GlobeAir of Austria, in association with PrivateFly, has launched a private jet booking platform tailored for its fleet of Citation Mustangs. The system is designed as one of the world's first price comparison websites to offer instant and automated 'buy now' jet prices without the need for human involvement.

The integration is made via GlobeAir's software provider BoldIQ.com, which delivers instant pricing, including airport feasibility and aircraft availability.

Ceo Bernhard Fragner says: “Personally I have no doubt that the future of our industry will be in online booking, and GlobeAir has the right features to catch this trend.

“The light and mid-sized segment will move quickly to online only. Post economic crisis, broking has mainly developed through the internet. By this method brokers have received a huge portion of the market. If I compare our 'in-house' revenue with what we do via PrivateFly, it is clear to see how well it is doing.”

He believes that the key component for arranging charter online is to provide instant access to availability and capacity. “At the moment no-one is delivering this. They have a rough estimated position of the aircraft, but it is all offline, and the operators have to put it in manually.

“We looked at several companies but PrivateFly were very keen to get things moving and we felt the same.”

For trips that are on short notice, the 'price sensitivity' of the client can be reduced and this therefore generates a higher price. The same applies for unique events such as the Formula One race in Monaco.

“It is about ease,” concludes Fragner. “There is no hassle: you don't need support, you don't need somebody opposite on the desk talking to you. It really is so simple.”

GlobeAir has also welcomed back Claudia Fanini as marketing and communications director. She recently moved back to Austria from Hong Kong, having been one of the company's original employees from its formation in 2008.