BlackJet – The Uber For Planes isn’t Taking off

Everyone has heard about Uber, the startup that connects people with drivers with a tap – or two. For cities where Uber has a presence, commuters are treated to the convenience of finding a ride with ease, as opposed to flailing your arms about and perfecting your wolf whistling skills as you try to hail a cab. Yeah, the Uber idea is a successful one.

Enter BlackJet, which is supposed to be the Uber for – wait for it – for jets. Who the heck can afford jets these days?

Well, the average person may only dream of renting a private jet – much less own one – but there is a market for such a business. At least that’s what the founders think, and they even got the backing of high profile people such as Jay Z, Ashton Kutcher, and Will Smith.

With lines such as “Life looks better from the window of a private jet. Especially when you’re not paying to park it. BlackJet: private aviation just went public.” it is pretty obvious that BlackJet targets high rollers.

But are there enough takers?

From what’s been going around, it seems that BlackJet is, well, crashing. In spite of its dreamy service and initial taking off, it looks like the Uber for jets is not cutting it.

It’s not that there isn’t anything to like about Blackjet. After all, where else can you find a private jet at a moment’s notice?

Then again, you have to shell out $2,500 every year – and that’s only for the membership fee! Never mind that you don’t have to worry about parking your jet when you reach your destination and that the app is free. You still have to pay for its use.

Former chairman Shervin Pishevar enjoying the ‘highlife’

Then there’s talk about former chairman Shervin Pishevar and his flamboyance. The grapevine seems to be pointing fingers at him for the company’s demise.

Whatever the reasons may be, I think this is one of those things that normal people like us will forget rather quickly. Back to regular programming.

[Images via abcey and Valleywag]