• Responding to Owner Demand, One in Five Flexjet Pilots Now Part of Crews Dedicated to a Single Aircraft Under Red Label
• No Other Fractional Provider Assigns Flight Crews to a Single Private Jet

CLEVELAND, October 11, 2016Flexjet LLC, offering travelers access to the world’s most luxurious fleet of private jets, today announced that more than 150 Flexjet pilots have volunteered to become Red Label crew members assigned to a single aircraft. In addition, two-thirds of all Flexet pilots are on a waiting list to join Flexjet’s Red Label dedicated crew program. No other fractional provider offers single-aircraft crews with crewmembers assigned to one aircraft. Owners benefit from a confidence and consistency previously available only to individuals who own their own aircraft.

“Dedicated crewing provides Flexjet pilots with a sense of ownership and familiarity with their assigned aircraft and teams, and that enhances the entire travel experience for Red Label Owners, taking them to a place the fractional model has never been before,” said Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci, himself a veteran pilot with more than 6,000 hours flying type-rated aircraft. “Our competition couldn’t implement this feature even if they wanted to because of their contractual agreements with their employees.”

The response to dedicated crewing from both Flexjet Owners and pilots has been remarkable, and it underscores what a distinctive innovation it truly is for civil aviation. Flexjet Owners have cited dedicated crewing as one of the primary reasons they chose to purchase a fractional share in a Red Label aircraft, and more than 20 percent of Flexjet Owners already have opted to join Red Label, just a year after the program’s introduction.

Launched in 2015, Red Label features not only flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft but also access to the world’s newest shared jet fleet and exclusive, artisan LXi interiors that are the most distinctive ever offered to fractional travelers. Red Label bridges the gap between traditional fractional programs and whole-aircraft ownership, providing a premium level of comfort and customization and giving fractional owners the feeling that they are experiencing whole aircraft ownership.

Under Red Label, each aircraft’s dedicated crew sets its own schedule and is assigned to just one tail number, which becomes their dedicated aircraft. They fly only their designated plane, and work as a team to ensure it is perfect for each trip. This commitment improves the Owner experience, enhances dispatch reliability and is a tailored approach that no other provider can offer in the fractional market. Under Red Label, Flexjet pilots are achieving the highest pay in the industry, with some pilots earning as much as 30 percent more than the industry standard.

“With only three captains dedicated to our airplane, we have much greater control over the care and condition of what we consider our airplane,” said Captain Wayne Jorgensen, who pilots a Challenger 350. “It comes down to a matter of personal pride in ourselves and the service we provide. All the benefits of the Red Label offering for our Owners are made possible and enhanced by this sense of pride and professionalism.”

John Braen, Pilot of a Flexjet Gulfstream G450 said, “We are able to create a unique, personalized experience on each airplane and deliver a consistently superior standard of service throughout the fleet. There is a certain buzz and excitement amongst the Red Label pilots that you won’t find anywhere else in fractional travel.”

“Red Label enhances Flexjet’s position as a provider of the world’s finest and most owner-centric experience in private jet travel,” said Ricci. “Our industry has been in a mature state for some time, and it was time to rethink the norm. We are delighted that Flexjet pilots have so warmly gravitated towards this innovation and the enhanced pride, flexibility and control it provides them in fulfilling each and every mission with absolute excellence.”

Dedicated crewing has its origins in military aviation. Many Flexjet pilots have flown in the U.S. armed forces, and the excellence of military aviators provided the model for Red Label’s dedicated crewing element. While other operators rotate pilots through a fleet of jets, each Flexjet Red Label crew is dedicated a single aircraft – just as military pilots fly the same planes each day.

Red Label by Flexjet has gained visibility recently through the launch of a new, 30-second television commercial that highlights its dedicated crewing feature. The commercial runs weekdays on CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business Network and is accessible on Flexjet’s YouTube channel.

The commercial features some aircraft from Flexjet’s Red Label fleet, the industry’s youngest, made up of the Learjet 75LXi, Challenger 350, the Embraer Legacy 450 and 500, Global Express and the Gulfstream G450, and, soon, the G500 and G650.

 

About Flexjet

Flexjet first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995, and celebrated its 21st anniversary in May 2016. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing. Flexjet’s fractional aircraft program is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, and Flexjet is the first and only company to be honored with its 17th FAA Diamond Award for Excellence. Flexjet’s fractional program fields an exclusive array of business aircraft—some of the youngest in the fractional jet industry, with an average age of approximately six years—including their LXi Cabin Collection consisting of the Learjet 75LXi, Challenger 350, the Embraer Legacy 450 and 500, Global Express, the Gulfstream G450, G500 and G650, and the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets. In addition, the overall jet collection includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Challenger 300 and Challenger 605. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit fxmultiprod.wpengine.com or follow us on Twitter @Flexjet.

 

Contact:

Nicholas Parmelee
The Hubbell Group, Inc.
216-406-5602 (cell)
781-878-8882 (office)
[email protected]