Brand positioning, user experience and their roles on the success (and failures) of air charter innovations.

Air charter traveling is the ultimate symbol of business success. Unlike the glamour of top-notch mansions and yachts, flying private is where executives can control what values most for them: TIME. 

The efficiency of skipping usual boarding procedures and security checkpoints (even on First-Class experiences) is unmatchable by any commercial airline. The convenience of flying to a closer and less busy airport also adds up to the task.

In the past two years, I ventured into this fantastic vertical and right away I was convinced to be innovating or disrupting the market somehow. But players like JetSmarter, Wheels Up, Surf Air and others showed me that to make it big I needed to level up my game.

At the same time, uncountable stories revealed that failure was also a reality in the industry. You can name them: heavily-backed BlackJet, Beacon, Virgin Charter and many others were classic examples that it is not easy at all to break into a top-performing-luxury-oriented segment.

After spending months analyzing each case down to the most profound aspect of their business models, I was able to find out that the common elements in all success stories, as well as the defeats, were not so mysterious: it was 'pure' BRANDING and USER EXPERIENCE, done with extreme craft.

Of course, they had to nail operations. That is an essential survival object of the luxury travel universe. And they were, indeed, innovative! But they were not unique. 

All of them had competitors with the same offerings. Competitors that had the similar funding (sometimes even more modest), comparable catalytic elements. But the successful ones were able to deploy their brand and the entire user journey with an entirely new perspective. No, not software-user-experience. I truly mean the whole "private-jet-experience."

In Brazil, FlyFlapper, a trending startup in the industry, is a valid example of excellence in managing both branding and user experience. Following their Instagram feed is inspiring; watching their CEO's daily publications on LinkedIn is an endless-learning experience!

Similar patterns are found in all success stories of our business vertical: breathtaking brand positioning, slick design, intuitive and straightforward booking journeys. Coming from the creative background and having managed global advertising and design accounts, I know that they've nailed it from nose to tail. In ways that even huge brands should envy.

At Biz Airlines Technologies, we are also bringing all those elements to the foreground of our technology. The design is at the center of all our development efforts. And if you need any help thinking about your digital transformation challenges within the air charter segment, we are eager to assist!

Bruno Santiago, CEO at Biz Airlines Technologies.