Flying Private-ish

It's not quite your own private jet. But once you indulge in the luxe aviation experience this new crop of companies is offering, you may never want to fly commercial again.

- ADAM ERACE

DURING A shareholder imbroglio in season three of the HBO show Succession, interim Waystar Royco CEO Gerri Kellman drops the hammer on the assembled members of the Roy family: "They want to take away the private jets."

The petulant youngest son, Roman Roy, reacts like he's just been told he has to fly basic economy on Spirit: "The PJs? No."

Succession plays the moment for satirical chuckles, but Roman's horror speaks a universal truth: Flying commercial can be a dreadful, dehumanizing experience, even in the front of the plane. First-class won't protect you from airport chaos, a psychologically ravaged crew, a broken tray table, or a seatmate with bare feet.

Alex Wilcox says he gets it. That's why he cofounded an alternative: JSX, a Dallas-based air carrier with a fleet of 37 (and growing) 30-seat Embraer 145 jets serving 22 (and growing) destinations. "I hate that everybody hates to fly now because [the airline industry] has made it such a miserable experience," says Wilcox, an industry veteran who was a founding executive at JetBlue. "It's lowest-common-denominator, cost-driven, and it doesn't have to be that way."

JSX is one of several players, including Aero, XO, and Blade, in this ascendant aviation space. Call it public charter, flying club, semiprivate, private-ish-it's not how the Roys fly, but it's certainly not commercial, boasting many of the benefits of a private jet, at a more attainable price. Fares on JSX range from $199 to $1,299 one-way, making a "PJ" an attainable luxury for many business-class customers. For a flight from Dallas to Cabo in May 2023, for example, nonstops started at $649 on JSX and $529 in American business. It prompts the question: Why fly commercial? I suppose if you have a soft spot for scalding-outside/ frozen-inside frittatas and glitchy internet, you might take AA. Give me JSX's snack basket and rapid gate-to-gate Starlink WiFi any day.