Uber for fliers lets anyone catch a ride in a small plane

Flytenow is making air travel more affordable with ride sharing for small planes.

Being able to travel in a private jet is the pipe dream of many, but the reality is that its a luxury preserved for the moneyed few. In the past we’ve seen platforms such as JetSuite enable fractional ownership of jets, but startup Flytenow is making private air travel more affordable with ride sharing for small planes.

Much like Uber — one of the most successful car sharing startups from the past couple of years — Flytenow relies on a community of plane owners that are willing to give up seats on their flights in return for splitting the bill with passengers. The idea is that those looking for a flight search for a pilot in their area who’s heading in the same direction, and the two split the cost. According to the company, “a roundtrip adventure from Boston’s Hanscom Field to Martha’s Vineyard in a Cessna 172 may cost around USD 100 per person”, around the same it might cost on a commercial flight, but with the extra luxury of flying in a private plane.

Passengers pay half of the cost of each trip as well as a small fee to Flytenow for connecting them with a pilot. Although a slightly more niche prospect than car sharing, could we see other forms of transport take on this model?