Summary
- Wheels Up upgraded its website and app for easier private jet charters, enhancing transparency in dynamic pricing.
- Dynamic pricing explores different dates and nearby routes for the best charter deals and tracks loyalty progress like commercial airlines.
- Wheels Up offers an accessible new feature for all users to find lower-cost flight options with Flexible Plans selection.
On Tuesday, July 23, Wheels Up announced significant upgrades to its website and app. These upgrades will allow users to find the best deal for their intended private jet charter much more easily. This furthers the transparency that Wheels Up offers in its dynamic pricing component.
Improvements to the Wheels Up dynamic pricing
The dynamic pricing that Wheels Up offers allows its customers and members to find the best deal for their intended charter. The component explores different dates and routes near the initially intended charter route and date. This includes finding nearby departure and arrival locations.
The app and website updates also assist in tracking different savings for other dynamically priced rates. It also tracks loyalty progress, which was not as easily accessible previously. This new feature rivals the tracking of commercial airlines.
Photo: Wheels Up
The Chief Customer and Marketing Officer of Wheels Up, Kristen Lauria, spoke about the new features. Lauria stated,
“Over the last few years, we at Wheels Up have proudly placed transparency and customer value at the center of our brand promise. We’ve previously illustrated that commitment by being the first in our industry to publish operational metrics and are proud to extend that visibility to our dynamic pricing rates and individual flier progress toward reward redemption. We remain committed to placing clarity, flexibility, and ease at the forefront of our customers’ experience while continuously delivering realized value on a flight-by-flight basis.”
This new feature is accessible to all Wheels Up users. The traveler simply needs to select the “Flexible Plans” option to be presented with lower-cost options for their flight. These options include different airport pairs, different routes, or even different dates.
About Wheels Up
Wheels Up is one of the most notable private jet charter companies. It was founded in 2013 by Kenny Dichter and Bill Allard. The company offers private aircraft rentals using both a membership and an on-demand business model. This means that Wheels Up users can book their private jet charter through a third party through Wheels Up, or they can book their charter directly from an aircraft that resides in the Wheels Up fleet. According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, the Wheels Up fleet consists of:
After its founding in the early 2010s, Wheels Up became one of the fastest-growing companies in private aviation. Within a year of its existence, it had over 1,000 members. The company continued to expand in the late 2010s. Within two years, Wheels Up acquired Travel Management Company, Avianis, Gama Aviation Signature, and Delta Private Jets. These acquisitions made it the second-largest private aviation company, trailing only NetJets.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Even as the company continued to expand, Wheels Up was still unable to become profitable. In 2023, it lost over $130 million, and it continued to struggle. However, in August 2023, Delta Air Lines announced it had purchased a 95% ownership stake in the company, which was worth over $500 million. Under new ownership, Wheels Up will look to cut costs in the future to eventually become profitable.