Wheels Up CEO Kenny Dichter Looking To Make Private Aviation Like Uber

Bill Carmody, Founder and CEO of Trepoint, recently interviewed the CEO of Wheels Up Kenny Dichter about his vision to make make private aviation like Uber.  While the video is a fairly long by today's standards - it is over 21 minutes in length - there are many interesting takeaways from the interview.

"With the Wheels Up business model, there are millions of people who can now fly privately," said Kenny Dichter.  Of course the Wheels Up business model does include a membership fee and 24 hours advanced notice but, for the first time, we are finally seeing pricing parity with this mode of transportation and a first class seat on a commercial airline.  Are the major airlines taking notice?

All Signs Point to Success for Surf Air

Surf Air, the "all-you-can-fly" airline that is looking to revolutionize private air travel, took to the skies last June and all indications are that the launch met or greatly exceeded everyone's expectations.  Company Founder and CEO Wade Eyerly was interviewed by CNBC regarding the important milestone and he seemed confident that Surf Air will do for the airline industry what Netflix has done for the movie industry. (OK, that's great Wade but $1,650 is still a little bit more than $7.99 per month.)

Of course where would any entrepreneur (and their related disruptive business plan) be without a few naysayers?  Former Continental CEO, Gordon Bethune, is among the list of skeptics who is questioning the wisdom of Surf Air's monthly subscription business model.  In fact, he even used the P.T. Barnum "sucker" reference to make his point.  Ouch.  In spite of critics like Gordon, all signs continue to point to the company being successful.

Update Review on Surf Air

Surf Air (formerly known as PlaneRed and previously reviewed herein), seems to be on to something really big. The newly-conceived, "all-you-can-fly", unique membership-based airline recently kick-started their company when they announced a key round of funding from multiple sources including Anthem Venture Partners, NEA, and, among others, actor Jared Leto. Generally speaking, smart money tends to follow great ideas; so, Surf Air will no-doubt be successful. Of course, it does not hurt that the company is based in the California Bay Area. The area is flush in great ideas, cutting edge technology, lots of seed capital and is ultimately and great backdrop for the company's above home page image.

With new cash now in hand, Surf Air is doing a lot of things right as they get ready to launch their new service...

Spotlight Review on PlaneRed Airline

Plain and simple, PlaneRed Airline is worth watching. I just signed-up on their mailing list, and this quote is directly from the PlaneRed welcome email...

"Our goal is to revolutionize the way we fly. We don't think you need to get undressed to get on a plane. No more buying outrageously priced tickets. No more lost luggage. No more middle seats in a cramped cabin. And don't you think you deserve to always fly first-class? We certainly do. Simple and comfortable all-you-can-fly travel will soon be a reality."

This certainly sounds like an idea that could actually work. Here is a video of PlaneRed CEO Wade Eyerly discussing some of his specific plans.

The company's website (basically a launch page as of this writing) envisions an "All-You-Can-Fly Membership" that will be simple, first class, no hassle and, by most accounts, a much better alternative to the current TSA process experienced at major airports. All this for less than a grand per month! At minimum, do a Google search on PlaneRed. There is some great buzz on the company from some great publications. Who knows. They might actually be on to something BIG.