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XOJET Aviation LLC

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XO Global LLC
IATA ICAO Call sign
XOJ EXOJET
Founded2006
AOC #AWKA298C[1]
Fleet size180
Parent companyVista Global
HeadquartersFort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Key peopleAndreas Mauritzson, President & COO
FounderPaul Touw, co-founder
Keith Krach, Co-founder
Websiteflyxo.com

XO (formerly XOJET) is a US-based private aviation company and subsidiary of Vista Global with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. XO, with a worldwide fleet access of more than 1,450 private aircraft, offers clients on-demand private jet charters with fixed-price membership programs as alternatives to jet cards and fractional ownership of aircraft. The company also offers the ability to purchase individual seats on pre-arranged, shared flights.

Services

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XO is an on-demand private jet company.[2][3] It operates in the same market as competitors NetJets and Flexjet.[4] The company offers a number of private jet charter programs that allow customers to choose their arrival and departure points.[5][6][7][8]

In July 2017, XOJET launched Select Access, a new $50,000 membership level; added lite- and mid-size jets to its Elite Access program; and instituted a program for membership with monthly fees.[9] In August of that year, XOJET reported it serviced more than 7,000 clients worldwide.[10]

An XOJET Bombardier Challenger 300 approaching Newark Liberty International Airport

History

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XOJET was founded in 2006[11] by Paul Touw[12] and Keith Krach[13] as a private jet charter company with customers purchasing a set number of annual flight hours, similar to fractional ownership.[14] The company is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[15][16][17]

Acquired

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TPG Capital and Mubadala, two of the world's largest private capital investors, acquired XOJet in 2009.[18][19] They shared a controlling interest in the company.[7]

In February 2017, XOJET said it had retained Perella Weinberg Partners to explore financial options, including a possible sale or merger.On September 20, 2018, Vista Global (founded by Thomas Flohr in 2018 and the parent company of VistaJet), said it had reached an agreement to acquire the fleet and commercial operations of XOJET. In April 2019, Vista purchased the Florida-based mobile booking app developer JetSmarter.[17][20][21][22]

Vista took controlling interest in XOJET in June 2019. With this purchase, Vista Global became the third-largest charter operator in the US.[23][24][25] Vista Global shortly afterward merged XOJET with JetSmarter, powered by JetSmarter technology.[26][27] In 2019, the combined entity was rebranded as XO.[28] In July 2021, Vista Global announced an 82% year-on-year increase in XO deposit-members.[29]

Fleet

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XO owns and operates Bombardier Challenger 300 and Cessna Citation X jets.[30] Through a preferred operator partnership program, XO has access to 1,450+ private aircraft; available types include the Hawker 400XP, Hawker 800XP and Gulfstream V.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "XOJET INC - Aircraft Operator". Avionops.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Rosenbloom, Stephanie (August 22, 2013). "Private Flying for (Some of) the Rest of Us". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. ^ French, Sally (July 30, 2020). "Afraid of Airlines? There's Always the Private Jet". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Takahashi, Dean (November 25, 2008). "Silicon Valley's airline: XOJET takes off as corporate jets lose favor". Venture Beat. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ WSJ Market Watch, XOJET Announces XOJET Elite Access™--The Next Generation in Guaranteed Private Jet Programs, Retrieved March 30, 2012
  6. ^ Calvey, Mark (January 29, 2020). "Bay Area private jet company takes headquarters to Florida". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Burger, Jeff (February 2013). "The XOJET Difference". Business Jet Traveler. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Calvey, Mark (September 20, 2018). "New owner of Peninsula's XOJet wants to go after America's billionaire set". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Williamson, Carrie (September 25, 2020). "Fly Private, Do Safely". Leader's Edge Magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Larsen, Keith (August 9, 2017). "Private jet charter company opens office at Palm Beach airport". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Lattman, Peter (May 19, 2008). "XOJet Gets $2.5 Billion for Expansion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "XOJet starting joint venture in Middle East". AIN Online. May 19, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Most Admired CEOs 2015". BizJournals. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Harrison, Kirby (September 28, 2006). "Economies of scale drive Xojet business model". AIN Online. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Bandell, Brian (January 27, 2020). "Aviation firm to relocate to Fort Lauderdale, create 250 jobsl". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "XO Invests In AI To Improve Processes As Demand Grows | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Vista Global combines XOJet and JetSmarter into XO". ch-aviation. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  18. ^ Lattman, Peter (May 19, 2008). "XOJet Gets $2.5 Billion for Expansion". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "XO Jet becomes part of Vista group | Times Aerospace". www.timesaerospace.aero. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Frank, Robert. "Private jet company Vista Global to acquire JetSmarter, once touted as the Uber of private jets". CNBC. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  21. ^ "Vista Global Buys an Uber For Private Jets". Bloomberg.com. April 10, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "JetSmarter to be sold to billionaire's Dubai jet service". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  23. ^ Gollan, Doug. "Vista Global Acquires Private Jet Broker Used By Bernie Sanders, Shaquille O'Neil". Forbes. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Trautvetter, Chad. "VistaJet's New Parent Company To Acquire XOJet". Aviation International News. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Sarsfield2018-09-27T10:02:31+01:00, Kate. "Vista Global strengthens US presence with XOJET buy". Flight Global. Retrieved February 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Reynolds, Emma (July 2, 2019). "Vista Global Launches New Private-Aviation Brand, XO". Elite Traveler. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Blatter, Lucy Cohen. "20 Minutes With: Vista Global Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr". www.barrons.com. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Lattman, Peter. "XOJet Gets $2.5 Billion for Expansion". WSJ. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  29. ^ Siebenmark, Jerry. "Vista Global Notes Record Growth in First-half 2021". Aviation International News. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  30. ^ Bloomberg, The Private Jet That Feels Like a Fighter Jet. Retrieved March 20, 2015
  31. ^ "XOJet Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary with Record Growth". www.sherpareport.com. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
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