Private aviation supplier and platform Wheels Up has launched a paid membership program that guarantees availability of its private jet fleet to users every day of the year, the company announced Wednesday.
The Wheels Up Signature Membership program requires a 12-month commitment, a monthly subscription fee of $500 and a minimum prepaid deposit of $200,000, according to a company spokesperson. Members have guaranteed access to and recovery of Wheels Up's fleet of Embraer Phenom 300 series and Bombardier Challenger 300 series aircraft.
"When we announced our fleet modernization plan in October of last year, it included plans to integrate our premium Phenom 300 series and Challenger 300 series aircraft into our programmatic offering by the end of 2025," Wheels Up CEO George Mattson said in a statement. "The new Wheels Up Signature Membership does just that, offering guaranteed access to our modernized fleet of best-in-class aircraft, along with the reliability, flexibility, and premium experience fliers have come to expect from Wheels Up."
Corporate users can select one of two membership plans: the Fixed Plan, which offers fixed hourly rates for jet use, or the Dynamic Plan, which uses dynamic pricing based on market conditions, seasonality and demand to determine jet use cost. Users who select the Dynamic Plan have shorter lead time requirements for guaranteed availability for booking jets in most cases.
There are tiers within the Fixed Plan based on the amount of the initial prepaid deposit: $200,000, $500,000 or $1 million, according to the spokesperson. The amount of lead time necessary for guaranteed jet availability is higher in lower tiers.
Dynamic Plan users are required to secure 24 hours of notice for jet bookings for non-peak days, and 48 hours of notice for the 20 peak days on the yearly calendar, according to the spokesperson. Fixed Plan non-peak lead-time requirements are 48 hours for non-peak days for the 250K and 500K tiers and 24 hours for the 1K tier, while peak-day requirements are 120 hours for all tiers.
All members can "fly throughout the contiguous U.S. plus a 225-mile radius beyond the coastline," according to the company. Members also can access Delta Air Lines SkyMiles loyalty program benefits, including automatic Diamond Medallion status, and can use prepaid deposit funds for Delta travel. Delta is a major investor in Wheels Up, and was part of an investor group that in August 2023 offered the company a $500 million lifeline.