Stratajet launches online booking platform and app

UK-based corporate jet charter company Stratajet has launched an online booking platform and accompanying app that has been five years in the making. The algorithms and data will allow customers to book in almost real-time according to the company.

The system platform uses links into other operator’s platforms and updates on information including airport and airspace charges, weather and runway characteristics. Both platforms were launched by Jonny Nicol, chief executive of Stratajet, at a presentation in London.

Nicol said he had seen first-hand some of the inefficiencies and inaccuracies that exist across private aviation. He said that if  those challenges could be overcome then a more efficient product could be offered to mainstream travellers. During the presentation, he showed a number of flights to Europe that compared favourably with business travel costs using the Stratajet platform.

The platform showed a number of flight options with different turboprop and jet business aircraft, along with the real-time cost of the flights. These could be booked immediately over the internet.

Nicol said that he that he needed critical mass of booked flights before he was prepared to launch and said that he had now seen over 50 flights booked through the Stratajet platform without encountering any problems.

He stated: “Our vision is to change the way people think about private aviation, removing the stigma of it being a closed industry and fundamentally changing the way people travel. By removing staggering inefficiencies that exist in the industry, we have the capability to take a fleet of flying limousines and turn them into taxis, bringing a whole new level of flexibility and accessibility to the world of private jet travel.

“We believe we’ll have a watershed moment in the aviation business when people say there was private aviation before Stratajet and private aviation after Stratajet – it’s a total game-changer.”

Alex Hockey-Sweeney, chief technology officer at Stratajet, added: “After five years’ of development, one of the longest research and development phases in start-up history, Stratajet’s cutting-edge technology makes it the world’s first real-time private jet booking platform. Our team has spent this time gathering a huge amount of data and building the algorithms to run an incredibly advanced platform.”

The Stratajet team has shown the concept and platform to operators in Europe and in North America. The team will be attending EBACE in Geneva next month to showcase this new platform.