Wheels Up

Wheels Up is a private aviation company that primarily serves members in the United States. The company was founded in 2013 by entrepreneurs Kenny Dichter and Bill Allard.^[1] Wheels Up members are able to access a closed-fleet of private planes through a mobile application and book jets at a flat, all inclusive hourly rate.

On July 3, 2017 Dichter said Wheels Up had received $90 million in debt financing from KKR that will support the acquistion of 17 King Air 350i to its fleet. He also said he expects the company of have a positive EBITDA by the end of 2017. ^[2]

Membership

Wheels Up offers two different types of membership programs, Individual/Family or Corporate Membership.

Fleet

Wheels Up operates a fleet of Textron Aviation King Air 350i and Citation Excel/XLS aircraft. All flights are operated by Gama Aviation with a crew of two pilots. In the New York City area, HeliFlite operates a fleet of Bell 430 and Sikorski S-76 helicopters for Wheels Up members.

Flight Desk

Wheels Up offers a flight desk to its members if larger aircraft are needed or if Wheels Up aircraft are unavailable.

On-board Services

Both types of aircraft in the Wheels Up fleet have many amenities including, room for up to nine passengers, premium leather seats, a full lavatory, onboard entertainment systems, satellite WiFi, power outlets at every seat, blankets, and bluetooth music and conference system. A selection of snacks includes Dean & Deluca snack jars, granola bars, chips, and candy. Beverages include Fiji Water, Coca-Cola, Avion Tequila, Beer, and a seasonal selection of wines.

Wheels Down

Wheels Down is the lifestyle, events and concierge program available to all Wheels Up members. The program provides members with unique partner benefits and insider access to exclusive experiences throughout the world's of sports, business, culture and entertainment.

References