Dubai Airshow: XO plans a game-changer using outside experts

XO Jets is pushing hard to expand its business outside of the US, with new executive vice president, Youssef Mouallem, building a formidable team at its Middle East headquarters in Dubai. 

But, rather than aviation experience, the team members come from Lyft, Apple, Amazon and Dyson.

Mouallem said: “We are bringing experts in tech and customer focus to this business. We want to transform the experience for our clients. We want to bring our tech story, with shared seats and an easy-use operating portal, to the Middle East. This is what has changed the industry in the US and we are bringing it here.”

XO Jets offers members access to 180 dedicated aircraft provided by XO and VistaJet, but also access to a further 2,100 safety-vetted aircraft.
Mouallem said: “Our clients are able to go on the app, find a flight, and be instantly able to book it. There is total transparency on price, timing and what sort of aircraft is available. That is a game changer.

“On average, the price of a seat sharing flight is about 10 times cheaper than getting on a charter flight, and that is opening up the market to a whole new client base.

“Our global business by the end of Q3 has seen a 65% growth in first time users. In EMEA there is 166% growth in first time users across XO Jets and VistaJet.

“The average industry utilisation is three passengers per private jet. Seat sharing with XO brings that up to 10 passengers, so we are increasing utilisation by about 230%. And, through the pricing, we are democratising the industry.

“With the pandemic there has been a change of behaviour, people avoiding airports, visa checks, vaccination checks – avoiding travelling with others, and this will make that more accessible. It has been a perfect storm that has accelerated the shift that was taking place, and we were ready with that technology to support this.”

The client-facing app is supported by a powerful back-end operator portal, which allows all of the operators to plug into the XO technology, where they can input their aircraft availability, their location and their schedules. The XO pricing model then matches availability and demand, and through smart pricing gives the client the best price.  

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