What is Wheels Up? Does it offer services that stand out from its competitors? Is it one that you can rely on to achieve what it promises to deliver to its competitors? Join me in this review about Wheels Up as we unearth the main details about it and determine whether it is worth relying on or not.
- What is Wheels Up?
- The Leadership Team at Wheels Up
- Wheels Up history
- Wheels Up Business Model
- Wheels Up Fleet – what are your options?
- Is Wheels Up Genuine or Is It a Scam?
- Pros and Cons
- Final Words And Verdict
Name of the company: Wheels Up
Official Website URL: https://wheelsup.com/
Overall Rating: 
(3.9 / 5)
Recommended: Yes (For those who want to fly between major cities in the USA)
What is Wheels Up?
Wheels Up is the operator of a membership-based private aviation firm that seeks to offer a personalized flying experience. This company conducts its operations principally by giving membership-based private aircraft services that minimize the upfront costs that customers incur. It does this while still offering a unique lifestyle platform that enables individuals, families, and business people to books flights, manages their accounts, and take part in ride-share opportunities through their mobile-based app, and fly privately. Wheels Up deliver comfort and luxury to its customers through state-of-the-art Beechcraft King Air 350i and the Citation Excel/XLS aircraft.
One of the company’s main objectives has been to deliver the best experiences that are measured in time well-spent during the flight, not just the number of hours saved.
The Leadership Team at Wheels Up
Wheels Up has managed to remain operational and to serve its customers in the USA due to the excellence of its executive leadership team. The company boasts of the following top-level management staff members:
- Kenny Ditcher – Founder and CEO
- Lee Applbaum- Chief Marketing Officer
- Lieutenant General, US Air Force, Retired, Thomas W. Bergeson – Chief Operating Officer
- Stephanie Chung – Chief Growth Officer
- Dan Crowe – Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President, Digital
- Lee Gossett – Executive Vice President and Chief Flight Operations Officer
- Greg Greeley – Chairman, Marketplace
- Gail Grimmett- Chief Experience Officer
- Laura Heltebran – Chief Legal Officer
- Jason Horowitz- Chief Business Officer
- Eric Jacobs – Chief Financial Officer
- Francesca Molinari-Chief People Officer
- Ken Napolitano- Chief Sales Officer
- Daniel Tharp – Chief Platform Officer
Wheels Up history
Wheels Up has since 2013 strived to remain at the forefront of the aviation industry by delivering the best services possible to its customers at every stage of their journey. The company was since its creation meant to reinvent the way that people fly private, and this was achieved through the launch of a revolutionary membership model that brings the following benefits to customers:
- Safe travel
- Consistent travel
- High-quality aviation solutions
- Unparalleled lifestyle and world-class experience benefits
By 2014, Wheels Up had managed to put together a team of 1,000 staff members and was the owner of:
- 27 new King Airs
- 10 Cessna Citation Jets (these were fully refurbished aircraft.
After operating the company for five years in the USA, Wheels Up has managed to sell about 5379 individual memberships and 379 corporate memberships. It has also increased its private aircraft ownership to:
- 72 king airs
- 20 Cessna Citations
This company has actually been putting in a lot of effort into serving more customers by the day, which is something that can be reflected by the number of flight hours. In 2017, for instance, Wheels Up managed to fly 59,960 hours. The planes covered about 15 million miles (24 million km) in these hours.
Wheels Up Business Model
Wheels Up members have the option to book short and medium-range private aircraft for flights from Wheels Up’s fleet. The company allows you to book the aircraft at an all-inclusive hourly rate, through their unique mobile app. The service offerings differ from competitors such as NetJets, where the customers are required to own the shares of aircraft.
Wheels Up Group is currently the second-largest private aircraft operator in all of USA, behind NetJets, after having acquired the following companies:
- Delta Private Jets
- Travel Management Company
- Gama Aviation Signature
Wheels Up Fleet – What are your options?
By choosing to work with Wheels Up, you gain access to a marketplace of more than 1,500 private aircraft. These include owned, leased, and managed aircraft. A significant number of these planes are also safety-vetted and from verified partners.
With a large number of aircraft to choose from, you can pick the perfect plane to match the travel needs at hand. Here are the private aircraft categories available at Wheels Up:
-
King Air 350i
- Can handle an average of 2.5 flight hours per flight
- Carries a maximum of 8 passengers
-
Citation Excel/ XLS
- Handles 4-hour flights quite effectively
- Can carry 8 passengers
-
Citation X
- Handles 6 hours non-stop flights quite well
-
Light Jets
- These jets can ferry 6 people
- Can handle 3.5-hour flights
- Include the Citation Encore+ and Hawker 400XP
-
Midsize Jets
- Can ferry 7 passengers
- Good for those carrying additional luggage
-
Super-Midsize Jet Category
- Good for 4 hour nonstop flights
- Can ferry up to 8 passengers
-
Large-Cabin Jet Category
- Good for 7-hour flights
- Can ferry up to 10 passengers
- Includes Falcon 2000, Challenger 604, Gulfstream GIV-SP, and the Gulfstream G450.
Is Wheels Up Genuine or Is It a Scam?
Wheels Up is in my opinion, a genuine private Jet Charter company. It’s one that is dedicated to helping customers in the USA make trips to the major cities in all states. Wheels Up has been around for only 7 years now, but it has done an excellent job at delivering services that have several thousands of customers trust it enough to become regular members. The fact that Wheels Up has risen to be the second-largest company of its kind in the USA only verifies how seriously it’s handling business when it comes to its customers.
During these times when we are all facing multiple travel regulations and restrictions you can take advantage of my number one recommended alternative to Wheels Up.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It is genuine
- 2nd largest in the USA
- No fraction share commitment required
- Over 1500 aircrafts available
Cons
- Only available for flights between USA major cities
- The aircrafts available are still significantly less compared to other competitors
Final Words and Verdict
Verdict: Legit
Overall Rating: [ usr 3.9]
Wheels Up is a viable private jet chartering option for those living in the USA and would like to enjoy a private flight with their loved ones. This company has been quite active in getting both individual and corporate members to come on board and enjoy what they have to offer. They’re also doing great in as far as creating a fleet of reliable aircraft is concerned. That said, Wheels Up is still very limited when it comes to the number of destinations that it allows its customers to travel to. That’s why I would recommend that you have a look at the alternative to Wheels Up that can let you travel to various destinations all over the world, without you having to be a fractional shareowner.
My #1 Recommended Private Jet Charter Company – Best Value For Money
That will be all for this review on what Wheels Up is about. Do you still have any questions about this company? Drop your question in the comments section- I will get back to you ASAP. You can also share your thoughts about Wheels Up if you have used their aircraft in the past. Don’t forget to have a look at my recommended alternative to this company as well- you can end up with a better deal for you and your family, friend, or business associates.
I wish you well,
Eric, Investor and Team Member at Gold Retired!
Leave a Reply