Wheels Up Acquires Travel Management Company
Acquisition adds complementary aircraft to bolster Light Jet Offering and Charter Marketplace
NEW YORK and ELKHART, Ind., June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wheels Up, the membership-based private aviation company, announced today the acquisition of Travel Management Company (TMC), with an effective closing date of May 31, 2019. TMC, the largest wholesale-focused light jet operator in the U.S., operates an owned and leased fleet of Hawker 400XP aircraft in North America.
This strategic acquisition is in response to increasing demand from Wheels Up Members for high-quality light jets that meet Wheels Up's stringent safety and operational standards. As a complement to the current Wheels Up fleet of 93 aircraft, TMC's fleet of 26 Hawker 400XP aircraft will further strengthen the Wheels Up Light Jet offering and growing Charter Marketplace.
"This acquisition is a foundational piece in our continued brand evolution and mission to provide our members with a total private aviation solution, and we are thrilled to be welcoming TMC into the Wheels Up family," said Kenny Dichter, Founder and CEO of Wheels Up. "TMC and their light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, and their pilots, who will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet and provide our members with the same high level of safety and service that they do today."
Phil Dodyk, CEO of TMC, said, "The team at TMC is world-class, and we're proud of the reputation we've earned for being one of the safest and most reliable operators in private aviation. By joining Kenny and the Wheels Up team, we're excited to become part of such a renowned brand and a larger company that is deep with talented leadership, which shares our collective vision of building an industry leader."
TMC will operate as an independent subsidiary of Wheels Up and continue to provide the same service to their existing wholesale channel partners. TMC customers and wholesale channel partners will continue to engage with their respective TMC contacts, including Phil Dodyk and the TMC leadership team. TMC will continue to operate out of its current location in Elkhart, IN.
Specific financial terms of the deal are not disclosed.
For more information, please visit https://wheelsup.com/news.
About Wheels Up
Wheels Up is a revolutionary membership-based private aviation company that significantly reduces the upfront costs to fly privately, while providing unparalleled safety, service, flexibility and quality. Created and led by renowned entrepreneur Kenny Dichter, Wheels Up offers a total private aviation solution for its 5,000+ members through three unique membership options—Connect, Core, and Business—and a vast selection of program features. The first of these features is guaranteed access to a members-only fleet of 93 aircraft (operated exclusively by Gama Aviation)—up to 365 days a year, with as little as 24 hours' notice. The Wheels Up fleet consists of the King Air 350i, Citation Excel/XLS and Citation X. Membership also provides access to the Wheels Up Charter Marketplace, a new and innovative digital feature available on the Wheels Up App, which allows members to search and choose from a real-time inventory of Wheels Up safety-vetted and verified partner aircraft that can be instantly booked. Through the Wheels Up Flight Desk, members can take advantage of the Wheels Up Light Jet and Super-Mid Jet offerings with fixed hourly rates.
Wheels Up acts as agent for Wheels Up Members and is not the operator of the program aircraft; FAA-licensed and DOT-registered air carriers participating in the program exercise full operational control of all flights offered by or arranged through Wheels Up. All aircraft owned or leased by Wheels Up are leased to the operating air carrier and are operated exclusively by that air carrier. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google.
Wheels Up Media contact:
JONESWORKS
Ayla Richards
[email protected]
212-839-0111
About Travel Management Company
Travel Management Company, TMC, or TMC Jets is the largest wholesale-focused light jet operator in the U.S. Based in Elkhart, Indiana (EKM), the company owns and operates a uniform fleet of 26 Hawker 400XPs, which primarily service wholesale charter customers for their on-demand private charter flights east of the Mississippi. TMC's unrelenting commitment to safety is reflected in their fleet's safety record and their ARG/US Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, and IS-BAO safety ratings.
SOURCE Wheels Up
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