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Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
My friend recommended me to get a JetSmarter membership for my international and domestic travel. I'm a regular traveler, but I don't know whether the service will be worth it? Is it actually that luxurious? Are there any other services to look for? What do you recommend?
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- zakuivcustom
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Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
https://thepointsguy.com/2016/02/why-i-love-jetsmarter/
https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/28/1505 ... s-lawsuits
Read through those and decided for yourselves.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/28/1505 ... s-lawsuits
Read through those and decided for yourselves.
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- fbgdavidson
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Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
Be aware those articles are pretty elderly, and in the JetSmarter world a lot has changed since 2016.
Obviously whether something is "worth it" is completely subjective and based on your own needs and value of money. It was something I had kicked around in late 2016 and early 2017 but then with the CEO being arrested for embezzlement I decided this probably wasn't something I wanted to throw five figures at. Particularly when I started to read about cutting of services such as the Manhattan-HPN helicopter, additional costs for extra passengers, increased difficulty of getting flights etc. etc.
Obviously whether something is "worth it" is completely subjective and based on your own needs and value of money. It was something I had kicked around in late 2016 and early 2017 but then with the CEO being arrested for embezzlement I decided this probably wasn't something I wanted to throw five figures at. Particularly when I started to read about cutting of services such as the Manhattan-HPN helicopter, additional costs for extra passengers, increased difficulty of getting flights etc. etc.
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- zakuivcustom
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Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
fbgdavidson wrote:Be aware those articles are pretty elderly, and in the JetSmarter world a lot has changed since 2016.
Obviously whether something is "worth it" is completely subjective and based on your own needs and value of money. It was something I had kicked around in late 2016 and early 2017 but then with the CEO being arrested for embezzlement I decided this probably wasn't something I wanted to throw five figures at. Particularly when I started to read about cutting of services such as the Manhattan-HPN helicopter, additional costs for extra passengers, increased difficulty of getting flights etc. etc.
I guess for the 1st link, instead of reading all the rosy description from the article, the comment section is a lot more telling, especially since it's a lot more recent.
And the 2nd link is a pretty damning article on JetSmarter
P.S. I'm some average joe that won't be able to afford such service anytime soon anyway
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- spacecadet
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Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
I don't really trust The Points Guy anymore, to be honest. When I started reading his site several years ago, there was a lot of good info there that helped me a lot. Over time, it seemed like so many of his posts became kind of puff pieces for whatever he was promoting. Not sure if he still does it but at one point he went off the deep end recommending the Chase Sapphire card for travel, which I got based on his recommendation and it ended up being basically useless for travel rewards. He must have gotten a really sweet commission deal on that card.
That review of JetSmarter has the sound of a puff piece that he's probably getting something out of. I notice the article promotes a couple of codes; I'd just guess he got a cut of whoever signed up with one of those codes.
The company sounds really shady to me, though it also sounds like a decent deal even now if you have the right expectations. But what would really put me off is the changing service levels during an existing membership term. That's just bait and switch and I would be very hesitant to put my money down on a company that does that, because you have no idea what you're really going to be paying for.
That review of JetSmarter has the sound of a puff piece that he's probably getting something out of. I notice the article promotes a couple of codes; I'd just guess he got a cut of whoever signed up with one of those codes.
The company sounds really shady to me, though it also sounds like a decent deal even now if you have the right expectations. But what would really put me off is the changing service levels during an existing membership term. That's just bait and switch and I would be very hesitant to put my money down on a company that does that, because you have no idea what you're really going to be paying for.
Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
zakuivcustom wrote:fbgdavidson wrote:Be aware those articles are pretty elderly, and in the JetSmarter world a lot has changed since 2016.
Obviously whether something is "worth it" is completely subjective and based on your own needs and value of money. It was something I had kicked around in late 2016 and early 2017 but then with the CEO being arrested for embezzlement I decided this probably wasn't something I wanted to throw five figures at. Particularly when I started to read about cutting of services such as the Manhattan-HPN helicopter, additional costs for extra passengers, increased difficulty of getting flights etc. etc.
I guess for the 1st link, instead of reading all the rosy description from the article, the comment section is a lot more telling, especially since it's a lot more recent.
And the 2nd link is a pretty damning article on JetSmarter
P.S. I'm some average joe that won't be able to afford such service anytime soon anyway
Well to be honest, both of these articles offer a rather peculiar perspective as @zakuivcustom stated. As for recency, I read articles on New York times, Business Insider, BOAT and Odyssey. They offer a pretty positive review on JetSmarter's services.
That said, I want to go in knowing all about their services. Any first hand opinions from JetSmarter's customers or private jet habituals?
Re: Flying private with JetSmarter. Is it worth it? Any recommendations?
I am based in NYC and have a jetsmarter membership. Unless you are traveling regularly to the cities they serve as shuttles and have the flexibility to go only on the dates and times they operate then its great. I have a ton of flexibility so use it quite a bit on empty legs. If you have a 9 to 5 job and travel to specific places and have a schedule to keep it is entirely useless.