Apr 16, 2016, 7:33 am
Last edit by: elitetraveler
JetSmarter is a membership program that allows members to fly on empty legs of private jets (JetDeals) and seats on scheduled private jet shuttles (JetShuttle).
JetSmarter - discussion and experiences
Apr 22, 2017, 4:44 am
#1189
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 2
Heading should be I LOVE IT
As my luck would have it, I found an open leg flight on Jetsmarter flying the same exact route and at nearly the same time as my Southwest flight. I was a little nervous as open leg flights don't get confirmed until 5 hours before departure. I had to wait until the last minute before I cancel my SW flight. Anyway the invoice ended up to be around $750, which was paid for with my $1000 Jetsmarter credit with no questions asked for this flight. The entire process was quick and painless, maybe a little too painless as I had to manually call to confirm some details since it was my first time.
Forgetting the plane one second, the entire EXPERIENCE flying on a private jet was unbelievable as people were friendly EVERYWHERE. From the staff at the originating airport, to the pilots and everyone else involved, they were just so sweet. One of the staff member texted the arrival airport that my toddler is coming, so they prepped a balloon and had candies for him at the runway. I barely get service like this when I drop 20% tips at a restaurant!
As far as the plane, we had an 8 seater for a family of 3. So there really is nothing to complain about except it was NICE. Couple things I didn't expect. #1 These planes are very smooth, propeller powered commercial region jets felt choppier. My wife was really nervous at first, but it was gone the moment the wheels left the ground #2 The plane is still fairly noisy, I think a 777 might be quieter? #3 The plane is much smaller than I expected. With the seats facing each other, I just don't know how you can sit across from somebody without playing footsie. For my one hour flight and it being empty, I had no problem. If I have to do the shuttles like this, I might not be as eager to jump onto the plane. (The airport experience might change it for me though)
Here is the $12K question. Would I buy in at this price? My answer would be NO and here is why.
#1 I can do mainly weekend trips, it would be extremely difficult for me to use it enough to justify the cost.
#2 The shuttles don't go to places that I want to go
#3 The 5 hours confirmation is rough, 12 hours would be easier to swallow.
#4 The planes are not that big, so they aren't as comfortable as I thought they would be.
On the other hand, I am not going to lie and say I didn't consider spending the money. I would buy it in no time if they allow me to pay say $5000 and in exchange giving up some of the shuttle service, maybe have a regional plan and different plans for folks flying across country. Heck, I might even buy it the way it is if it is like $8K, $12K is a little steep giving the limitation I have or maybe I will go in if they do away with the initiation fee and still give the $2000 credit that they are doing. It's definitely something I would consider, but I think they are a little bit too expensive at this point. A 4 figure price, I am in!
Also I want to say even though I am not going to get the membership and my credit is running out, I am going to keep monitoring Jetsmarter for open leg deals. The experience of flying by yourself with your family is just awesome. If I have to pay $750 on an open leg instead of $400 on commercial, I would definitely do it to save the hassle of dealing with the TSA and the people at the commercial airport (I HAVE GE and CLEAR TOO!)
As my luck would have it, I found an open leg flight on Jetsmarter flying the same exact route and at nearly the same time as my Southwest flight. I was a little nervous as open leg flights don't get confirmed until 5 hours before departure. I had to wait until the last minute before I cancel my SW flight. Anyway the invoice ended up to be around $750, which was paid for with my $1000 Jetsmarter credit with no questions asked for this flight. The entire process was quick and painless, maybe a little too painless as I had to manually call to confirm some details since it was my first time.
Forgetting the plane one second, the entire EXPERIENCE flying on a private jet was unbelievable as people were friendly EVERYWHERE. From the staff at the originating airport, to the pilots and everyone else involved, they were just so sweet. One of the staff member texted the arrival airport that my toddler is coming, so they prepped a balloon and had candies for him at the runway. I barely get service like this when I drop 20% tips at a restaurant!
