Car sharing is becoming an increasingly popular form of transport for many environmentally conscious travellers, either to and from work, or cross-country. In a similar vein, jet sharing is a new trend that offers the luxury of air charter services but at a fraction of the price.
Not all private jet companies offer a jet sharing service but those that do allow the travellers the opportunity to fly private amongst other individuals who wish for a relaxing and luxurious flight but not quite be able to afford it alone. Distributing the cost of chartering a private jet is more affordable for everyone, and also more eco-friendly. For the many people who don't want to fly in an almost empty jet this is a great form of transport.
The major drawback is that travellers aren't able to pick and choose who they fly with, much like a normal commercial flight, who you sit next to is luck of the draw, but it's still going to be far more comfortable and accommodating than flying with in a commercial airplane. Also on the plus side is that it's likely you'll be sharing with someone of similar disposition, habits and situation as jet sharing attracts a certain type of individual, and is still made up of a small pocket of the public.
An additional benefit that's attracting travellers to this form of air travel is that the flyer, or the individual who first booked the air charter service, doesn't have to book their private plane through the specific provider. Rather, the bookers of private jets simply book their charter and then list the seating available for an appropriate price on a specially designed web site that advertises jet sharing. This collaborative effort obviously helps cover the price of their private jet. The travellers that are happy to use one of the empty seats pay via the specific jet sharing website, then as you would with a normal airline, you check in at the departure airport, complete the security checks and you're ready to board your private jet.
Jet sharers can purchase their chartered private jet experience by the seat, exactly as the bookers can sell them by the seat. On average, private jets can seat between 8 to 15 people, so a single person flying on a private jet could contribute approximately 100 per cent of the price of their flight simply by permitting strangers to fly with them. Travellers can also meet the price of paying for the empty flight.
It's often the case that the significant cost of private jet hire puts many people off the fantastic experience, but this new trend for jet sharing could change all that. A more collaborative and sociable way to fly through the skies in luxury.
Zac Colbert writes on a range of aviation topics from sustainable planes and airports of the future, to private jet charter and luxury modes of transport.
