Superior Air Charter

JetSuite From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Not to be confused with JetSuiteX. Superior Air Charter (previously JetSuite) Js logo red.jpg IATA ICAO Callsign RSP REDSTRIPE Founded 2006 Headquarters Dallas, Texas Key people Alex Wilcox, Founder and CEO Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, Board Member Website https://www.superior.flights Superior Air Charter (previously JetSuite) is a private jet charter company[1] that suspended operations in April 2020.[2][3] The company was founded in 2006 by Alex Wilcox. In 2008, the company was re-branded from Magnum Jet after a push from financial backers.[4][5] Wilcox currently serves as CEO of the Dallas, Texas-based company.[6] As of April 17, 2020, JetSuite halted operations and furloughed most of its crew members due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On April 28, 2020, JetSuite's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[3] JetSuite has safely operated over 111,000 flights since 2009. It will seek bankruptcy protection to reorganize, preserve and maximize the value of its assets, and potentially resume operations. In September of 2020, the company closed the Chapter 11 filing and retired the name JetSuite. Flying commenced in November 2020 as Superior Air Charter, operating 3 Phenom 100 aircraft. Contents 1 History 2 Services 3 JSX 4 Fleet 5 Awards 6 References 7 External links History JetSuite was born out of a re-branding of Magnum Jet after the company's financial backers decided to restructure the company.[7][8] As part of this restructuring, the company also steered away from advertising as an “air taxi” with shared rides and began focusing solely on private charter flights.[8] Alex Wilcox, a JetBlue founding executive, is the company's CEO.[9][10] Wilcox has over two decades of airline industry experience and has been named a Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute.[4][9] In addition to receiving funding by private investors in 2010, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh invested $7 million into JetSuite in 2011.[11] Early on, the company was recognized for streamlining its business through the use of four-passenger Embraer Phenom 100s as its primary aircraft.[9][12] This simplifies maintenance and piloting.[13][12] Moreover, these planes are fuel efficient because they consume 90 gallons of gas in an hour versus more than 230 gallons per hour on some other private jets. In 2013, JetSuite installed Aircell WiFi for its Phenom fleet.[14] In 2018, Qatar Airways became a minority stakeholder in JetSuite.[15] In 2018, the company appointed Stephanie Chung as its new President, making her the first African American to lead a major private aviation company. [16] On April 15, 2020, the company announced it was grounding the entire JetSuite fleet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JSX continues a reduced flight schedule.[17] According to several JetSuite customers, the company would not disclose what would happen to unused SuiteKey flight deposits should the flight suspension continue; at the time of the shutdown, analysts estimated that the company held about $50 million in deposits from around 1,000 members.[18] On April 28, 2020, JetSuite's parent company Superior Air Charter LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with Wilcox attributing the company's collapse to a 90% decrease in business caused by widespread stay-at-home orders.[3] Services JetSuite offered charter flights on its fleet of Embraer Phenom 100s, Phenom 300s and a Legacy 650. Amenities included WiFi-enabled private flights throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.[7][9] Unlike many of its counterparts, JetSuite did not require membership nor ownership fees, and offered guaranteed online pricing.[citation needed] JetSuite offered an optional "SuiteKey" membership program in which customers would make non-refundable deposits of $100,000 to $500,000 and redeem them for flights at predetermined hourly rates within 24 months.[18] The company earned the ARG/US Platinum safety rating - the highest-level safety audit rating in private aviation – in 2010 and has maintained it since for its flight safety standards.[19] During 2011, the company’s jets flew over 10,000 times.[12] In May 2018, JetSuite's SuiteKey program was named as one of the "Best Jet Cards for Summer Travel" by Private Jet Card Comparisons.[20]