As far as the plane, we had an 8 seater for a family of 3. So there really is nothing to complain about except it was NICE. Couple things I didn't expect. #1 These planes are very smooth, propeller powered commercial region jets felt choppier. My wife was really nervous at first, but it was gone the moment the wheels left the ground #2 The plane is still fairly noisy, I think a 777 might be quieter? #3 The plane is much smaller than I expected. With the seats facing each other, I just don't know how you can sit across from somebody without playing footsie. For my one hour flight and it being empty, I had no problem. If I have to do the shuttles like this, I might not be as eager to jump onto the plane. (The airport experience might change it for me though)
Here is the $12K question. Would I buy in at this price? My answer would be NO and here is why.
#1 I can do mainly weekend trips, it would be extremely difficult for me to use it enough to justify the cost.
#2 The shuttles don't go to places that I want to go
#3 The 5 hours confirmation is rough, 12 hours would be easier to swallow.
#4 The planes are not that big, so they aren't as comfortable as I thought they would be.
On the other hand, I am not going to lie and say I didn't consider spending the money. I would buy it in no time if they allow me to pay say $5000 and in exchange giving up some of the shuttle service, maybe have a regional plan and different plans for folks flying across country. Heck, I might even buy it the way it is if it is like $8K, $12K is a little steep giving the limitation I have or maybe I will go in if they do away with the initiation fee and still give the $2000 credit that they are doing. It's definitely something I would consider, but I think they are a little bit too expensive at this point. A 4 figure price, I am in!
Also I want to say even though I am not going to get the membership and my credit is running out, I am going to keep monitoring Jetsmarter for open leg deals. The experience of flying by yourself with your family is just awesome. If I have to pay $750 on an open leg instead of $400 on commercial, I would definitely do it to save the hassle of dealing with the TSA and the people at the commercial airport (I HAVE GE and CLEAR TOO!)
Jetsmarter took the private out of private aviation !
All of Jetsmarter shuttle flights are 100% occupied which means you wont be able to move your feet or even recline your seat
Jetsmarter makes you sit at dining table for duration of your flight which means you are unable to freely move and going to the restroom requires you to ask everyone to move. Or better yet you will get stuck on sofa seat with 2-3 other angry members...
Most of their shuttle flights are on learjets which are horrible to say the least. Feels like a small box with everyone crammed inside and unable to move
Forget about FREE flights because they are first offered to members who are stupid enough to pay $50k for the membership
You think helicopter is a nice touch ? Think again !! Only offered in NYC and Chicago and you wont feel safe when they cram 5-6 people into one chopper with 4 seats only....
Cant make your flight ? NO PROBLEM !!
WILL SET YOU BACK ONLY $1000
Want to book a roundtrip coast to coast ? You cant !! Jetsmarter only allows you to book one way and since everything is usually booked 2-3 weeks in advance you will most likely end up paying for commercial flight for your return
Former JetSmarter executive arrested on grand theft charges:
miamiherald.typepad.com/…
Anything ran by Russians is usually a scam so judge for yourself how a 20 something Russian can run so called billion dollar company lol....
READ JETSMARTER EXTORTION ATTEMP:
theverge.com/2017/3/3/14…
jetsmarterreview.weebly.…
Apr 22, 2017, 9:48 am
#1190
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Wheels Up, Inspirato Pass, Marriott Titanium Elt, Hilton Diamond, Hertz Pres, Ntl P
Posts: 248
Jetsmarter took the private out of private aviation !
All of Jetsmarter shuttle flights are 100% occupied which means you wont be able to move your feet or even recline your seat
Jetsmarter makes you sit at dining table for duration of your flight which means you are unable to freely move and going to the restroom requires you to ask everyone to move. Or better yet you will get stuck on sofa seat with 2-3 other angry members...
Most of their shuttle flights are on learjets which are horrible to say the least. Feels like a small box with everyone crammed inside and unable to move
Forget about FREE flights because they are first offered to members who are stupid enough to pay $50k for the membership
You think helicopter is a nice touch ? Think again !! Only offered in NYC and Chicago and you wont feel safe when they cram 5-6 people into one chopper with 4 seats only....
Cant make your flight ? NO PROBLEM !!
