Fractional driving will encourage fractional flying.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Flexcar and Zipcar, two companies that just announced a merger, both of whom are in the fractional car business. No, not partial ownership of luxury or antique cars, but rather everyday cars. And this could inspire even more growth in the fractional jet space. Allow me to explain.
The concept behind Flexcar and Zipcar will sound familiar: Rather than own a car outright, you actually share a fleet of cars, picking up and dropping off a car where and when you need it, paying as you go. Once you’re a member, you log on to a website to select when and where you will pick a car up, and when and where you will drop it off. Your magnetic membership card will open the car door for you. And you’ll find they keys in the glove compartment.
Currently, these two companies operate only in a few cities. But you can expect that to grow quickly. After all, the fractional concept makes as much sense on the ground as it does at 35,000-feet.
What does this have to do with fractional jet ownership? Well, the way I see it, the more people who are exposed to a fractional ownership model of one sort or another, the more people who will appreciate its many benefits. That ultimately makes it easier on folks like you and I as we ponder whether or not to make the investment in fractional flight. It’s one thing to explain fractional jets to someone who has never even heard of the concept, and yet something else to explain it to someone who already understands and appreciates it, perhaps in part because they or someone they know own fractional vacation property, or perhaps a fractional car.
Before too long, fractional ownership will need little explanation–or defense–and people will wonder how we managed to survive all these years without it. Companies like Flexcar and Zipcar will help make that day arrive sooner rather than later.
