Invitation-Only Private Jet App FlyWith Lets You Share Your Flights
Let’s set the scene. You’ve arrived at the FBO, gearing up to board your private jet charter, when you run into a friend in the lounge, who just so happens to have booked a different aircraft to your exact destination. Or perhaps you’ve shown up at a conference in New York, and you bump into an old colleague—and both of you flew private to get there. And you can replace “conference” with “event” or “wedding” and your feeling is likely the same: wishing that you knew of your pal’s plans ahead of time, so you could’ve coordinated your travel, both to make the trip that much more enjoyable and, of course, to split the cost.
Now there’s an app for that. FlyWith is hoping to fill all those empty seats in the private-aviation market, a common occurrence on planes flying around in the industry. Instead of letting your private jet take off with just, well, you, the new invitation-only company gives you the ability to share flights with your pals before you even step onboard that Gulfstream, taking care of handling payments, selecting your jet, and everything in between. And Robb Report got an exclusive first look at the membership program and the app behind it.
“We refer to as serendipity, right? Knowing where your friends are going before they actually go,” Brian Corbett, FlyWith’s CEO, tells us. “With all other social networks today, you know where people are when they’re there because they’re sharing, or you know where they’ve been because they share when they get back. This way [with the app], you can actually maybe take a trip that you weren’t even imagining going to.”
Stepping aboard a private jet.
FlyWith
Guy Oseary, the cofounder of venture-capital firm Sound Ventures, brought FlyWith to life, bringing on Corbett to act as the chief executive. Corbett cut his teeth in the world of luxury hospitality at brands like Inspirato and Exclusive Resorts before jumping into private aviation as the leader of infrastructure company Ross Aviation. And when the idea of FlyWith came about, he was shocked to learn it wasn’t a thing.
“The first question I asked Guy Oseary when we talked, when he first introduced the concept, was, ‘Are you sure that this doesn’t already exist? It makes so much sense.’ And sure enough, it didn’t exist,” Corbett says.
The social element here is key, whether it be with friends or, perhaps, some networking in the skies; around 40 percent of fliers say they’d like to share private flights, per FlyWith, and so the new app taps into that market via one membership platform. Here, you have three different ways to fly. First up is Host, which means you are chartering a jet and deciding how to share it with your fellow members. You can opt to open it up to just your friends, your mutual friends, or all members on the FlyWith app. From there, you can decide how you’d like to share the seats on the cabin—like choosing to keep four seats for yourself and put four seats up for grabs, in a bundle—or you can make individual spots available on the jet. Then, FlyWith will do the math for you, splitting costs per seat (or you can change the price to whatever you’d like). The second flight option is Join, which includes your perusal of the interface to join flights hosted by other members. Last but not least comes Propose, where you can gather interest from other members before booking the trip.
As for aircraft, FlyWith has also partnered up with Executive Jet Management (owned by NetJets), tapping into its expansive fleet to carry its clients to their various destinations. That includes super midsize and large-cabin aircraft, typically with eight to 10 seats with plenty of room to spare. Since the company is filling what Corbett calls a “white space” in the industry, they believe that it will be embraced by operators and private fliers alike.
Inside an Executive Jet Management (EJM) large-cabin jet.
“We’ve always known that FlyWith does not replace the ways our members access private aviation today,” he says. “So if you own your own jet, if you own a fraction of a jet, if you have a jet card, if you charter, we complement those for the times when sharing the experience and cost is better.”
As for where the members come from, FlyWith has partnered up with private clubs and brands such as Discovery Land Company, Zero Bond, Crane Club, and more to build out its circle of clientele via their vetting processes. Potential members will be tapped from those in that pool, and from there they can join the FlyWith fold. Of course, there’s a chance you could be flying with someone you’ve never met, should you opt to do so in the app, which may seem a bit off-putting to some. But FlyWith has strict community guidelines in place for conduct before, during, and after the flight and Corbett says he doesn’t expect problems, though they are prepared, should any conflicts arise.
In a sneak peek of the app’s interface, we found it’s as straightforward to book a jet as, say, an Airbnb. The app is easy to navigate, with existing flights ready and waiting for you to join right on the home page. Users can create a profile—opting to make their information viewable for other members, or just friends they’ve added, too, choosing your level of privacy. To craft a private-jet flight of your own, head to the “Book” tap on the bottom toolbar, and you’ll be brought to the calendar, where you can pick your departure date, departure airport and arrival airport of your choice in your destination, and time of takeoff. Another unique feature is the ability to get an instant price quote and confirm a jet’s availability in just a few taps on your phone.
FlyWith has been trialing its program with members since August, completing the very first test flights earlier this month—“our integrations with our partners were seamless, even down to the special request of glass bottles and no plastic on the plane,” Corbett says. The program will officially launch in October, with pricing and more details shared upon receiving an invite. For now, FlyWith will operate in North America, but it has its eyes on what’s ahead. “Once we nail North America, which we think will happen very quickly, international expansion is in the road map,” Corbett says.
