WingTips
WingTips is a US regional air mobility charter broker that sells per-seat shared and private charter flights on 100-400 mile routes from general-aviation airports, using proprietary AI-driven demand-aggregation software and partnering with Part 135 operators for execution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersTemecula, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WingTips does
WingTips, operating as Personal Airline Exchange, Inc., is a US regional air mobility company structured as a charter broker under 14CFR295. It sells per-seat shared charter flights and full-aircraft private charters on routes of roughly 100-400 miles — distances where commercial airline service is sparse or absent and driving is the default. The company operates from general-aviation airports (5,000+ in the US, vs ~300 commercial airports), giving it a structurally different point-to-point footprint than legacy carriers. Its primary service territory covers California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas, with a stated goal of nationwide coverage by 2026.
The technology backbone is a proprietary AI-powered platform that aggregates traveler demand, fuzzy-matches itineraries, dynamically forecasts demand down to individual airport pairs using Big Data analytics, and optimizes fleet allocation via crowd-scheduling algorithms. The system underpins both the consumer-facing website and mobile apps (iOS/Android) and is supported by an academic research pipeline through Co-founder Dr. Laurie Garrow at Georgia Tech, including a current NSF grant for cell-data-based regional air demand forecasting. WingTips is not an air carrier: it contracts with FAA-certificated Part 135 operators for flight execution, and in January 2023 acquired Sad Monkey Aviation LLC to internalize a Part 135 certificate and scale operations.
Revenue mechanics are entirely transactional — per-seat shared charter pricing of approximately $2-3 per seat/mile ($250-$900 per typical flight) and full-aircraft private charter with optional Group Pay cost splitting, supplemented by catering and empty-leg repositioning revenue. The customer base is consumer and small-group: regional travelers, families/groups, business travelers, and pet owners, acquired via self-serve booking, a concierge sales team, content marketing, influencer partnerships, and crowdfunding/community channels. Strategic supply-side commitments to Ampaire (5 hybrid-electric Eco-Caravans) and Tidal Flight (20 Polaris amphibian seaplanes, >$100M LOI) point to a planned cost-curve advantage and entry into coastal/waterway markets once aircraft are delivered.
WingTips firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WingTips
- Legal name
- Personal Airline Exchange, Inc.
- Website
- https://flywingtips.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- WingTips is a US regional air mobility charter broker that sells per-seat shared and private charter flights on 100-400 mile routes from general-aviation airports, using proprietary AI-driven demand-aggregation software and partnering with Part 135 operators for execution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WingTips industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Air Mobility & On-Demand Charter Service
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Air Transportation (48121), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Charter Brokerage & Charter Management (Passenger) (THABADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Business Jet Charter (On-Demand) (THABAFAA), Private Jet Charter (Midsize/Super-Midsize/Heavy Jet) (TLAFABAB)
Keywords
Where WingTips is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Temecula
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
WingTips business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Shared Charter - Per-Seat Sales: Customers book individual seats on shared charter flights. The company's proprietary software matches flight requests with other travelers to create optimized shared flights. No membership fees or pre-purchased flights required.
- Private Charter - Full Aircraft Booking: Customers charter an entire aircraft for their group. Can accommodate 1-8 passengers. Options include Group Pay to split costs among travelers. Catering and beverage services available for additional fees.
- Empty Leg Repositioning Flights: When aircraft need to reposition, WingTips makes these flights available to customers at reduced rates through their software platform, similar to SuiteDeals model previously tested with JetSuite.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Pay-as-you-go | Shared Charter - Individual Seats |
| Per seat | Pay-as-you-go | Private Charter - Full Aircraft |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Personalized Catering Services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
WingTips product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WingTips arranges on-demand charter flights as a 14CFR295 charter broker, selling Shared Charter (per-seat bookings) and Private Charter (full aircraft booking) for regional routes of 100-400 miles at prices comparable to commercial first-class fares. The company uses proprietary AI-powered software to aggregate traveler demand, match itineraries, forecast demand, and optimize flight scheduling across the 5,000+ U.S. general aviation airports, while contracting with FAA-certificated Part 135 air carriers that exercise operational control of the flights.
Product overview
WingTips is a regional air mobility company offering two core service tiers: Shared Charter (per-seat booking on-demand flights of 100-400 miles at prices competitive with commercial airlines) and Private Charter (full aircraft booking anywhere in Continental US with Group Pay splitting options). The company operates through a proprietary software platform that aggregates demand, matches travelers, and optimizes flight scheduling. WingTips has acquired Sad Monkey Aviation LLC (FAA Part 135 operator) to own flight operations, created WingTips Aircraft Management LLC for aircraft leasing, and partnered with Ampaire for Eco Caravan hybrid-electric aircraft. The company is expanding nationally through partnerships including Tidal Flight for Polaris seaplanes, with plans to serve Texas, Southern Great Plains, and eventually nationwide coverage. The technology stack includes a web platform and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WingTips FastFlights: On-demand shared charter flights for regional routes of 100-400 miles at approximately $2.50 per seat/mile
Products and services
- Shared Charter Service On-demand per-seat charter service letting individual travelers book a single seat on shared flights for regional trips of 100-400 miles at prices comparable to commercial first-class fares, leveraging the proprietary demand-aggregation platform.
- Private Charter Service Full-aircraft charter service for groups of 1-8 passengers anywhere in the Continental US, with Group Pay option for splitting costs among travelers, available through the Travel Concierge team.
