Private air travel has been changing for a while already. Since 2019, KinectAir allows travellers to book a regular on-demand flight for private air travel in the Pacific Northwest without too much hassle.
Now, the airway company is allowing its customers to book an “empty leg” repositioning flight from December 2023 onwards. Meaning you can book a spot on a route that takes the private plane from a booked drop-off point to its next hop-on location. And, the best part of it all may be that prices start as low as $111 per person.
People think it’s only for the Bill Gates and Elon Musks of the world. It’s by no means cheap, but it’s more accessible than most people think.
Katie Buss, co-CEO of KinectAir
“We want to change the way people think about short flights,” co-CEO of KinectAir Katie Buss told CNN. “People think it’s only for the Bill Gates and Elon Musks of the world. It’s by no means cheap, but it’s more accessible than most people think. Instead of just going to Delta, we want people to see what flying private would be like… It’s a totally different way of travel.”
So how does it work? In short, thanks to AI-backed software, KinectAir goes through the data of private airplane operators, making it easier for people to plan the route they want and to find the best deals. And to make things even cheaper, KinectAir uses turbo-prop and piston engine aircrafts instead of regular jets. You’ll be arriving a little later but with short-distance flights, the difference consists of a few minutes. All of this without membership fees or transaction fees.
However, of course there’s also a catch. Most of the repositioning flights are scheduled quite last-minute, meaning passengers won’t be able to reserve their spot very long in advance. But if you play your cards right, you might be cheaper off than with a regular commercial last-minute flight.
“In many cases, last-minute flights are more expensive per seat on commercial, and that’s not even looking at first class tickets,” says Howard. “In our case, you’ve got to fill the full aircraft, but if a family of four is flying last minute, this is a really good option. United might charge as much as a private flight.”