Travel is seen much more as a necessity now than a luxury and people travel to various destinations every day and as often as possible. How do you think catch-a-jet plays a crucial role in someone accessing this facility?
From the day we started developing Catch-a-Jet, customer has been our starting point. Nowadays, customers want to have a quick overview of which flights are available and be able to book and pay with the lowest effort. In that way, Catch-a-jet makes the overall experience to be simple and efficient.
What’s your vision/ mission/strategy behind Catch a Jet?
We aim to make flying in a private jet available and affordable to many who never thought that they can fly in a private jet. Empty leg flights are an affordable and easily accessible luxury, which is like a dream come true for such people.
How does catch-a-jet connect the travelers searching for a private jet and the empty-leg flights of private jet operators?
Marketing is one of the biggest challenges while trying to reach customers who are unaware that they most likely can afford an empty-leg flight. However, before going live with marketing, it is essential to have as many flights available as possible, so that the chances to get a match on any desired route are as high as possible.
Being a digital platform connecting customers and operators of private jets, how have you made it possible to provide the complete luxury, style, and comfort that one can expect from a private jet flying. How have you achieved this success by standing out from offer platforms who offer the same kind of service?
Apps that offer flights with private jets have been available since 2017. When we started Catch-a-Jet, we completed a lot of research and looked carefully at which platforms were already available; which are or have been successful and which are not; and we’ve talked to many operators, brokers, and customers.
As an outcome, we decided to have the lowest threshold possible for both the operators and the customers. Operators don’t have to pay us anything until a flight has been sold and adding flights to our platform has completely been automated.
Customers don’t have to register or become a member to book a flight, rather they can simply download the app, search for flights, book, and pay under a minute. As Empty-leg customers tend to be a bit younger, they can pay for the flights by credit card, PayPal, and most European online banking methods.
What’s the strategy behind letting a passenger book an entire private jet just for oneself and leaving the decision to the booked passenger to bring the fellow passengers as per their wish?
Our philosophy is that flying in a private jet should remain private.
Are there any seasonal discounts that you offer that attracted the travelled passengers to book these private jets more frequently?
We have no control over the price, this is all decided for and managed by the operators.
Does Catch-a-Jet own airplanes, employ crew, complete maintenance, plan flights, etc.?
No, we are only a digital marketplace.
Empty Leg flights can be up to 75% cheaper than regular chartered private jet flights. With the industry facing a higher fuel cost, it is predicted that the prices will go up from here; when the prices go up, how are you going to handle offering it at a cheaper rate? What kind of hedges do you have for the future?
We are only a digital marketplace and don’t own and/or operate aircraft. Any decisions/issues related to cost and prices fall under the complete remit of the operators.
At present, you offer luxury private jets with a discount up to 75% compared to normal charter prices. Don’t you think your prices are lagging the prices of the competitors?
We have no control over the prices, this falls completely under the remit of the operator. Some operators reduce the price the moment the departure date and time get closer. We have seen prices as low as EUR.500 for the whole aircraft though!
How do you ensure the highest level of safety for your passengers from your operators, as per the aviation legislation? How often are the audits conducted to ensure full compliance with all aviation legislation and its requirements?
Every partner operator of ours holds an Air Operators Certificate (AOC). Hence, they not only meet the regularity aviation requirements but also continuously demonstrate that they maintain these requirements and standards.
Aviation authorizes mandatory auditing through operator. However, in some cases, this gets done on an ad-hoc basis. A part of the AOC is Safety Management System (SMS) which clearly describes the required safety standards.
As a CEO, what’s your stake in this business. What’s your feeling behind this venture so far?
I, Chris Kuiper, am the CEO and founder of Catch-a-Jet;
however, we are a group of 4 investors in totally. We all strongly believe in a successful future where, we want to keep things simple and the overall cost low. Therefore, we subcontract many activities instead of hiring staff permanently.
What’s the secret behind making the customers say, “Catch a Jet is the best”? The feedback that we have received from our customers has been overwhelming! Most often the simplicity and efficiency are appreciated!
Company: Catch a Jet
Name: Chris Kuiper, CEO
Contact: +31 6 12 04 75 04
Website: www.catch-a-jet.com