On Thursday — the first day of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival — Aero’s new flight plan from Los Angeles to Park City goes online, ushering in the private airline’s next era of connectivity between the two cities.
Uber co-founder Garett Camp first created the airline, intended as a software platform to streamline booking a private jet. It quickly evolved into today’s semi-private model, a third option between flying first class and private charter flights.
Aero’s 16-passenger planes are booked per seat, flying in and out of private terminals with uniquely catered, complimentary food and beverages. The pricing is meant to be a comparable step up from flying first class — starting at $900 — plus time saved by flying into private terminals and the experience of higher-end amenities.
In 2021, they opened a flagship terminal at the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, beginning with nonstop scheduled flights to Aspen, Colorado, and Los Cabos, Mexico, later adding Sun Valley, Idaho.
When looking for a new location, Park City became an obvious choice for being a year-round vacation destination and because of its concentration of homeowners who own in both Los Angeles and Park City. That’s one of Aero’s target audiences, individuals or families who travel back and forth from Los Angeles on a regular basis and want the convenience and luxury of a semi-private experience.
The decision to add Park City is a return home in a sense for Aero’s CEO and first officer Ben Klein, who started skiing at Deer Valley Resort in the ’90s and whose parents now live in Park Meadows. Due to his personal connection, Klein said he opted out of the team’s verdict, but the decision made a lot of sense.
Plus, being a pet-friendly airline (with no weight limit) makes Aero ideal for travelers with large dogs. Klein said he’s met Park City residents who end up making the 10-plus-hour drive to Los Angeles to bring their pets along with them; these flights will provide a more convenient option.
While the flight is marketed to Park City, the planes take off and land at Salt Lake City International Airport where Aero created their own private terminal with a lounge, conference rooms and Wi-Fi, amenities and access — seeming a better choice than Heber Valley Airport.
Then, a quick drive up the mountain brings guests to Park City, where a partnership with Stein Eriksen Lodge and Deer Valley Resort is intended to provide added perks to customers of each.
In flight, Aero’s flights to-and-from Park City serve snacks and beverages from Erewhon, an upscale supermarket chain in Los Angeles, plus champagne, of course.
Launching their Park City route in time for Sundance was intentional with the obvious Hollywood-to-Park-City pipeline, said Klein, but that’s not their primary audience.
“Sundance is just one week,” Klein said, unconcerned over the future of the festival’s location.
Many of the airline’s leaders and employees are pilots, Klein included, one element that also sets them apart in the business.
“Aero was created to bring the magic back to flying,” their website says. “We’re reintroducing the human connection that’s been lost in an era of commoditized travel experiences, combined with present-day advancements in technology, hospitality, and high-end design.”
And in the words of Aero’s Chief Operating Officer Mikael Pelet, a pilot himself: “We do this because we love aviation.”
To learn more about Aero, and to book flights, visit aero.com.