SP’s Aviation (SP’s): Could you briefly give the nature of your business?

Kanika Tekriwal (Kanika): To put briefly JetSetGo provides Indian charter customers for the first time choice, transparency and flexibility to book a private jet online on both web and mobile platforms. For single leg trips, through its online demand aggregation model it maximises the chance for sale of empty travel legs to other customers thereby adding value to original leg customer by giving a credit against original charter cost and for the empty leg traveller a private jet at a more attractive price point. For aircraft operators, JetSetGo provides a cloud-based enterprise management tool which combine scheduling, advanced trip pricing and business intelligence capabilities with an in-built global marketplace for services and parts that will soon also have transactional capabilities.

SP’s: Since inception what has been your company’s growth and what are the drivers?

Kanika: We have seen double-digit growth month-on-month. Every business owner likes to call their product unique/exclusive, I would rather let my customers do the talking about how we are changing the private aviation industry in India one step at a time.

There is as yet no end-to-end aggregation platform in India which in itself makes us unique. Not restricting our self to just this we extend the experience from the ease of the customised online booking process to providing superior unmatched level of service at every customer touch point through the journey process on ground at both departure and arrival airports and on-board based on the purpose of the customer charters, be it business or leisure. This end-to-end approach and putting the customer first is what differentiates us from the traditional aircraft charter market in India which is still broker driven who suggest aircraft based on what suits them more than what suits the customer, does arbitrary pricing to exploit individual situations and from the need for superior on-ground service (read experience) after having paid so much for a private jet charter in India.

SP’s: How many charter companies are enlisted and what is the number of aircraft that you can access? Is it in India alone or overseas too?

Kanika: We only have operators listed in India. We have access and listing with close to 80 per cent of the GA fleet available for charter.

SP’s: How many airports can you reach within India and overseas too?

Kanika: Any airport in the world.

SP’s: What has been the general profile of your clients – industrialists, celebrities, politicians, etc?

Kanika: There are two types of customers JetSetGo caters to: the business traveller and the leisure traveller. Both of these consist of domestic and international clientele. The international traveller is accustomed to using private jets world over and comes with requirements which could range from a particular type of caviar being served on board to the thread count of the bed sheets – our business is to turn every wish into a command. The domestic traveller understands the ground reality in India and definitely comes with lesser requirements at the same time his expectations are increasing every day.

The business traveller: Those using private jets for business generally do so to travel to airports not being serviced by commercial airlines in India today or to save time or even a combination of both. We often see cases wherein business people who are travelling with three or four colleagues in business class, say “Why wouldn’t we fly private for close to the same price?” Over and above which it saves on airport time, plus the aircraft are business enabled with sat-phones and Wi-Fi keeping the discerning business traveller ever connected. The business travellers priority is flexibility so if a customer calls five minutes ahead of departure and says reschedule departure to tomorrow – we have to make it happen.

The leisure traveller: Travel advisors report that the number of affluent travellers between the ages of 40 and 55 has skyrocketed. Not only that, more well-off families in their 30s and 40s are planning vacations and adventure trips with their young children. The reason: they love to travel and want their children to experience the world. At JetSetGo we have seen this trend takeover where leisure travellers use private jets to travel to offbeat locations with the desire for never tried before experience only increasing. The leisure traveller likes to be pampered and spoiled with fine dining, superior service and his choice of entertainment. At JetSetGo our USP is reimagining private aviation so we convert a private jet ride to a traveller’s holiday destination into an experience by itself. Since leisure travellers involve travellers of all ages special care is taken to ensure there is something for everyone. The leisure traveller loves unique experiences – for example, we recently hosted an all-out bachelor party on a private jet for a customer. On another instance we hosted a little birthday party for young kids at a helipad along with joyrides on a helicopter.

Our customers who range from the likes of the Ferragamo family to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to billionaires love the fact that post a phone call all their travel requirements are taken care of by us along with which the brand delivers an unsaid assurance of true luxury, quality, comfort and safety. Our biggest learning has been that in the world of luxury today, experience and perception are far more important than utility. Every customer using a private jet irrespective of the purpose likes the image that comes along with it – which simply reads rich and busy.

SP’s: One of the problems of an aggregator could be unavailability of an aircraft to a client who has booked it. In such cases what do you do?

Kanika: Our USP is service, reliability and assurance. In case an aircraft is unavailable we send an alternate aircraft at our own cost irrespective of the costs we have to absorb.

SP’s: What are your plans for expansion, growth?

Kanika: The only plan right now is to make JetSetGo the onestop shop for private jet and luxury travel globally. Bigger, better – something the world’s never seen.

SP’s: The business aviation community, per se, has shown signs of strain and many companies are said to be in the red. How is it in such a scenario that you have positive sentiments?

Kanika: The future of the industry is all about bespoke, exclusive, discreet experiences. The customers exist and so does an active market – it’s all about delivering what they want. In the world of private jets – the sky is literally the limit.

A recent Knight-Frank wealth report points to how some of the major emerging markets in Asia like India will churn out the highest growth rates in UHNI, billionaires and centa-millionaires over the next decade. They forecast India’s UHNI population to increase from 1,652 to 3,371; centa-millionaires to increase from 401 to 811 and billionaires to increase from 53 to 77 in the next 10 years (2024). While India continues to lag China in growth of the luxury sector, a combination of improving macroeconomic fundamentals and fall in aviation fuel prices is now providing strong tailwinds to the business aviation sector with several aircraft and helicopter manufacturers registering increases in order book and betting on India being a core part of their future growth plan. JetSetGo sees its technology investments paving the way for wider strategic alliances and growth opportunities in the luxury travel and experiences market space.

SP’s: What has been the most challenging aspect in this kind of business?

Kanika: We don’t seem to have encountered any challenges worth mentioning as such. The business is a very people and machine reliant business and it’s all about working efficiencies.

SP’s: What needs to be done to prop up the business aviation sector in the country?

Kanika: More JetSetGos!