JetSMART
JetSMART is a Chilean ultra-low-cost carrier operating a fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft across South America, serving price-sensitive leisure and business travelers through a three-tier modular fare system and direct digital booking channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSantiago, Chile
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What JetSMART does
JetSMART Airlines is a Chilean ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) headquartered in Santiago, founded in 2016 with operations commencing June 2017. The airline operates a fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo narrowbody aircraft — among the youngest and most fuel-efficient in South America, delivering roughly 20% better fuel efficiency and 50% reduced noise versus older-generation equipment, supplemented by APiJET Digital Winglets technology that reduces fuel consumption by an additional 2% per flight. JetSMART holds Air Operator Certificates in Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia, serving domestic and international routes across ten countries (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and the United States via codeshare). The airline transports tens of millions of passengers annually — over 4.4 million in Colombia alone in 2025 — and is the third-largest carrier in that market.
The company's product architecture is a modular fare system with three tiers — Vuela Ligero (basic), Vuela SMART (mid-tier), and Vuela FULL (full service) — plus ancillary add-ons for baggage, seat selection, and priority boarding. It has expanded the product surface with JetSMART GO, the first air-travel subscription plan in South America (launched March 2025), a self-service group booking portal, corporate tools (JetSMART Empresas), cargo operations (since 2020), and a charter service. Distribution is digital-first through jetsmart.com and mobile apps, extended via Sabre GDS (signed January 2025), American Airlines codeshare and AAdvantage frequent-flyer integration (launching June 2026), and co-branded credit-card partnerships with BancoEstado and Bci/Machbank.
JetSMART is a privately held company backed primarily by Indigo Partners (the US private-equity firm behind a global portfolio of ULCCs) with a minority strategic investment from American Airlines. The business model is classic ULCC: low base fares drive volume, ancillary fees (baggage, seat selection, priority boarding, subscriptions) lift unit revenue, and cost discipline is enforced through fleet commonality, point-to-point operations, and a single fleet type. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company has been recognized as Best Low-Cost Airline in South America by Skytrax three times (2021, 2023, 2025) and operates with the explicit strategic objective of reaching 100 aircraft and 100 million passengers by 2028.
JetSMART firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- JetSMART
- Legal name
- JetSMART Airlines
- Website
- https://jetsmart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- JetSMART is a Chilean ultra-low-cost carrier operating a fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft across South America, serving price-sensitive leisure and business travelers through a three-tier modular fare system and direct digital booking channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
JetSMART industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Low-Cost Passenger Air Travel
- NAICS
- Scheduled Air Transportation (48111), Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Low-Cost Regional/Short-Haul Carriers (THABABAF)
Keywords
Where JetSMART is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santiago
- HQ country
- Chile
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
JetSMART business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Passenger Ticket Sales: Core revenue from selling airline tickets across domestic and international routes in South America. Ultra-low-cost model with base fares and optional add-ons.
- Ancillary Services: Revenue from optional services including baggage fees, seat selection, priority boarding, and other add-ons that complement the base ticket price.
- Cargo Operations: JetSMART launched cargo operations in 2020 as an additional revenue stream.
- JetSMART GO Subscription: First air travel subscription plan in South America, launched in March 2025, providing recurring subscription revenue from frequent travelers.
- Group Bookings: Dedicated group travel booking portal with self-service capabilities for groups of various sizes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Vuela Ligero - Basic economy option |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Vuela SMART - Standard option |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Vuela FULL - Full service option |
| Subscription | Monthly | JetSMART GO - Subscription plan |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
JetSMART product offering
Product offeringCore offering
JetSMART is an ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) that operates passenger air travel services on a modern fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft across domestic and international routes in South America (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay) with expansion to the Caribbean and the United States. The airline sells tickets via a modular fare architecture with three base fare tiers and ancillary add-ons (baggage, seat selection, priority boarding), and offers complementary services including cargo, charter flights, group bookings, corporate travel (JetSMART Empresas), and a monthly air-travel subscription (JetSMART GO).
Product overview
JetSMART is an ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) offering a modular fare architecture consisting of core passenger airline services and three fare tiers (Vuela Ligero, Vuela SMART, Vuela FULL) plus add-on services. The airline operates across Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil with a fleet of 54 Airbus narrowbody aircraft. Notable products include JetSMART GO (South America's first air travel subscription launched March 2025), group booking tools, cargo services, charter operations, and a discount club membership. The company has expanded through strategic alliances with American Airlines (codeshare and AAdvantage frequent flyer integration) and operates the JetSMART 50 initiative marking fleet and destination milestones.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- JetSMART GO: The first air subscription plan in South America, launched in 2025
- JetSMART Empresas
- Vamos Volando
- Sostenibilidad SMART
Products and services
- JetSMART Airlines passenger service Ultra low-cost passenger air transportation on a fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo narrowbody aircraft across domestic routes in Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia and international routes to Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic, with expansion to the US via American Airlines codeshare.
- JetSMART GO Monthly air-travel subscription plan that allows subscribers to access JetSMART flights on a recurring payment basis, marketed as the first air-travel subscription in South America.
