Let’s Make A Deal: Get A Free Rolex Watch With Your Private Jet

Remember when there was a shortage of private jets? It wasn’t that long ago that numerous private jet flight providers stopped their jet card programs as Covid-induced demand for private aviation swamped the industry. However, with demand dropping, prices are coming down and deals are back.

FlyAlliance is offering a free Rolex valued up to $50,000 if you buy a 50 hours per year share in one of its Citation XLS+ and Next Gen fleet. Of course, you’ll have to plunk down $1,195,000 for your 1/16^th ownership interest. You do get some of that back – it’s called residual value – when your term expires in five years.

The 18^th-largest U.S. operator based on fractional and charter flight hours is also offering a first-flight free promotion for jet card buyers. Jets.com and Magellan Jets have had similar offers in the market.

Like the Rolex deal, which is limited to the first five buyers, most of these promotions are limited in time or quantity.

Last week Magellan Jets rolled out a limited number of 15-hour jet cards. Its card program typically starts at 25 hours.

Garrett Seiple, the Boston-based provider’s marketing director, says, “With all of the uncertainty across global markets, we wanted to offer the safe, seamless, low-risk private travel solution of our Jet Card program at a lower capital investment,”

OneFlight International is best known for the BAJit program it advertises using Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. Last month it added a second jet card eschewing joining and membership fees targeting buyers flying less than 25 hours per year. Its JetCard Membership 2.0 is a straight $100,000 deposit, an amount that buys less than 10 hours on a super midsize jet.

FlyExclusive is offering $100,000 in flight credits for new buyers into its Citation CJ3+ fractional program.

The fifth-largest private jet operator in the U.S. said its offer is meant to celebrate the pending arrival of its first fractional aircraft, a new program launched last year.

Volato is marking the launch of its second jet card program, Insider, by offering a category upgrade through the end of the month. The HondaJet program, which starts at $50,000, offers capped hourly pricing based on eight zones. The more you deposit, the larger the zone where your capped rates apply.

Wheels Up, which ranks third based on charter and fractional flight hours, is waiving joining fees and offering flight credits for its new Connect King Air program.

While industry leader NetJets still has a backlog of orders for fractional shares stretching into the fourth quarter of 2024 for some models, it recently reopened sales of its jet card program to new customers.

All of the moves come as demand continues to slide. At the end of Q1, hourly rates for jet cards with fixed or capped hourly rates and guaranteed availability declined by 5.2%. It was the first drop since the middle of 2020 when the CARES Act removed the 7.5% Federal Excise Tax, although prices are still 25% higher.

However, you may not necessarily find out about these deals and discounts unless you sign up for provider emails. In most cases, the companies didn’t issue press releases, preferring to simply target prospects who had already shown an interest in their programs.