsmarter.com Founded November 2012 Total assets 1.6 billion USD | Key people Sergey Petrossov (CEO) Founder Sergey Petrossov Headquarters Fort Lauderdale Type Privately held company | |
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Industry Transportation, Aviation Profiles | ||
Jetsmarter the uber of air travel
JetSmarter is a mobile marketplace for private jet charter that operates globally and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company uses a smart phone application to connect passengers and air carriers to chartered flights. Over 3,000 aircraft are available for booking through JetSmarter’s mobile app.
Contents
- Jetsmarter the uber of air travel
- Why jay z invested in jetsmarter the uber of the sky
- History
- Services
- Partnership
- References
Why jay z invested in jetsmarter the uber of the sky
History
JetSmarter was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Sergey Petrossov, whose idea made him one of Forbes' 30 under 30 business leaders of 2016. In August 2012, the beta-version was launched and tested among a closed group of private aviation users. After testing proved successful, Petrossov sought and received substantial venture funding to expand JetSmarter’s scope.
In March 2013, the JetSmarter app was launched and made available to the general public on both iOS and Android devices.
In June 2015, JetSmarter announced its new European Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. In early 2016, it launched flights between Europe. According to Business Insider and TechCrunch JetSmarter has raised $20 million from the Saudi Royal Family, American rapper Jay-Z, American serial entrepreneur and investor Wayne Chang, and investment bank Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. In total, Jetsmarter raised $56 million since its inception and has offices in Zürich, London, Moscow, Dubai, Riyadh and Fort Lauderdale.
In December, 2016, JetSmarter announced it had raised an additional $105 million at a $1.6 billion valuation. The company said this will fuel international expansion and add at least 80 more routes to its existing 50 routes.
Services
The JetSmarter application connects passengers and private air carriers. Upon selecting the flight, users are able to view a photo of the plane they chose as well as its safety and flight records. Depending on the flight and the number of passengers, chartering a private plane can be comparable in price or less expensive than conventional commercial air travel.
The JetSmarter app allows passengers to search for and set up alerts for empty leg flights leaving their chosen cities. According to their official website JetSmarter provides three categories of services JetCharter, JetDeals and JetShuttle within the apps.
JetSmarter has 3,000 private jets and 2,000 free empty legs per month. In January 2016, Chicago Tribune reported JetSmarter has launched app-based private charter service in Chicago, using Midway International Airport as its access point. Adding to its services, the company offers helicopter rides from heliports in New York City to the airport in White Plains, NY.
In February, 2017, management of JetSmarter offered free flights to reporters of various websites but it included one significant proviso: the reporter had to submit his credit card number and promise to submit an adequately lengthy "puff piece" to his publisher which must be published within five days of his flight. If the story did not appear within that timeline, the reporter's credit card would be charged $2,000. This move called into question reviews of the company.
Partnership
JetSmarter partners with various air carriers that span the range of the private charter industry. Carriers can use the same app as customers to manage their inventory in real-time from mobile devices and fill their flights instantly.