A new prepaid card has been launched in Hongkong for business people and others who regularly hire private jets.
The Asia Jet Card is the brainchild of Hongkong-based Asia Jet Partners, which uses the fleet operated by Metrojet, part of the Kadoorie Group, owners of the Peninsula hotels portfolio.
Users can buy US$100,000, US$250,000 or even US$500,000 worth of credit and top up as needed. Members are then able to book their flights through a 24-hour dedicated hotline that will give them priority access to the fleet and will email them itineraries, schedules and estimated costs back to the booker.
All hourly flight charges and associated handling fees are debited from the card members’ prepaid balances each time they fly. Justin Lee Firestone, Founder and CEO of Asia Jet Partners, said: “Where we particularly excel is in offering access to Mainland China’s second-tier cities, such as Changsha, Chengdu, Sanya and Xian, which are important destinations but are served by infrequent flights. We can also offer our service on a route that might only be served by all-economy class flights or even low-cost carriers.
“We also offer the possibility, for business executives to visit three different mainland cities in a single day, which would be impossible using scheduled flights.”
The charges are composed of three categories; an hourly rate of US$5,900, handling fees, which pay for the ancillary and groundhandling costs, and aircraft positioning fees, which cover things such as returning an aircraft empty to Hongkong if the group needs to stay in a single destination for several days.
“In today's challenging economic climate, current trends in private jet travel point to a demand for a program that targets a fiscally responsible client or corporation that may prefer not to put an aircraft on their balance sheet but that nevertheless demands regular access to the best aircraft safety, security and service quality,” said Firestone
"For some business jet users, now may not be the best time to spend 20, 30 or even 50 million US dollars to acquire a private jet or even a fraction of one. Asia Jet has solved a problem for many individuals whose time and productivity is their most valuable commodity," he said.
As part of the Kadoorie Group. Metrojet’s cabin crew are cross trained at its sister company, The Peninsula Hotels.
For further details, see www.asiajetpartners.com
