Travelers getting around the globe by way of personal jets know all too well the frustrations of working with elaborately structured jet charter companies. Between the membership costs, maintenance fees and blackout periods, it can be a real nightmare getting in the air on demand. Charter Hound, a unique new travel search engine, is hoping to challenge the needless trappings of flying privately.
Searching for a commercial flight is a simple process thanks to the advent of web services focused on the idea of making listings and prices readily available. But the charter industry, according to many industry analysts, is still stuck in the 20th century because of its walled off presentation to first time customers. Practically every fleet membership program wants personal information upon entry.
Charter Hound is taking the opposite approach and letting curious travelers immediately begin searching for charter flights around the globe from a bevy of providers. While the company themselves does not own or operate any aircraft, it does work closely with flight companies that pay a small commission to the service if their users make a booking found in the search results.
Whether this is an effective business model has yet to be seen, but what is certain is that transparency typically sells far better than secrecy. Until now, it would be nearly impossible to find clear or information jet charter information from any company’s website without first giving up your email address and other personal data. For many flyers, a flight search engine without an agenda shows promise.