Luxurious leather seats, clean velvet carpets, cream-colored suede walls – every detail of the Aerojet exude luxury. But that is evident even before climbing the yellow, orange and red stairs.
Here you can tell the book by its cover. Along the line of classic white planes, the glossy black exterior of the Aero Emblem Elge 135 is a refined Panther on the cat airfield of the house.
Their chief operating officer, Michael Pellett, said as they headed out on a plane at an airfield in Salt Lake City. This is mainly due to the phenomenon in which black absorbs sunlight and makes it hotter. That’s the same reason you wear bright colors in the desert, so you don’t have to work hard to keep your body cool. However, in the case of aero, the additional cost of efficiency is worth sexual attraction.
And that’s a lot about this semi-private jet company being everything: charm, experience, class. CEO Ben Klein said from day one, Aero has focused on standing out as a luxury choice in the air travel world.
Garett Camp, co-founder of Uber, has created Aero as an Uber-like service for booking private airlines. That resource has led me to regularly travel between Mykonos and Ibiza, the first company to fly directly between the two islands.
Eventually, we shifted our business model to offer a third option. It’s a semi-private model with 16 seats reserved for each seat on a scheduled route, not a commercial flight, rather than an expensive charter plane. In 2021, we opened our headquarters in Vanneis, California. This is one of the largest private airports.
Since then, Aero has focused on linking its headquarters to other high-demand cities. Aspen, Colorado. Los Cabos, Mexico. Sun Valley, Idaho. Not two months ago, they launched their latest route: Park City.
Park City has become a clear choice as a year-round holiday destination and with a concentration of homeowners in both cities. So far, customers have fitted most of what they expected, Klein said.
“There are many similarities. In fact, we have a lot of people who are flying this route that took other routes. Not surprising, we have guests who ski in Park City and go to Cabo, who may have homes elsewhere,” he said.
The aero process to expand into new routes is finding partners who share their value and clients. Deer Valley Resort and Stein Eriksen Lodge were the two they landed and they had to jump out of their private terminal in Salt Lake City, they worked with Signature Aviation to provide lounge space.
“Aero games are spreading awareness. We are a small company. We don’t have a big marketing budget,” he said. “It takes time for the route to ramp up. It’s a painful part, but it’s a necessary part.”
The route price is $900 per seat one way, and is intended to be more competitive with top-notch flyers. For Aero, that $900 is a lot to do with it, Klein said.
Avoiding the airport is a huge advantage to flying privately, he said. As airports grow in both size and busyness, flyers are expected to budget two hours before flight to deal with bags, security checks and walking times to the gate.
A private flight takes up to 20 minutes.
Of course, there are also gorgeous elements. Great seating made with better ingredients, a few miles of legroom, an open bar and all-inclusive meal service. On flights between Los Angeles and Park City, the plane offers food and drinks from Elewon, a luxury supermarket chain in Los Angeles. Overberry strawberry oats or smoked salmon tartin for breakfast, Asian chicken salad or rast beef sandwich, afternoon Asian chicken salad or roast beef sandwich, beef jerky mix, trail bear snacks.
Also, constant regulations regarding pet travel allow civil airlines like Aero to welcome pets of all sizes on board. Rather than being trapped in a kennel and packed with luggage, the large dog can sit comfortably on the seat or on its owner’s feet, and serve the snacks literally with a silver platter.
“I’ve heard it over and over again from people who drive from LA to take my dogs,” Klein said. “So obviously, your ability to bring your dog is enormous and you can know that they are well cared for.”
A quick Google search estimates that a private jet charter from Salt Lake City to LAX (the major airport in Los Angeles) costs between $12,000 and $23,000. Certainly, these planes may be set up in a more conversational style way, but if the flight is just over an hour, is it worth it?
Many times, these chartered flights don’t come with in-flight services, so people need to pay more.
It’s not entirely private, but in Aero, there’s at least no crowd to deal with. There is no embarrassing TSA putdown ritual. I don’t wait while the bag is being searched. It’s a whole new class of flight.
“I think what makes us unique is the experience. Obviously, our planes are thoughtfully designed, spacious Starlink (Wi-Fi), all good. But what I think aero stands out is that they were obsessed with building a luxurious experience and premium experience for our guests,” Klein said. “What they get from Aero is whether it’s first class or another semi-private provider, they’re not going anywhere else.”
So far, Klein said he saw more work trips than leisure on the route, especially as it overlaps with the Salt Lake City market.
But with the help of their partners, they are working to encourage the long-standing holidays that Park City has to offer. The full travel packages currently offered include 4 nights free valley parking at Vanneis Airport, 10% round-trip aero flights from Los Angeles, 20% off the best available room rates at Stein Eriksen Lodge, and a resort credit of $100 daily per room for two breakfasts at Gritont India Restaurant, food, beverages and spa treatments.
Klein said he hopes the experience speaks for itself.
“What we’re trying to do is make a flying part as fun as the rest of your trip, and I think we’ve done that,” Klein said. “So I would suggest that people check it out and encourage them to experience flights in ways they probably never have before.”
Aero will run non-stop flights to Los Angeles three times a week during the winter, increasing up to four times a week in the summer. For more information and to book flights, visit aero.com or download the Aero app.
