Online Marketplace Matches Planes, Flights To Customers
Like the British Empire
before it, the sun never sets on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin
Group... and the latest entity in the Virgin family, Virgin
Charter, recently added a Charter Member Program which offers
access to a fully functional marketplace for selling, purchasing
and booking charter flights on private aircraft on an
invitation-only basis.
Company representatives tell ANN Charter Members will have
exclusive access to post trip requests or submit quotes for
providing private charter services. They will also have the
opportunity to provide feedback that will guide feature
enhancements of the Marketplace.
Virgin Charter will expand the Marketplace to allow access to
all buyers of private charters in February 2008.
Virgin Charter has selected more than 100 charter operators --
including Aerojet Services, Avjet Corporation, Clay Lacy, DB
Aviation, ExpressJet Corporate Aviation, FlightWorks, Hop-A-Jet,
Jet Source, Key Air, Segrave Aviation, Sun Air Jets, The Air Group,
and XOJET, as well as key professional buyers of private charter to
be the first to experience the Virgin Charter Marketplace.
Virgin Charter is specifically designed to meet the needs of a
wide range of buyers including corporate travel departments, travel
agents, brokers, and individuals. Buyers and sellers who wish to be
invited into the system may also apply online at the FMI link
below.
As ANN reported, the company
launched a private beta version of its Marketplace with a small
group of buyers and sellers in June 2007. This group of users
provided detailed feedback on the basic functionality of the
Marketplace and provided insight into the priority and requirements
of a wide range of new features that are included in the
Marketplace that launched today.
"We are committed to providing the most comprehensive and well
thought out solution for buyers and sellers of private aviation,
and our Charter Program is the final stage in delivering this,"
said Scott Duffy, founder and CEO, Virgin Charter. "The feedback
from the private beta has been overwhelmingly positive, so we are
excited to share the enhanced Marketplace with our Charter
Members."
"XOJET joined the Virgin Charter private beta in June. Virgin
Charter has taken a really advanced approach to helping private jet
travelers identify the best operators, and the Marketplace helps us
find new customers," said Paul Touw, CEO, XOJET. "It's easy to use
and doesn't force us to change our internal systems."
To purchase a charter trip, Charter Members go online, locate
available aircraft, negotiate pricing, and manage their entire trip
over the Internet. Charter Member Operators make their inventory
available to a large international customer base without changing
the way they currently do business.