The private aviation industry is worth an estimated USD 28 billion, and numerous startups are emerging to democratize — and capitalize on — the use of private jets. One such company is JetMe, a luxury aviation platform that enables anyone to hiring a jet by naming their price, and charter a flight on demand from a pool of registered jet owners and private aviation companies.

The startup aims to take advantage of one way empty leg flights — the journeys of an aircraft returning to base with no passengers. JetMe is a no-membership platform, and customers can start planning their itinerary by visiting the website and entering their desired flight. JetMe’s system then calculates a suggested price using its Orders Success Potential algorithm, which takes into account the location and availability of all aircrafts on its books. The customer can then choose to take the recommended price or make a different offer based on their own needs — if they aim too low, they are less likely to secure a plane. JetMe’s charter flight agents then present various options to the customer and facilitate bookings and payments.

The startup is already working with 46 operators around the world. Other platforms aiming to simplify the private jet hire process include Surfair, which offers unlimited jet hire to subscribers from USD 1,950 per month, and BlackJet, which lets individual passengers pay for a single seat onboard a private flight.

How else could the private aviation industry increase its customer-base?