Private aviation provider Wheels Up this past week added enhancements to its Custom Enterprise Solutions product for corporates as well as features for the Europe and United Kingdom markets, the company told BTN.
Memberships still start at $500,000 in pre-funded flight hours, and each contract is customized based on client flying patterns and flexibility needs, Wheels Up chief commercial officer Dave Harvey said. Now, however, Europe and the U.K. clients have access to fixed rates as well as guaranteed availability and recovery, features previously, offered only in the United States.
Additional enhancements include a dedicated "global aviation expert" to support members; access to a global network of safety-vetted private aircraft with additional flexibility in accommodating groups; lower flight-hour minimums; a 72-hour booking window and cancellation for Europe and the U.K.; gifted Delta Air Lines Diamond Medallion status; and cargo services, from one-to-one courier services to large-scale cargo moving solutions, a potential benefit not only for sports and university travel programs, but also corporate clients with trade-show or other time-sensitive needs, Harvey said.
Wheels Up in July refined its pricing display and booking options for individual members, and in June streamlined its product model.
"We wanted to get the individual updates out there [first], that's more broad-scale," Harvey said. "Now's the perfect time for business. You have a lot of the travel managers and decision makers really locked in here in September, October, on business travel, we always see a really nice uptick. So, the timing for this CES enhancement really meets the market strength as well."