Tapping into the private aviation market can significantly boost earnings for travel advisors while offering clients an unparalleled travel experience. Unlike larger commercial airlines, private jet travel provides personalized service, flexibility and access to destinations not easily accessible by commercial aircraft.
Recommend recently connected with the Chief Executive Officer of SkyShare, Cory Bengtzen, who founded the private aviation company in 2009. Redefining the private jet flying experience, SkyShare offers three different ways to fly privately: fractional ownership, full ownership and charter services.
Bengtzen shares his insights about the industry and advice for travel advisors looking to introduce private jet travel to their clients. As he states: “For travel advisors seeking to provide an unparalleled vacation experience for their clients, private jet travel represents a superior alternative. Offering flexibility, convenience and reliability, flying private is arguably the best way to navigate the current landscape of travel disruptions.”
Recommend: For travel advisors new to private aviation, what should they understand about the benefits of selling private air travel to their clients?
Bengtzen: For travel advisors new to private aviation, understanding its benefits can transform how they serve clients. With private aviation, the vacation experience begins as soon as they arrive at the airport. Moreover, commissions paid by operators for private jet bookings are often significantly higher than those from traditional airline services, providing a lucrative opportunity for travel advisors.
Private jets open a world of travel options and convenience. While commercial airlines primarily operate from approximately 500 airports, private aircraft have access to over 5,000 airports in the U.S. alone. This means your clients can land much closer to their final destinations, significantly reducing travel time.
Although private jet pricing is generally higher than first-class commercial flights, the value comes from unmatched convenience and personalized service. Clients can drive directly to the jet, board quickly and be airborne within minutes—bypassing the lengthy airport processes of checking in, going through TSA and waiting in crowded terminals.
Recommend: Your company emphasizes personalized experiences and high-end service. Can you share what sets your offerings apart from other private jet companies?
Bengtzen: At SkyShare, our primary goal is to ensure our clients truly “love their journey.” Everything we do revolves around providing an exceptional client experience. In the private industry, safety, punctuality, cleanliness and the quality of our jets are standard expectations. However, what sets us apart is our commitment to delivering the extraordinary—what we call the “wow” factor. We aim to go above and beyond that standard. One of our core values is to “Deliver The Wow.” In this new era where curated experiences are paramount, we aim to transform travel into something special right from the moment your clients arrive at the airport.
Whether it’s a special event like a birthday or just a desire for something extraordinary, our SkyOps concierge team is dedicated to making every flight memorable. We are proud that each of our pilots knows the name of clients’ family members—it’s not just about the flight, but also about the customer service and making people feel like they are traveling among friends.
Recommend: Sustainability is a growing trend in the travel industry. How is your company addressing environmental considerations while maintaining a luxury experience?
Bengtzen: While flying inherently produces emissions, private jets are often smaller and more fuel-efficient than commercial planes and can more frequently use direct routes—avoiding layovers and reducing overall fuel consumption.
Additionally, there continue to be advancements in aircraft design and technology that support fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Newer models are built with more fuel-efficient engines and lightweight materials, enabling them to operate with reduced fuel consumption and emissions compared to older models.
Recommend: What advice would you give to travel advisors looking to introduce private jet travel to their clients, and how can they best leverage your resources and support?
Bengtzen: When speaking with your higher-end clients, it’s crucial to emphasize that time, savings and experience are paramount, so I recommend introducing them to the concept of private jet travel. While it’s widely known that private flights can be more expensive than commercial airlines, the post-COVID world has shifted priorities. Clients increasingly value the privacy and flexibility of having their own aircraft; they want control over their travel schedule and who they fly with.
At SkyShare, we offer a unique advantage. We are both an operator of private aircraft and a broker for chartering jets. This dual capability means we can consistently seek out the best aircraft at the best prices for clients. While one of our planes might often fit their needs perfectly, if there’s another operator with a well-maintained aircraft that meets our stringent safety standards and is closer to your client, we will present that option as well. This gives travel advisors access to thousands of aircraft globally, making SkyShare a truly one-stop shop for private jet travel needs.
Recommend: What are the most challenging issues facing the airline industry and how are these issues impacting travel advisors’ jobs?
Bengtzen: In 2023, according to OAG, approximately 24.1% of all commercial airline flights experienced delays, meaning that roughly one in four flights were affected. Low-cost carriers like Frontier and Spirit had even worse statistics, with delays occurring in nearly one-third of their flights.
This high rate of delays has led to many passengers missing connecting flights and, in some cases, being stranded overnight. Contributing factors include a persistent pilot shortage and recent technical glitches, which have occasionally grounded a significant portion of commercial flights, causing considerable disruption for both business and vacation travelers.
Especially for business travelers or people looking to travel for events, avoidable delays and disruptions are simply not an option, yet with commercial travel, this has become a frequent reality. At SkyShare, we’re proud to report that, despite external challenges affecting the airline industry, our on-time departure rate exceeds 97% across the thousands of flights we’ve completed in recent years.
For more information, visit skyshare.com.