WILL SET YOU BACK ONLY $1000
Want to book a roundtrip coast to coast ? You cant !! Jetsmarter only allows you to book one way and since everything is usually booked 2-3 weeks in advance you will most likely end up paying for commercial flight for your return
Former JetSmarter executive arrested on grand theft charges:
miamiherald.typepad.com/…
Anything ran by Russians is usually a scam so judge for yourself how a 20 something Russian can run so called billion dollar company lol....
READ JETSMARTER EXTORTION ATTEMP:
theverge.com/2017/3/3/14…
jetsmarterreview.weebly.…
All of Jetsmarter shuttle flights are 100% occupied which means you wont be able to move your feet or even recline your seat
Jetsmarter makes you sit at dining table for duration of your flight which means you are unable to freely move and going to the restroom requires you to ask everyone to move. Or better yet you will get stuck on sofa seat with 2-3 other angry members...
Most of their shuttle flights are on learjets which are horrible to say the least. Feels like a small box with everyone crammed inside and unable to move
Forget about FREE flights because they are first offered to members who are stupid enough to pay $50k for the membership
You think helicopter is a nice touch ? Think again !! Only offered in NYC and Chicago and you wont feel safe when they cram 5-6 people into one chopper with 4 seats only....
Cant make your flight ? NO PROBLEM !!
WILL SET YOU BACK ONLY $1000
Want to book a roundtrip coast to coast ? You cant !! Jetsmarter only allows you to book one way and since everything is usually booked 2-3 weeks in advance you will most likely end up paying for commercial flight for your return
Former JetSmarter executive arrested on grand theft charges:
miamiherald.typepad.com/…
Anything ran by Russians is usually a scam so judge for yourself how a 20 something Russian can run so called billion dollar company lol....
READ JETSMARTER EXTORTION ATTEMP:
theverge.com/2017/3/3/14…
jetsmarterreview.weebly.…
Are you a JS member? FYI helicopters haven't existed in Chicago for some time and I don't believe anyone ever confused JS for true private jet travel.
Apr 22, 2017, 10:43 am
#1191
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Oakland CA
Programs: DL Gold, AS MVPG, Globalist
Posts: 1,008
I still find tremendous value in it, but I've never confused it with 'real' private jet travel ( which I can't afford anyway ). E.g. I don't expect the jet to wait for me if I'm running late.
Apr 22, 2017, 3:26 pm
#1193
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 350
JS has changed since I took that flight early on. I think it;s very difficult to find an empty open leg flight, especially down CA corridor. Is there some value to JS? Of course, but it is definitely for people with disposable income, not for someone just making it or trying to impress anyone.
Apr 22, 2017, 9:42 pm
#1195
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: DL, UA
Posts: 596
JS has changed since I took that flight early on. I think it;s very difficult to find an empty open leg flight, especially down CA corridor. Is there some value to JS? Of course, but it is definitely for people with disposable income, not for someone just making it or trying to impress anyone.
Apr 24, 2017, 2:07 am
#1199
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: DL, UA
Posts: 596
Apr 24, 2017, 11:05 am
#1200
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: United MP
Posts: 4
My year with JetSmarter
My JetSmarter membership expired April 5, after I decided not to renew. I had been a member only one year and had originally budgeted for the renewal, but the value was just not there.
Let me start by saying JS handled my cancellation very professionally. I was asked to provide any feedback, that I deemed helpful to their service, and I spoke to a retention specialist for about 15 minutes the day my membership expired.
I did a lot of research before joining in 2016, but information was scarce. Once I made a connection with a sales representative - via the JetSmarter website - I got some more insight and started to learn about the cost and also the token system.
I had to think long and hard about a $9,000/year membership, but my logic was I would fly 8-10 roundtrips from San Francisco (Oakland, CA) to New York (Westchester, NY). The cost per trip was approximately double what I would have to pay for economy class at a major carrier. The benefits of flying in a business jet clearly were worth the extra dollars.
And then there was the aspect of the jets… I love planes, and I love flying. I have held a license, and have sat at airports looking at Gulfstreams, Citations and other business jets hoping that I would one day get a chance to fly one. I am grateful for having had that opportunity, and although all the coast-to-coast JS flights I’ve been on were all Gulfstream IV-SP, I’ve flown other types of jets over the last 12 months. I don’t know when such an opportunity will come along again. That part saddens me.
