Fractional Jet Access

A business that made private jet travel more accessible by selling fractional ownership through flight hours, similar to a debit card system. The company, Marquis Jets, did $5B in sales over 10 years before being acquired by Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets.

Key Points:

• Core Business Model:

  • Sell blocks of 25 flight hours on private jets
  • Operate like a debit card system for private aviation
  • Customers buy hours instead of whole aircraft

• Value Proposition:

  • Makes private aviation accessible without full jet ownership
  • More efficient use of jets vs single ownership where planes sit idle
  • Allows customers to buy more hours as needed

• Business Success:

  • Generated $5 billion in sales over 10-year period
  • Described as "extremely profitable" by founder
  • Acquired by Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets division

• Market Innovation:

  • Created new access point to private aviation
  • Solved efficiency problem of private jets sitting unused
  • Bridged gap between full ownership and no access