Private aviation firm Magellan Jets has launched a corporate
membership program, citing a strong increase in business travel among its
customers. Corporate members get a private aviation consultant to tailor the
program and select appropriate aircraft, ranging from light cabin through
ultra-long-range aircraft. Corporate members also get locked-in fuel rates, corporate
insurance, no peak fees or blackout dates and Wi-Fi access on all midsize and
large aircraft. Membership programs start at 100 hours, CEO Joshua Hebert said.
Magellan's revenue has grown 120 percent over
the past two years, and it attributes much of that to growing corporate
business. Executives traveling on roadshows to look for investors have produced
particular growth, Hebert said. "A lot of the pain that happens when [travelers]
are doing a roadshow is that it's not always the company that is using the
private plane that is paying for it, and getting invoices after the fact is an
agitation," he said. "And with a roadshow, you don't want to deal
with whether it's a peak day or holiday; you just want to take it." He
said the membership perks address those pain points.