Please enjoy this Op-Ed contribution from Justin Crabbe, the CEO & Founder of Jettly, a digital private jet marketplace, and BlackJet, a pre-paid private jet solution.

Private aviation’s biggest value proposition is the luxury of time and convenience, but an irony still hides in that experience.

As people become more mobile and flexible in their schedules, crowded terminals, airport delays, and long security lines become unbearable, and private aviation seems like a better, more attractive alternative for travelers who put a premium on efficiency and speed.

However, one lingering question baffles today’s discerning travelers: how can the flight be remarkably seamless, yet the processes behind it aren’t?

Surprisingly, securing a charter flight these days can still involve a manual sequence: back–and–forth follow-ups, explaining the itinerary, waiting for manual quotes, clarifying pricing structures, checking availability, among others. This manual burden not only creates inefficiencies but also adds unnecessary complexities to the passenger’s travel experience. This process may have progressed 10 or 20 years ago, but it makes less sense in today’s digital world.

Data from the International Air Transport Association’s 2024 Global Passenger Survey shows that 71% of passengers book travel online or via a mobile app, while only 16% prefer human interaction. Another 32% said they wanted to have all their travel information consolidated in one place during the pre-travel process.

What does it say about the passengers’ preference? It could only mean that travelers want control, transparency, and convenience built into their full booking experience.

We live in a fast-paced world where everything is possible in just a tap or click on our phone. People consume and enjoy the luxury of convenience — that’s why online shopping, online food delivery, online hotel booking, and online car booking exist. Even travel itineraries can now be AI-generated. Yet booking private aircraft still feels like a process built for another era.

This is where we can say it’s not about the people — it’s about the process. 

With advancements in technology and digital solutions, there is a clear opportunity to revolutionize how private aviation operates. Sure, brokers and aviation professionals still provide valuable expertise. But real breakthroughs could happen only if travelers depend less on manual intervention and more on technology that improves not only the process but every touchpoint in the customer journey.

That doesn’t mean that human interaction and intervention are unnecessary. It’s about putting technology in the right place to harness its full potential. I’m a staunch believer that the best digital experiences still come from human experts backed by their know-how in technological advancements.

Private aviation is a time product, and the distinction between human expertise and technological advancement matters. If a traveler pays a premium for fewer hours in the air and on the ground, it is only reasonable to assume that they would spend fewer hours navigating the booking process.

As flexible as its digital footprint is, the industry’s physical component should be, too. 

The technology that governs the aircraft booking process should match the flexibility the aircraft itself offers. This means both must align to accommodate changing schedules, different destinations, and other highly specific requirements.

This is where AI and automation come into play.

Imagine the fragmented data the system gets every day — it would be a nightmare sorting those out. But with AI, the system can aggregate this information efficiently, identify relevant details, and compare options based on the traveler’s requirements. Instead of waiting for someone to manually assemble the information, the system evaluates possibilities, making it efficient for both the passenger and the operator. The goal is not only to speed up booking, but to make the experience smarter.

Not all travelers know what type of aircraft they need, and that’s where the system can step in. It can automatically understand the trip requirements — the number of passengers, departure and arrival preferences, baggage requirements, budget, and other priorities.

The technology behind it easily translates the passenger’s needs into meaningful aircraft options — at just the tip of their finger, with no back-and-forth discussion with a broker or an agent. The traveler doesn’t need to become an aviation expert to know what they want and need; they just need to trust a system that helps them make an informed decision.

This reflects a broader shift across consumer technology. People rely on software and technology to handle the tedious, manual steps of organizing information. But people need better choices from the pool of options presented to them. When a digital marketplace spans more than 20,000 aircraft, the challenge is not just about finding an aircraft, but about efficiently finding the right aircraft. The more aircraft, operators, airports, and other variables there are, the harder it becomes for a traveler to decide which option is best.

This is where technology should do most of the work.

Technology is not the enemy. It’s our tool for greater capability and enhanced expertise.  

Industry players tend to frame AI and automation as threats to the professionals who have powered private aviation. But there is another way to see it.

Human judgment, relationships, and expertise are irreplaceable. They form the foundation of a complex, successful industry. High-value travel decisions deserve accountability, and some situations will inevitably require experienced people.

But automation can handle the repetitive work surrounding the human decision-making process. It complements the entire intelligent experience.

I believe private aviation should operate more like the digital marketplace — that means bringing fragmented data together to make easy, informed decisions that will help travelers discover options without requiring them to navigate a complicated manual process.

This doesn’t take away the premium of private aviation, but it allows the beginning of a more premium experience. The vision is to transform how travelers engage with private, on-demand charters, making them more convenient, efficient, and tailored to their individual preferences.

As the travel industry evolves, the call to make private aviation less manual aligns with growing demand for a seamless, hassle-free travel experience.

Private aviation is ultimately about giving people more control of their time, so the booking experience should give them that same control, too.

About the author:

Justin Crabbe has spent more than a decade building at the intersection of growth, sales, operations, and product strategy.

Their work at digital private jet marketplace Jettly is built around a simple but timely idea: private aviation should feel transparent, searchable, and far less manual for travelers.

Featured image credited to istock.com/dmbaker