Private aviation has been seeing a revamp in recent years following industry overhauls and social changes. With this transformation, Simple Flying recently caught up with Lynn Fischer, Chief Marketing Officer at XO, about how modern technology is helping the market adapt.

Combining tech

XO is part of Vista Global, which the group highlights is the “world’s first private aviation ecosystem." The company integrates a unique portfolio of firms offering asset-light flying solutions to cover great ground in private flying.

The brand utilizes the power of JetSmarter’s innovative technology and matches it with XOJET Aviation, which is one of the largest private aviation companies in North America. This integration has provided an alternative to the outdated and overpriced offerings that can be found across the private market. All in all, XO prides itself on being the leading tech-driven private aviation company, offering flyers more flight options than any other private aviation outfit.

Better deals for the modern age

Data science is a considerable factor in what edges XO. While the private jet world and its related industries have a market size of over $20 billion in the United States alone, most of the solutions in place are heavily dated, relying on manual processes. However, XO states that its technology is at the forefront of what will separate creative private aviation from standard practices.

Fischer told Simple Flying the following:

“XO monitors consumer travel trends each day, informing XO’s tech engineers where new flights should be available. This feature is possible through XO's machine learning-based pricing algorithms that scan global availability. Other private aviation groups aren’t monitoring data this closely or using it to make route decisions that change day to day.

“XO invests in both general technology and data science, specifically unified searches so that users can search both seats and charters in one experience; calendar pricing to allow users to find the best prices without having to repeat searches; a streamlined checkout experience; and digitizing the whole user journey. We’re also focusing on data science and machine learning enhancements on pricing algorithms and network optimization. When it comes to using tech and data to serve our customers, the possibilities are endless.”

Altogether, the days of having to call around to find an available aircraft through a series of brokers while worrying about transactions are continuing to be a thing of the past. Now, anyone can book flights on demand without any commitment. Moreover, there are more choices to be had with whole aircraft private charters and "fly-share" options. The latter sees crowdfunded flights split the cost of a private jet charter among several of those on the jet.

New passenger prospects

The rise of the pandemic has accelerated the organic expansion of the private jet industry. New restrictions and biosafety concerns saw substantial growth in private flight and membership inquiries from new passenger segments across numerous industries and demographics.

Some of XO’s new clients have experienced private services before, but many were new to the world. In 2021, sales of the Vista Group’s subscription solutions and services rose by 59%. The company also saw a 64% increase in global flight hours across its operations.

In the business traveler space, professionals in finance, entertainment, and technology have long been a fan of utilizing these new private jet solutions. However, there has been a significant increase in demand from leisure passengers. As a result, over the last year, XO saw an increase in people requesting memberships.

Altogether, XO saw a 52% yearly increase in its entry-level RISE Membership sales in 2021. With the broader industry going through a transformation, we can expect plenty more new opportunities in the private aviation realm this decade.

About The Author

Sumit Singh (1592 Articles Published)

Deputy Editor - Sumit comes to Simple Flying with more than eight years’ experience as a professional journalist. Having written for The Independent, Evening Standard, and others, his role here allows him to explore his enthusiasm for aviation and travel. Having built strong relationships with Qatar Airways, United Airlines, Aeroflot, and more, Sumit excels in both aviation history and market analysis. Based in London, UK.