- WingTips Mobile Application (iOS and Android) iOS and Android mobile app that lets travelers browse, book, and manage WingTips shared and private charter flight requests on mobile devices.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4x faster travel time than driving for 100-400 mile trips
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use WingTips
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WingTips technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
WingTips partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Tidal FlightcorePartnership for introduction of 20 Polaris Amphibian hybrid-electric seaplanes valued at over $100 million. Tidal Flight is building modern aircraft for coastal regional mobility. Polaris enables waterway access and direct city center access for 40% of Americans living in coastal areas. Provides 85% reduction in fuel burn and eliminates corrosion maintenance.
- Sad Monkey Aviation LLCcoreWingTips acquired Sad Monkey Aviation LLC, a private charter operator in Texas. Acquisition supports scaling operations, reducing costs, and optimizing efficiency through aligned flight operations based on aggregated customer requests. Charlie Cope becomes Director of Operations.
- AmpairecoreOrder for five Eco-Caravan hybrid-electric aircraft. Eco-Caravan provides nine-passenger aircraft flying at 175 mph using fraction of fuel of normal Cessna Caravan. Reduces maintenance/overhaul costs. Forecasts 50-70% fuel savings and 80% emissions reduction. WingTips strategic partner for eco-friendly aircraft.
- Seaplane SafariscoreContract valued at more than $130 million combined with WingTips for 25 Polaris aircraft from Tidal Flight. Seaplane Safaris operating in Virginia market.
- Haven AerocorePartnership with Haven Aero of Amarillo, Texas enables WingTips shared and private charter flights in Southern Great Plains region. Haven Aero provides aircraft and operations expertise while WingTips provides software platform and brand.
- Georgia Institute of TechnologycoreCo-Founder Laurie Garrow is Professor at Georgia Tech and Co-Director of Urban & Regional Air Mobility Center. NASA/Georgia Tech study on city pairs proved market demand. NSF grant awarded to Garrow for research on cell data demand forecasting for regional air mobility. WingTips is industry partner for grant research.
- Mountain Lion AviationminorPartnership with Mountain Lion Aviation of Truckee, CA for proof-of-concept testing. Successfully delivered flights across multiple days to multiple passengers per flight.
- Abacus AgencyminorDigital marketing agency of Toronto, Canada hired to drive WingTips digital marketing efforts. Deep knowledge of digital marketing and private aviation. Created comprehensive campaign for Coachella festival travelers.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WingTips competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- flyExclusive: Larger private aviation company offering jet card, fractional, and on-demand charter. Operates a broader portfolio than WingTips but overlaps directly in on-demand private charter for 1-8 passenger regional trips.
- NetJets: Largest fractional jet ownership and charter provider from Berkshire Hathaway. Competes at the high end of regional private aviation that WingTips also addresses via its Private Charter offering.
- JetSuite (JetSuiteX): Private jet charter and former semi-private per-seat service. Historically tested the per-seat charter model with SuiteDeals, which WingTips explicitly references as inspiration for its empty-leg repositioning product.
- Wheels Up: Membership-based private aviation platform offering shared flights and charter. Broader incumbent in the same per-seat private aviation category that WingTips targets.
Direct peers
- Blade: On-demand urban and regional air mobility platform selling individual seats and charters across short-haul routes. Comparable demand-aggregation model and per-seat pricing, with overlapping customer segments in leisure and business travelers.
- Surf Air Mobility: Subscription/membership-based regional air mobility carrier focused on short-haul routes using turboprops. Direct competitor in regional per-seat/short-haul private flying, with comparable aircraft mix and route profiles.
- JSX: Semi-private/charter-hop airline selling individual seats on regional flights using smaller aircraft from private terminals. Closely matches WingTips' per-seat, regional, no-membership positioning and use of underutilized general aviation infrastructure.
- Aero: Semi-private jet service selling individual seats on scheduled regional flights from private terminals. Closely aligned per-seat charter concept and premium-leisure customer target.
- Set Jet: Membership-based private jet service offering shared flights on light/midsize jets for regional routes. Directly comparable pricing model and route structure to WingTips' per-seat offering.
- Linear Air: On-demand light jet and turboprop charter broker for short-haul East Coast regional routes. Comparable Part 135 brokered model and per-seat or per-aircraft booking structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WingTips social profiles
Digital presenceWingTips financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WingTips leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
WingTips subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
WingTips funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WingTips M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WingTips
What does WingTips do?
WingTips arranges on-demand charter flights as a 14CFR295 charter broker, selling Shared Charter (per-seat bookings) and Private Charter (full aircraft booking) for regional routes of 100-400 miles at prices comparable to commercial first-class fares. The company uses proprietary AI-powered software to aggregate traveler demand, match itineraries, forecast demand, and optimize flight scheduling across the 5,000+ U.S. general aviation airports, while contracting with FAA-certificated Part 135 air carriers that exercise operational control of the flights.
Is WingTips a public or private company?
WingTips is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was WingTips founded?
WingTips was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WingTips based?
WingTips is headquartered in Temecula, United States, in the North America region.
How does WingTips make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Shared Charter - Per-Seat Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Charter - Full Aircraft Booking and empty Leg Repositioning Flights.
Who are WingTips's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are flyExclusive, NetJets, JetSuite (JetSuiteX) and Wheels Up. Direct peers are Blade, Surf Air Mobility, JSX, Aero, Set Jet and Linear Air.
Does WingTips have an API?
No public API is recorded for WingTips.
What industry is WingTips in?
WingTips's product category is Regional Air Mobility & On-Demand Charter Service. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABADAL, Charter Brokerage & Charter Management (Passenger), with a secondary code of THABAFAA, Business Jet Charter (On-Demand). Its NAICS code is 48121 and its SIC code is 4522.