- JetSMART Cargo Cargo transport service launched in 2020, complementing JetSMART's passenger operations with freight capabilities.
- Group Bookings Self-service group travel booking platform providing automated quoting (15-minute response for groups up to 50 passengers), booking, and management of group travel with 24/7 availability and discounted rates.
- JetSMART Empresas Corporate travel solution offering businesses a dedicated portal for managing employee air travel bookings with JetSMART fares.
- JetSMART Charters Charter flight service for groups requiring private aircraft bookings on the JetSMART fleet.
- Club de Descuentos Discount club membership program offering subscribed members exclusive deals and reduced fares on JetSMART flights.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40% fuel efficiency improvement with A321neo aircraft
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use JetSMART
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
JetSMART technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature3 records
JetSMART partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- American AirlinescoreStrategic alliance including codeshare flights between the United States and Chile, with ticket sales beginning June 1 and codeshare operations starting June 15, 2026. Includes minority investment by American Airlines in JetSMART. Plans to expand routes to Peru and Argentina pending government approval.
- Bci/MachbankminorStrategic alliance to incorporate travel benefits, signed January 2026.
- SabrecoreDistribution agreement signed January 2025 as part of JetSMART's growth strategy. Enables travel agency and corporate booking access through Sabre's GDS platform.
- BancoEstadominorCo-branded credit card partnership offering exclusive benefits to BancoEstado cardholders including 6 and 12 interest-free installments.
- AirbuscoreFleet provider for Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft. Airbus celebrated 25 years in Chile in 2024 with 74% market share in commercial aircraft through partnerships with LATAM, SKY, and JetSMART.
- US Department of TransportationcoreApproved the two-year codeshare agreement between JetSMART and American Airlines in April 2026.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights7 records
JetSMART competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SKY Airline: Chilean ultra-low-cost carrier operating domestic and regional South American routes. JetSMART's closest head-to-head competitor in the Chilean home market and across Andean corridors.
- Volaris: Mexico-based ULCC built on the Indigo Partners playbook; competes in the same low-cost narrowbody segment, serving price-sensitive intra-regional leisure travellers.
- Frontier Airlines: US ULCC controlled by Indigo Partners using the same fare unbundling and A320neo family fleet strategy; JetSMART's US analogue within the Indigo portfolio.
- Spirit Airlines: US-based ULCC operating A320/A321 family aircraft with a similar base-fare-plus-ancillaries revenue model; serves as a benchmark for ULCC unit economics at scale.
- GOL Linhas Aéreas: Brazilian low-cost carrier operating narrowbody fleets across dense domestic and South American routes; competes with JetSMART on Brazil-Argentina-Chile corridors.
- Wizz Air: European ULCC operating the same A320/A321neo family with an unbundled fare structure; serves as the European template for the Indigo-style growth model.
- Azul Linhas Aéreas: Brazilian carrier with a large domestic network and growing South American regional presence; overlaps with JetSMART on Brazilian and Argentine routes.
- easyJet: European low-cost carrier with a similar primary-secondary city, unbundled-fare model; benchmark for short-haul ULCC network design outside the Americas.
Broad incumbents
- LATAM Airlines Group: Dominant full-service network carrier across South America; competes with JetSMART on most major city-pairs but offers far broader connectivity, premium cabins, and corporate accounts.
Regional players
- Copa Airlines: Panama-based network carrier using Panama City as a hub for intra-Latin America connections; competes with JetSMART on connecting traffic between South American secondary cities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
JetSMART social profiles
Digital presenceJetSMART compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
JetSMART financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
JetSMART leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
JetSMART subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
JetSMART funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
JetSMART 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 JetSMART
What does JetSMART do?
JetSMART is an ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) that operates passenger air travel services on a modern fleet of 54 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft across domestic and international routes in South America (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay) with expansion to the Caribbean and the United States. The airline sells tickets via a modular fare architecture with three base fare tiers and ancillary add-ons (baggage, seat selection, priority boarding), and offers complementary services including cargo, charter flights, group bookings, corporate travel (JetSMART Empresas), and a monthly air-travel subscription (JetSMART GO).
Is JetSMART a public or private company?
JetSMART is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was JetSMART founded?
JetSMART was founded in 2016. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is JetSMART based?
JetSMART is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, in the Latin America region.
How does JetSMART make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Passenger Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are ancillary Services, cargo Operations, jetSMART GO Subscription and group Bookings.
Who are JetSMART's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SKY Airline, Volaris, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, GOL Linhas Aéreas, Wizz Air, Azul Linhas Aéreas and easyJet. LATAM Airlines Group is listed as a broad incumbent. Copa Airlines is listed as a regional player.
Does JetSMART have an API?
No public API is recorded for JetSMART.
What industry is JetSMART in?
JetSMART's product category is Low-Cost Passenger Air Travel. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABABAF, Low-Cost Regional/Short-Haul Carriers. Its NAICS code is 48111 and its SIC code is 4512.