A side note here is the discovery of the term “footsie”. It’s a first-world problem if there ever was one, but sitting face-to-face with a stranger with a somewhat limited amount of legroom can be tiresome on a five-hour flight. I feel like a jerk writing this, but that part surprised me, and I see it mentioned in the online forums fairly often. It doesn’t help that I’m 6’4”. Sure, the chair swivel, but you’ll soon have four people claim the aisle way, and you are essentially blocking the way for the crew when doing so.
JetSmarter comes with a token system. My $9,000 membership got me in at the highest level available at the time, and I got two tokens. You use these when you book, and depending on the length of the flight; you have to use one or two tokens. The coast-to-coast flights require two tokens - each way. As such, you can not book your return flight until your tokens are re-deposited into your account; which typically happens during takeoff roll.
It quickly became apparent that this was a severe limitation of the JetSmarter model, and as the number of members grew, it became impossible to fly both ways in a reasonable timeframe. I took my last JS flight from OAK to HPN on March 31, 2017. The earliest return available was four weeks later! In fact, during the 12 months of my membership, I was only able to book a same-weekend return flight on a few occasions - both right after I signed up. Don’t let anybody fool you: Right now JetSmarter is essentially a one-way service forcing you to fly commercially one of the two ways.
I’ve raised this with JS on several occasions. In the beginning, I was told to sit tight - more flights would be added (never happened), and later I was told that I could just upgrade to the $50,000/year membership as that would guarantee early pre-booking and give me four tokens.
It’s one part of the problem that you can’t book early, but it gets messy quickly because you are charged - sometimes very expensive - fees for canceling your flight. In other words: JS force you to book four weeks out and then charge you should you have to cancel or change your reservation. As other people have pointed out, you get a one-time courtesy cancellation. After that, you pay (and I have paid….) upwards of $1,000 for canceled flights.
Other things surprised me: I live close to SFO and got notified of repositioning flights originating as far north as Sacramento and as far south as Monterey - all labeled “San Francisco flights”. It would take you four hours to drive in between those airports!
The number of repositioning flights has gone down significantly over the last months. I also addressed this in the early fall of ’16. JS’s reply was that there was a general slowdown in the number of booked business jet flights and that it was expected to pick up the following month, but it remained the same.
Speaking of repositioning flights: I had my fair share of canceled flights and only managed to get onboard twice. One time I made to the terminal only to find out that the XO Jet decided to leave without us - we saw the plane take off. Not cool to stand there with invited passengers and purchased tickets to Disneyland. JS offered to fly us to SNA first class, but no seats were available according to their rep. The United app I was looking at told a different story.
Overall I’ve meet interesting people on the planes - wine growers, promoters, entrepreneurs, flight attendants and even law enforcement (running a side business). There have also been the loud ones that talked about money that it’ll never run out and a guy that was on the phone trying to raise millions to keep his company afloat. There have certainly been times I’ve appreciated being able to turn my noise canceling headset on, but the people I’ve met have been great. Nobody has been obnoxious - even after two bottles of champagne. And credit where credit is due: The crews I have met were all professional, and I’ve felt safe and well taken off.
I wish JS well - I really do. I can’t say, I understand their business model and the luxury aspect that they continuously push. Having a 24-carat gold-plated membership card is outright silly, and while I can see the appeal to a section of the member base, I think the same of their expansion of services such as house swapping, VIP events, and alignment with celebrities. The offering continue to change to become profitable (or sellable?). The turnover at JS seems high - I had four reps in a 12 month period.
I don’t see the current model sustainable, and recent articles seem to paint a picture of a facade that’s starting to crack.
Let me start by saying JS handled my cancellation very professionally. I was asked to provide any feedback, that I deemed helpful to their service, and I spoke to a retention specialist for about 15 minutes the day my membership expired.
I did a lot of research before joining in 2016, but information was scarce. Once I made a connection with a sales representative - via the JetSmarter website - I got some more insight and started to learn about the cost and also the token system.
I had to think long and hard about a $9,000/year membership, but my logic was I would fly 8-10 roundtrips from San Francisco (Oakland, CA) to New York (Westchester, NY). The cost per trip was approximately double what I would have to pay for economy class at a major carrier. The benefits of flying in a business jet clearly were worth the extra dollars.
