Wheels Up co-founder Justin Firestone has announced his retirement from the company at the end of February.
Firestone, who started Wheels Up with Kenny Dichter in 2013, will remain in an advisory capacity until the end of the month to “ensure a smooth transition”.
“While it’s great to have achieved the highest level of status with all of the major hotel brands that gets me an end of the hall room or a higher floor location, I am most excited about spending more time in South Florida with my wife Natalie and our three wonderful children,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“I have been fortunate to have had a career of more than 30 years that has spanned multiple countries at some of the world’s top aviation organizations. So much has changed in our world and in our industry since we started Wheels Up in 2013 but what hasn’t changed is our relentless pursuit to deliver a world-class experience for our Members.”
READ: Wheels Up revenue falls 24% in third quarter
Firestone began his career in media relations and sports marketing before becoming a senior vice president under Dichter at Marquis Jet in 2002. In 2007 he set up Asia Jet in Hong Kong before moving to become president of Hawker Beechcraft for a year in Hong Kong in 2009. He then joined up with Dichter again to launch on-demand private aviation service Wheels Up.
