TORONTO, Canada — Inspired by Uber’s success, and the steady decline of the general aviation industry, founder Justin Crabbe created Jettly.
The platform, Crabbe states, will allow pilots to fill empty seats on their flights by allowing the public to “hitch a ride.” Expenses such as fuel, oil, or aircraft rental are shared equally among pilot and passengers.
Win-Win
“It’s the ultimate win-win,” says Crabbe. General aviation is the primary training ground for most commercial pilots, private pilots save money while building their hours and exercising their passion for flying, and passengers experience the luxury of flying private with an experienced pilot already flying to their destination usually getting them to their destination in minutes, instead of hours, avoid high taxes, expensive airfares, and long airport lineups.”
Jettly plans to donate $1 (USD or CAD) for every flight flown to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association or the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association to support general aviation in the United States and Canada.
Know the Laws
Jettly was designed to be a global platform. Crabbe states users are signing up from around the globe. For those users in the United States, wher ride-sharing apps like AirPooler and Flytenow have run into FAA opposition, Crabbe encourages pilots to be aware of the laws they are subject to.
“It is amazing that a pilot in the United States can stand on a street corner and ask passers-by if they’d like to go for a flight and share the costs, or hang a flyer in an FBO, and that’s okay,” comments Crabbe. “But use the internet to the essentially do the same thing, and the FAA takes exception.”
For commercial operations, Jettly works for on-demand air charters, freelance instructors and flight schools who can list their services by the hour and connect with potential passengers.
How Jettly works
The process for private pilots is simple: The pilot creates a profile in the app and lists a flight, specifying operating costs and whether it’s a one-way, round trip or a sightseeing flight.
Passengers submit a booking request and communicate further with the pilot via messages in the app.
Pilots decide who they fly with and when. They can cancel the flight at any time if they feel there is a reason to do so.
Payments are managed by Jettly and are only released to the pilot after the pilot approves it and marks the flight as complete. If a trip happens to be canceled due to weather or any other factor, the passenger is reimbursed in full.
Jettly aims to build trust and safety among passengers and the general aviation community. Pilots are required by law to have all necessary licenses, endorsements, and skills to make each flight safe and comfortable. A rating system allows honest feedback from both pilot and passenger about the experience, officials note.
