The new charter app from Vertis Aviation, which offers charter quotes, empty leg alerts and seat-only booking options, has attracted more than 100 users worldwide since its launch in May.
The Switzerland-based charter specialist reported a growing demand for digital platforms to source charter flights. Vertis Aviation chairman Julian Burrell told Corporate Jet Investor: “For our users it brings a complete range of jet charter options to a single interface. In one app, you can book a jet charter, book a seat on an executive jet service within Europe and search for empty legs.”
The empty leg alert has been created to enable users to set regular routes and receive alerts when there are empty leg options available.
Most users are currently located in Europe and the US, although the charter firm expects growing demand, particularly from Russia and Africa, as the app becomes more widely known in those areas.
The most popular alert
Particularly popular with European users is reported to be the Empty Leg Watchlist, which gives instant access to charters on aircraft repositioning or returning empty to their home bases. The most popular alert so far has been for flights from London to Ibiza.
The app also enables users to book individual executive jet seats with Austria-based JetClass. Vertis has recently increased the number of JetClass routes available and is now offering seats on jets regularly flying between Nice and Olbia in northern Sardinia, Nice and Zurich and Nice and Luxembourg. Seat-only places are now available between these cities and routes serving Geneva and Milan.
Users are visiting the app on average once a week to search for ad hoc charter requests. So far,10% of visits have led to fixed bookings.
“Market reviews also led us to believe that by launching a digital platform we could potentially reach a new audience, a younger generation of executive charter clients,” said Burrell. “That is in addition to a wider set of users who are beginning to realise that executive aviation is a viable alternative to travelling business class in many instances.
’Younger generation of executive charter clients’
“We pride ourselves on being able to source the right aircraft for each mission, whether it’s a turbo-prop for short trips or an executive airliner for intercontinental flights, we have access to them all.”
Further development of the app is planned. “We will continue to add functionality, services and customer offerings to the app,” said Burrell. “We are developing a payment option, so users will be able to log on, find a flight, receive the quote, and then pay online.”
The Vertis Aviation App is available free from the App Store for Android and IOS platforms. It was launched at the European Business Aviation and Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva in late May.