And then there was the aspect of the jets… I love planes, and I love flying. I have held a license, and have sat at airports looking at Gulfstreams, Citations and other business jets hoping that I would one day get a chance to fly one. I am grateful for having had that opportunity, and although all the coast-to-coast JS flights I’ve been on were all Gulfstream IV-SP, I’ve flown other types of jets over the last 12 months. I don’t know when such an opportunity will come along again. That part saddens me.
A side note here is the discovery of the term “footsie”. It’s a first-world problem if there ever was one, but sitting face-to-face with a stranger with a somewhat limited amount of legroom can be tiresome on a five-hour flight. I feel like a jerk writing this, but that part surprised me, and I see it mentioned in the online forums fairly often. It doesn’t help that I’m 6’4”. Sure, the chair swivel, but you’ll soon have four people claim the aisle way, and you are essentially blocking the way for the crew when doing so.
JetSmarter comes with a token system. My $9,000 membership got me in at the highest level available at the time, and I got two tokens. You use these when you book, and depending on the length of the flight; you have to use one or two tokens. The coast-to-coast flights require two tokens - each way. As such, you can not book your return flight until your tokens are re-deposited into your account; which typically happens during takeoff roll.
It quickly became apparent that this was a severe limitation of the JetSmarter model, and as the number of members grew, it became impossible to fly both ways in a reasonable timeframe. I took my last JS flight from OAK to HPN on March 31, 2017. The earliest return available was four weeks later! In fact, during the 12 months of my membership, I was only able to book a same-weekend return flight on a few occasions - both right after I signed up. Don’t let anybody fool you: Right now JetSmarter is essentially a one-way service forcing you to fly commercially one of the two ways.
I’ve raised this with JS on several occasions. In the beginning, I was told to sit tight - more flights would be added (never happened), and later I was told that I could just upgrade to the $50,000/year membership as that would guarantee early pre-booking and give me four tokens.
It’s one part of the problem that you can’t book early, but it gets messy quickly because you are charged - sometimes very expensive - fees for canceling your flight. In other words: JS force you to book four weeks out and then charge you should you have to cancel or change your reservation. As other people have pointed out, you get a one-time courtesy cancellation. After that, you pay (and I have paid….) upwards of $1,000 for canceled flights.
Other things surprised me: I live close to SFO and got notified of repositioning flights originating as far north as Sacramento and as far south as Monterey - all labeled “San Francisco flights”. It would take you four hours to drive in between those airports!
The number of repositioning flights has gone down significantly over the last months. I also addressed this in the early fall of ’16. JS’s reply was that there was a general slowdown in the number of booked business jet flights and that it was expected to pick up the following month, but it remained the same.
Speaking of repositioning flights: I had my fair share of canceled flights and only managed to get onboard twice. One time I made to the terminal only to find out that the XO Jet decided to leave without us - we saw the plane take off. Not cool to stand there with invited passengers and purchased tickets to Disneyland. JS offered to fly us to SNA first class, but no seats were available according to their rep. The United app I was looking at told a different story.
Overall I’ve meet interesting people on the planes - wine growers, promoters, entrepreneurs, flight attendants and even law enforcement (running a side business). There have also been the loud ones that talked about money that it’ll never run out and a guy that was on the phone trying to raise millions to keep his company afloat. There have certainly been times I’ve appreciated being able to turn my noise canceling headset on, but the people I’ve met have been great. Nobody has been obnoxious - even after two bottles of champagne. And credit where credit is due: The crews I have met were all professional, and I’ve felt safe and well taken off.
I wish JS well - I really do. I can’t say, I understand their business model and the luxury aspect that they continuously push. Having a 24-carat gold-plated membership card is outright silly, and while I can see the appeal to a section of the member base, I think the same of their expansion of services such as house swapping, VIP events, and alignment with celebrities. The offering continue to change to become profitable (or sellable?). The turnover at JS seems high - I had four reps in a 12 month period.
I don’t see the current model sustainable, and recent articles seem to paint a picture of a facade that’s starting to crack.