Catching a private flight to and from Aspen just got easier — and
cheaper — in recent months with the start up of new Aspen-based charter
and jet sharing company Evojets.
And while the invitation- and referral-only company is undeniably
geared toward Aspen's upscale clientele, Evojets' director of
operations Christopher Kelly says the business' proprietary jet sharing
concept is a new one in the field that is set to save consumers
thousands of dollars per flight.
"We definitely understand that our idea isn't relevant in every
market," he says. "But people can certainly appreciate paying $10,000
or $15,000 on a private flight that would otherwise cost $30,000."
The model for the company started taking shape in June 2007 while
several of the staff currently working for Evojets were employed on the
sales side of private airline operators. What they found, says Kelly,
was that clients would frequently request other clients with similar
itineraries to split the cost of private air travel.
"But when you're working for an operator," he says, "they're trying to
make their mortgage payments so they'll never tell you when someone
else is going to the same place at the same time."
When private jet charter firm Aspen Executive Air, or AEXJet, filed for
bankruptcy last September, Evojets ramped up its operations to quickly
fill the void left by the flailing company. But, unlike AEXJet, Evojets
doesn't own any planes, instead acting as a private jet brokerage
company that integrates with existing private aviation companies.
So if, for example, someone in New York City wants to fly to Miami but
the plane for their particular charter company is sitting at the
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Evojets steps in and tries to sell seats
on that plane on the empty Aspen-New York City leg. And because the
plane would have otherwise flown sans passengers, Evojets is often able
to negotiate a deal far below the operating cost.
"Traditional charter companies, like AEXJet, weren't serving the real
interest of the people in this community. They get paid a percentage of
the price the consumer pays," Kelly says, "so they obviously want you
to pay the largest price possible. But what we've done is incentivized
ourselves to get the consumer the best price by getting paid a
percentage of the difference between the market price for the flight
and what our clients actually pay for the flight."
Using Federal Aviation Administration flight plans, industry forums and
more investigative tactics like research on tail numbers and LLC
affiliations, Kelly says he has nearly every private plane in the
country available for charter in his database. What that means is that
Evojets is able to market to the entire industry to get the best price.
And with jet sharing, the company is able to pair like-minded, and
like-walleted, individuals with similar itineraries on the same
flights, saving them even more money.
"We're matching people, but we're not trying to sell every seat on the
plane as that would dilute the private experience. You might as well
just fly commercial then."
But Kelly is quick to point out that this service, "isn't an alternative to JetBlue."
"All of our members are people that would be flying privately regardless of the sharing concepts."
In addition to the monetary benefits, the major incentive for Evojets clients is the decreased environmental impact.
"Traveling on a private jet is extremely convenient, and for some
people it's a necessity, if not in our eyes then in their eyes," Kelly
says. "But these high-end clients - who range from top athletes, movie
stars, finance guys and business all-stars - still care about
mitigating the impact of what they do. So, in a sense, they're trying
to be less blatantly negligent."
Though Aspen will certainly serve as one of Evojets' hubs, the company
also plans to focus on New York, south Florida, Los Angeles, Dallas,
Chicago and Scottsdale, Ariz.
damien@aspendailynews.com
