Online Marketplace Matches Planes, Flights To Customers

Like the British Empire before it, the sun never sets on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group... and the latest entity in the Virgin family, Virgin Charter, recently added a Charter Member Program which offers access to a fully functional marketplace for selling, purchasing and booking charter flights on private aircraft on an invitation-only basis.

Company representatives tell ANN Charter Members will have exclusive access to post trip requests or submit quotes for providing private charter services. They will also have the opportunity to provide feedback that will guide feature enhancements of the Marketplace.

Virgin Charter will expand the Marketplace to allow access to all buyers of private charters in February 2008.

Virgin Charter has selected more than 100 charter operators -- including Aerojet Services, Avjet Corporation, Clay Lacy, DB Aviation, ExpressJet Corporate Aviation, FlightWorks, Hop-A-Jet, Jet Source, Key Air, Segrave Aviation, Sun Air Jets, The Air Group, and XOJET, as well as key professional buyers of private charter to be the first to experience the Virgin Charter Marketplace.

Virgin Charter is specifically designed to meet the needs of a wide range of buyers including corporate travel departments, travel agents, brokers, and individuals. Buyers and sellers who wish to be invited into the system may also apply online at the FMI link below.

As ANN reported, the company launched a private beta version of its Marketplace with a small group of buyers and sellers in June 2007. This group of users provided detailed feedback on the basic functionality of the Marketplace and provided insight into the priority and requirements of a wide range of new features that are included in the Marketplace that launched today.

"We are committed to providing the most comprehensive and well thought out solution for buyers and sellers of private aviation, and our Charter Program is the final stage in delivering this," said Scott Duffy, founder and CEO, Virgin Charter. "The feedback from the private beta has been overwhelmingly positive, so we are excited to share the enhanced Marketplace with our Charter Members."

"XOJET joined the Virgin Charter private beta in June. Virgin Charter has taken a really advanced approach to helping private jet travelers identify the best operators, and the Marketplace helps us find new customers," said Paul Touw, CEO, XOJET. "It's easy to use and doesn't force us to change our internal systems."

To purchase a charter trip, Charter Members go online, locate available aircraft, negotiate pricing, and manage their entire trip over the Internet. Charter Member Operators make their inventory available to a large international customer base without changing the way they currently do business.

FMI: www.virgincharter.com