Netherlands-based Catch-a-Jet has launched a search, book and pay app for empty leg private flights. Customers can book and pay in only three clicks, in less than one minute.

No membership or registration is required for users, neither do they have to pay to download or use the app. Flights can be paid with a credit card, PayPal or most European online bank methods.

"The idea for starting a platform for empty flights came after a conversation with a friend who flies private jets," says CEO and founder Chris Kuiper. "He told me that he often flies without passengers. And after extensive research we discovered that frequently a membership or registration is required in order to use an app in which no price is visible, flights very often can’t be paid, operators must almost always pay monthly fees to display their flights, and end users are unaware that empty leg flights exist."

For operators there are no fixed fees for listing empty leg flights on the app, there is only a commission to be paid when the flight is booked and paid for. "We take care of all marketing and app updates," says Kuiper. " We have integrated the Avinode, FL3xx and Leon APIs into our app; therefore, flights can be automatically added on. Flights can be added to the app manually as well."

Customers only need to enter the desired departure and arrival airports and travel dates, and they can add an unlimited number of city pairs. If no available flight is found, the app searches automatically for alternative available outward and return flights. The customer will receive a push notification when an earlier selected city pair becomes available, and they can also search for all departing flights within a certain radius from any selected city.

"We have been live for a few weeks," adds Kuiper, "but we have seen a much better pick up than expected, taking the number of downloads into account."

The Catch-a-Jet team consists of four investors, two of whom have substantial experience in the aviation industry. Kuiper is a former airline captain and has been working in the aviation industry for more than 25 years.