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Ride-sharing network reduces costs of flights on private jets
Regular readers of Springwise will already be familiar with the concept of ride-sharing, and initiatives such as Ridekicks and go520 have previously applied the concept to road travel to great effect. Now taking the same model and applying it to private aviation, we’ve recently discovered Social Flights. The US-based platform enables a user to outline their proposed flight plans on the Social Flights website. Other users intending on making a similar trip can then express an interest in sharing an aircraft. Once the necessary number of passengers required to fill a private plane have signed up for a particular flight, Social Flights organizes the trip with an aircraft operator, and makes tickets available for purchase to those who expressed interest. Using the rideshare model, passengers are not only able to travel in greater luxury than on a commercial flight, but they can also save money. According to a FastCompany report, three planes recently flew approximately ninety Mississippi State football fans from Jackson, MS, to Jacksonville, FL, for a bowl game. The flight came to USD 350 per person, as opposed to the USD 500–600 it could have cost to fly on a commercial plane. As well as sports games, Social Flights CEO Jay Deragon also notes how useful the service can be for those traveling to concerts, taking weekends away, or taking business trips. Social Flights has already run twelve flights since their launch in February, with plans for the regularity of the trips to increase as more users sign up. As well as being advantageous for passengers, what makes Social Flights particularly interesting is that it also benefits charter owners, who can increase revenue by employing their charter jets at times when they may have otherwise gone unused. Spotted by: airlinetrends.com