The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

REAL Jet: Beyond the Booth

What should private flyers know before putting money into a jet card—and what does it take to build a brand they can trust? Preston Holland and Jessie close out this week

Jet OUT: Beyond the Booth

How do you make the economics of light jets work? Preston Holland sits down with Matt Wild and Joe Crivello of Jet OUT at NBAA-BACE 2026 to explore the company’s answer:

Thrive Aviation: Beyond the Booth

What happens when Honda partners with an established private jet operator to build a fractional ownership program? Preston Holland and Jessie Naor sit down with Curtis Ed

Leviate Air Group: Beyond the Booth Series

Preston Holland sits down with Luis Barros and Randall Mize of Leviate Air Group for a candid conversation about buying, selling, managing, and growing in today’s private

SyberJet Gets Fired Up, Pratt & Whitney's New Engine

SyberJet brought the lasers. Operators brought their frustrations with FBO fees. And we came home from NBAA-BACE 2026 with a few questions that didn’t get answered onstag

The History of NBAA BACE

Is NBAA-BACE still an airplane-buying show, or has it become a B2B convention with a static display? And is charter demand really growing, or are bots just getting better

Meth Jet, Rogue Pilots, and Fortune Gets BizAv Wrong

521 kilos of crystal meth on a 1986 Learjet 55B, a rise in rogue pilot incidents on the flight deck, and Fortune taking another swing at business aviation. This week Jess

Catheters to Private Jets: Flyte Aviation’s Wild Pivot

What do private jets and catheters have in common? Apparently, a publicly traded parent company. This week on The VIP Seat, Jessie Naor and Preston Holland unpack Cathet

Citation Single-Pilot Exemption, OneFlight and ExcelAire Challenges

The FAA has ended the single-pilot exemption pathway for several legacy Cessna Citation models, creating an immediate operational and economic issue for affected aircraft

Canada Bonus Depreciation, HondaJet Echelon Slip, and Steve Varsano Says the Calls Are Real

Are Steve Varsano's viral phone calls real or staged? We finally asked. In part two of our conversation, recorded live from the A319 cabin mockup at The Jet Business in L

Kenn Ricci Says the Private Aviation Industry is No Longer Aligned

Is private aviation really one industry anymore? In this special edition of The VIP Seat, Kenn Ricci argues that the interests of charter operators, aircraft manufacture

One Priester, OneFlight Questions, and Flexjet’s London Bet

This week on The VIP Seat, we unpack who is gaining control across business aviation—from airport policy and FBO economics to charter platforms, premium terminals, and co

Trump Targets Bombardier, Honda Backs Thrive & L.A. County Hunts Private Jet Taxes

Trump is taking aim at Bombardier again—threatening to stop the Canadian manufacturer from selling aircraft in the United States unless it builds more of them on U.S. soi

Vista Global's $10B IPO Pitch, Atlantic Aviation Sells Again

Vista Global is reportedly eyeing a European IPO that could raise over $1 billion at a valuation north of $10 billion, and Jessie and Preston break down what that means a

Sky Harbour CEO on Hangar Shortages, Ground Leases, and Wall Street

Every general aviation airport in America is owned by a city or a county, and almost none of them can afford to build you a hangar. That is not a market failure. That is

flyExclusive Q2 Results, LA Goes After Private Jet Tax Revenue

flyExclusive reported a $111 million Q2, but behind the headline are improving margins, positive adjusted EBITDA, a complicated capital structure, and a $5 million loan c

Solairus Aviation Gets Bigger, Wheels Up Still in a Turnaround?

Is Wheels Up finally building momentum—or simply burning more runway? We break down their latest financial release (not financial advice!). This week, we battle it out o

Inside the Mind of a Jet Owner: XplusLuxe on What Operators Get Wrong With Private Fliers

An anonymous, but infamous, aircraft owner known as XPlusLuxe joins The VIP Seat Podcast for one of our most fascinating conversations yet. Known online for his legendar

$3B Bombardier Order, NYC Helicopter Bird Strike?

Saudi Arabia’s The Helicopter Company, backed by the PIF, signs a Farnborough LOI with Bombardier for a firm order of 12 Challenger and Global jets plus options that coul

Seized Cessna in the Supreme Court, World Cup Business Aviation Miles

This week, Preston joins live from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with news on Emily Deaton's move to NBAA and show updates. Then: a 14-year-old bush pilot case out of Alaska hea