OPES JET Brings Transparency to Private Jet Booking Market

With thousands of private jet charter users searching hundreds of charter operators for quotes to match their budget and flight requirements, the charter brokerage industry has flourished. But while it saves time and hassle, the traditional charter brokerage model isn’t without its flaws. 

While the service offered by the charter broker model has grown out of necessity, there are some important questions charter users and operators should be asking themselves, says Richard Hekker, Founder and CEO of OPES JET.

“For example,” he asks, “how can charter clients be sure they’re booking the charter flight that represents the best value for money?” 

According to Hekker, “One of the biggest problems within the private jet charter industry has been the lack of a centralized platform to allow customers to compare the packages offered by various charter providers and book their preferred charter flights directly, without needing third party involvement.” 

This can lead to charter users accepting a flight that looks to be a good deal, but in reality could have been much better – and in the case of an unscrupulous charter broker, could even deny charter operators much higher profit margins.

Four years ago, OPES JET saw an opportunity to address these problems, launching a new private jet charter booking platform that it says can provide assurance to both the charter client and operator that they are getting optimum value.

Benefiting Private Jet Charter Clients Worldwide

When it launched in 2020, OPES JET’s goal was to empower individuals, organizations and flight departments to enable a more transparent way of finding charter flights at a price the user was prepared to pay. 

“It’s all about creating balance in the aircraft charter space,” Hekker explains. “We offer our members direct booking options and an extraordinary level of transparency.” 

To start, there are over 8,000 aircraft on the OPES JET app, meaning that members have access to most of the aircraft available for charter worldwide. Free to use, charter operators list their aircraft on the platform and charter users can search, plan, source, and solicit quotes at no cost. 

“First and foremost, OPES JET gives the charter client the full market conditions,” Hekker says. “We explain market prices based on a charter client’s mission parameters – the date, time of flight, route, number of passengers, and more – and based on these, we share the prices that apply to the appropriate aircraft category.” 

Armed with the information, the client can decide whether they’re willing to pay any differences between what they first had in mind and the market price for that aircraft category. 

“Assuming they are happy with the price-range quoted, the charter client’s request is sent out to the platform where it becomes accessible to the charter operators, allowing them to see if they can be competitive. So it works as a reverse auction,” Hekker says. “If the operator can’t provide a competitive quote, they simply move on to the next request without wasting any time.” 

For those operators who can be competitive, two things can happen. Either the operator can offer a price within the range of what the client is asking for, or – after looking at what its competitors are offering – it can assess whether it’s able to be competitive without pricing itself out of the market… 

“The fact that OPES JET doesn’t take the 10-15% commission a traditional broker charges is unique,” Hekker elaborates. “With that commission removed, it might allow the charter operator to be more competitive helping ensure the prospective charter client gets a better price than they would usually get if booked via a traditional charter brokerage platform.” 

By the time the charter operator receives a client's quotation request at the preferred price point (or below), 90% of the work has already been done leaving the charter operator an average of less than one minute per quote to fill out the remaining necessary details. 

Ultimately, OPES JET charges a 4% fee on the final price that the charter client and the aircraft operator agree upon. 

Transparency Key for Private Jet Charter Clients and Operators 

Interestingly, OPES JET doesn’t primarily market the obvious advantage the lack of a 10-15% commission brings. The game-changer, Hekker reckons, is the unprecedented transparency the company’s private jet charter marketplace affords its users. 

To illustrate, he offers the following example: “Let’s say three operators have made similar offers to a prospective client, all of which are in the €21-25k range. While it’s true that the charter client could get the same results from a charter broker, what happens if an operator says they can offer the flight for €6k, based on an empty leg they need to fill? 

“What guarantees the charter broker will pass on the same €6k price to a client who is happy to pay between €21-25k?” he asks. “They could offer it to the client for €18k, pocketing a 200% profit margin, and the client would be none the wiser, happy they’ve got a flight for €3k less than anticipated.” 

The transparency of the OPES JET marketplace “ensures the discount is passed straight to the client,” Hekker adds. And charter operators also benefit from the transparency. 

“For example, an operator could log in, see the client is looking for a flight in the region of €21-25k and see the cheapest price offered is €21k,” Hekker continues. 

“Perhaps instead of offering the empty-leg flight at €6k, the operator offers it at €15k, optimizing their profit margin but also ensuring the charter client gets the best margin possible.” 

And that’s the bottom line with OPES JET’s private jet charter marketplace, Hekker summarizes. “With the traditional charter brokerage model you’ve really got to hope for the best, relying on the integrity of the broker given the lack of market transparency. 

“OPES JET’s marketplace allows both the charter client and charter operator to think strategically, with transparency, and position themselves accordingly.”

More information from: https://opesjet.com/