JetClass’ not-for-profit flightpooling service to return residents to the UAE, other countries

Austria-headquartered private business airline JetClass has introduced a not-for-profit ‘Flightpooling’ service to several destinations, it announced earlier this month.

In a press statement, it said that this service is in response to “the countless people struggling globally to travel, due to the total suspension, or vast reductions in operations by the world’s major airlines in the face of Covid-19.”

The service works in a way that when six people sign up for a private jet flight on a specific route via the JetClass website, they will be able to charter a flight to that destination and split the cost between them.

Are you looking to fly home to your loved ones?
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented flight disruptions, but we might be able to assist you with our not-for-profit community initiative “FlightPooling”.

Register and subscribe to your desired route today. pic.twitter.com/swPS1mQewS

— JetClass (@JetClasscom) May 9, 2020

The average price for a seat on a London-Dubai flight costs approximately Dhs16,700.

A Johannesburg-Dubai flight costs around Dhs27,000, while a Moscow-Dubai flight costs around Dhs16,300 per seat.

On any of the sectors, you can see the number of subscribers on that route.

Travellers will be informed via email if their seats are confirmed 24-48 hours before departure.

Larger commercial aircraft can also be organised if there are more passengers for a specific route.

The costs borne by the company to run each flight will be divided equally among the onboard passengers, with no margin added, said the company.

It also stated that JetClass are “offering flights to any city with open borders, and up-to-date information and advice on entry and quarantine requirements for each destination market.”

Inflight services will not be offered on short haul routes, although for longer haul flights arrangements will be made to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers, said the airline.

All safety precautions will also be adhered for these flights including the wearing of protective gear, sanitising aircraft, Covid-negative crew, a requirement to complete a checklist and undergo a temperature check before boarding.

“We have heard some truly heartbreaking stories from people all over the world, desperate to get home since the Covid-19 restrictions were justifiably enforced, and determined that we have the ability to help, utilising the existing JetClass technology, infrastructure and resources. Knowing that we are in a unique position to provide a practical solution to the pain that exists in the market made the decision to create ‘Flightpooling’ very easy,” said Wagas Ali, CEO and co-founder of JetClass.

On April 9, Emirates announced that they would begin operating limited inbound passenger flights to carry travellers from select destinations to the UAE. Initially, these flights would operate from Frankfurt and London to help residents return to the country.

Read: Emirates begins limited inbound passenger flights to Dubai

It came a day after Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways announced that it too would begin operating inbound flights for UAE residents starting Saturday, May 9.

Read: Etihad to start operating inbound flights for UAE residents

Etihad are operating limited one-way flights from 12 cities including London, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne, Toronto, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Jakarta, Seoul, Amsterdam, Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

UAE airlines Air Arabia and flydubai are also now accepting return flight bookings on their respective websites to a number of destinations.

Read: Air Arabia, flydubai open return flight bookings from UAE

UAE residents wishing to return on these flights must apply for The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) approval via the UAE Twajudi resident service, available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (MoFAIC.gov.ae).