Think Like an Owner Glenn Gonzales - How to Fly Private as a Business Owner - Ep.107
My guest on this episode is Glenn Gonzales. Glenn is the founder and CEO of Jet It, a fractional share private jet business with a unique model serving customers across the country and in Europe. Prior to founding Jet It, Glenn was an F-15 pilot in the Air Force and sold private jets on behalf of Gulfstream and Honda.
This episode is a deep dive into all options available for business owners who want to fly private. If you want to explore private travel options, fly private more frequently, or even buy an aircraft directly to make your business and personal travel more efficient, this episode is for you. We talk about high level benefits to flying private and what factors to consider when evaluating your options. We walk through each of the four core private travel models – charter, jet cards, fractional ownership, direct ownership – along with their pros and cons and what kind of person or business each is meant for.
After diving into each model, we talk about how Glenn's company Jet It fits into the private travel ecosystem and where that ecosystem is headed in the future. Finally, I ask him what it is like flying an F-15. I hope you enjoy this episode and find it useful for deciding how you and your business can utilize private travel in the near future.
Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.
Links:
Topics:
(5:04) - Glenn’s background in aviation and military career
(6:41) - Do you have any favorite memories from your days in aviation sales?
(8:27) - What are the different breakdowns of customers who would buy a place directly?
(10:22) - Where does someone get started in exploring private aviation?
(12:54) - What are the broad pros and cons of flying private?
(18:25) - Glenn’s rule of them for business owners considering flying private
(20:29) - Private aviation models: Chartering & Jet Cards
(24:26) - The state of Jet Cards as an industry
(25:41) - Costs within Chartering and Jet Card
(27:07) - Private aviation models: Factional Ownership
(29:32) - Pricing within Factional Ownership
(33:48) - Yearly income needed before considering direct ownership of a plane
(35:12) - How does JetIt fit into the ecosystem of private aviation?
(39:05) - Does JetIt help arrange transportation after landing?
(40:31) - Have you faced any near-death experiences in building your business?
(42:17) - How do you hire and recruit folks?
(43:46) - What do you think the private aviation landscape will look like in 10 years?
(46:03) - How can private aviation become more affordable?
(48:05) - How much does an electric plane drop the cost of a flight?
(51:01) - What college class would you teach if it could be anything?
(51:37) - What strongly held belief have you changed your mind on?
(53:32) - What’s the best business you’ve ever seen?
(54:10) - Who are some aviation entrepreneurs that you admire?
(58:26) - What are some differences between flying a Honda Jet and the F-15?