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Introduction
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When they launched Jet It in 2019, Co-founders Glenn Gonzales and Vishal Hiremath had a dream to make private air travel more accessible without compromise. To do so, they knew they had to break down the biggest barrier to entry into the private aviation market—cost.
The co-founders were working for Honda Aircraft Co before starting Jet It based on the idea of fractional ownership, where clients purchase a share of a plane for occasional use from Jet It’s fleet of 25 fast and fuel-efficient HondaJets.
“As Glenn and Vishal were working at Honda Aircraft, they kept hearing the same thing over and over. ‘We love the aircraft. It’s beautiful. It gets us to where we need to get. But I don’t have the upfront capital to buy it,’ ” said Dr. Akir Khan, Vice President of Strategy at Jet It.
Customers have responded well to the fractional model. The Greensboro, N.C.-based company has enjoyed terrific growth with 300 percent increases in sales year over year since opening for business.
“The goal of Jet It has been the same from Day 1,” Khan said. “Glenn and Vishal told me we’re going to have global domination of private aviation. And I believed them. And now, three years later, we’re on the track to do that.”
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Private aviation
startup Jet It
scaling safely
with the help of
Verizon 5G
Business Internet
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The great thing about having 5G Business Internet in the hangar is the less the techs have to worry about their connectivity, the more time they can spend focused on returning the aircraft to service safely.”Zach Hall, Director of IT, Jet It
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Jet It meets the technology challenges of a fast-growing company
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As their business took flight, Jet It leaders never lost sight of the company’s top priority—safety. To keep the jet fleet running in tip-top condition, Jet It’s team of flight crews and mechanics depend on wireless connectivity to perform daily maintenance matters and procedures.
But the maintenance team ran up against some critical limitations when their initial connectivity solution. The existing DSL with low bandwidth was not effective when it came to:
- Accessing continually evolving technical documents such as maintenance manuals, illustrated parts catalogs and service bulletins from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
- Uploading, downloading and accessing technical data that is logged by a jet’s computer systems
Whether it was from Jet It’s home-base hangar in Greensboro or a remote site where a jet needed servicing, slow connectivity was wasting precious time, slowing down the critical work of safely returning jets to service.
“The hangar in particular had a very unreliable connection,” said Zach Hall, Director of IT for Jet It. “We could barely even check our email in the hangar. Honestly, it was more efficient to use our phones to do things like check our email or connect with the OEMs.”
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Jet It finds a solution with 5G Business Internet
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Charged with finding a plan for faster internet access, Hall looked at wired solutions that could bring the hangar up to speed. But the cost of a wired installation, which included thousands of dollars for running a cable under a road outside the hangar, proved prohibitive.
Then the Jet It team found the wireless solution they needed: 5G Business Internet from Verizon. Within days, they arranged for a fast and simple professional installation, and the hangar suddenly offered the maintenance staff much faster access to the internet and fast upload and download speeds.
“Prior to Verizon 5G Business Internet, it took us anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to download the data bases for the aircraft,” said Daniel Duggins, Lead Aircraft Mechanic for Jet It. “Now it takes us anywhere from five to 10 minutes to do that task. So, the extra time is actually given back to the customer in returning the aircraft to service faster.”
“We were able to have that service set up in less than two weeks at no cost to us,” Hall said. “The great thing about having 5G Business Internet in the hangar is the less the techs have to worry about their connectivity, the more time they can spend focused on returning the aircraft to service safely. If they’re not worrying about other things, that means I’m doing something right.”
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Prior to Verizon 5G Business Internet, it took us anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to download the data bases for the aircraft. Now it takes us anywhere from five to 10 minutes to do that task.”
Daniel Duggins, Lead Aircraft Mechanic, Jet It
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Taking the show on the road
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Outfitted with mobile “hotspots” that support a 5G or LTE connection, Jet It repair techs are able to access key information to make repairs nearly anywhere they’re needed.
That wasn’t the case before.
“Before I had a 5G mobile hotspot, I’d have to go inside the buildings wherever the aircraft was based to access the internet, so it was very inefficient from a time standpoint,” Duggins said. “Having to be inside to get a reliable or semi-reliable internet connection from the fixed-base operator, we have to wait until all the files we needed were downloaded, all the databases were downloaded, and we were effectively finished with our connection to the internet before walking out to where the aircraft was to perform the maintenance. Now, with a hotspot, I’m able to stay at the aircraft and access maintenance manuals, the OEM portals that I need to access, and get the job done fast.”
We’ve used the 5G mobile hotspot in all types of environments, in various regions of the country without any issues. It’s been reliable. We’ve had great coverage with it, and it’s really a necessary tool for me to do my job.”— Daniel Duggins, Lead Aircraft Mechanic, Jet It
Moving at the speed of businessAccording to Dr. Khan, the partnership between Verizon and Jet It is helping the growing company stick to its founding principles while scaling at an impressive rate.
“With the 5G network that Verizon provides us, we’re able to maintain the promise to our clients, saying that you’ll have decisions at light speed,” he said. “Our fleet is growing tremendously. In order for our fleet to answer demand from our owners, our mechanics need to stay busy and work efficiently.
“Our clients are moving at the speed of business. Verizon has provided our employees, our staff and our flight crews with fast internet to make decisions. Time is money. At Jet It, we have a time machine, and we’re able to give time back to our clients.”
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Our clients are moving at the speed of business. Verizon has provided our employees, our staff and our flight crews with fast internet to make decisions.”
Dr. Akir Khan, Vice President of Strategy, Jet It
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5G Business Internet is available in select areas only. Compatible equipment req'd and varies depending on set-up. Terms apply.
Biz Unlimited Pro Data Device includes unlimited data; speeds reduced after a specific monthly usage threshold. 5G access requires a 5G capable device. Terms apply.