Story ID: 646
VistaJet Jettisons Aircraft Positoning Fees
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Depending on location, positioning fees can add tens of thousands to the overall cost of a flight, says the company.
Word Count: 306
Membership jet charter firm VistaJet has eliminated hourly ferry flight fees for new program customers globally, it announced thsi week as EBACE 2017. “The move signals a significant commitment to VistaJet’s mission to be the first operator to offer a truly global service,” said the company. “Customers now have complete freedom when booking, without bearing the burden of paying a ferry flight hourly rate for an aircraft to return to a home base or service area, and enjoying transparent pricing.”

Positioning fees have traditionally been a “frustrating and unexpected cost” for business aviation clients, VistaJet noted. Depending on location, this can add tens of thousands of dollars to the overall cost of a flight, it said.

“When you call a taxi, you don’t worry about paying for its journey to you,” said company founder Thomas Flohr. “Today’s entrepreneur or business executive will be flying to America one week, Asia or South America the next, and Europe in between, so it’s become critical to offer them a truly global service…[with] one-way pricing.”

According to VistaJet (Booth F70), eliminating aircraft deadhead fees is made possible by its €2.25 billion ($2.5 billion) investment to expand its all-Bombardier fleet globally, as well as establishing a global customer base through its 10 sales offices on five continents. “Our business model, built on removing the notion of a home base for aircraft, means customers pay only for the time they are in the air,” the company said. “When a VistaJet program customer books a flight, we will simply move the nearest airplane to pick them up.”

Unlike most charter operators, VistaJet owns each of the 70 silver and red Challenger 350s, 650s and 850s and Global 5000s and 6000s in its fleet. It added 15 new business jets to its fleet last year.