San Francisco-headquartered Takeoff360 has updated its mobile app in a move designed to make private jet charters more accessible to a broader clientele. Founder and CEO Robert Basha explains: "One out of three private jets do not have any passengers on board. Not only is this a big waste of fuel and money but the carbon footprint to our environment is beyond staggering. Making these one-way legs available to consumers at lower prices helps address a major inefficiency in the air charter industry and is a win-win for all."

Takeoff360 curates available empty legs and displays only those affecting popular routes worldwide. "Although there are many hundreds more we don't want to overwhelm users," adds Basha. "We are focusing on some of the more popular routes and others will follow shortly."

While empty leg deals themselves are not new to the industry, Takeoff360 aims to make them more accessible to a broader swathe of consumers. The price may be discounted by up to 60 per cent of a regular flight and the entire selection and booking process can be completed in a few taps on its mobile app, including payment via credit card or Apple Pay. It holds aircraft photos, a list of onboard amenities and a record of the aircraft's safety certifications and insurance coverages. Mobile features such as push notification alert users when deals become available on their favourite routes. The company is already seeing major interest, having successfully transacted one-way flights in the USA and abroad.

Takeoff360 works closely with Avinode to ensure it gets access to a broad spectrum of available deals from top operators around the world, and director of sales Americas Saskia de Jong says: "Takeoff360 is an example of how creative companies can partner with us to make a great experience for the end-user, while creating massive improvements in efficiency for the industry as a whole."

Basha concludes: "There's never been a more exciting time for private jet travel. Our continued focus is to provide consumers with easy access to jet charters and one-way deals through a simple and clean digital interface that is, in essence, their shopfront to the global jet charter industry. Our version 2.0 is a big step towards this goal, having successfully completed bookings in more than 30 countries so far."