Wheels Up has been adding lots of features to its membership programs over the last few months. To supplement the overall programs it just acquired TMC, the largest wholesale-focused light jet operator in the U.S. TMC operates an owned and leased fleet of Hawker 400XP aircraft in North America.
Wheels Up members already have guaranteed access, with as little as 24 hours' notice, to a members-only fleet of 93 aircraft, operated exclusively by Gama Aviation. The Wheels Up fleet consists of the King Air 350i turboprops, Citation Excel/XLS light jets and Citation X mid-size jets.
Members can also use the Wheels Up app to access the Charter Marketplace with real-time pricing from 1,000+ partner aircraft, many of which can be booked instantly. Wheels Up also offers fixed price access to light jets and super-mid size jets with 72 hours notice.
Wheels Up says this new strategic acquisition is in response to increasing demand from their members for high-quality light jets that meet Wheels Up's safety and operational standards. TMC's fleet of 26 Hawker 400XP aircraft will further strengthen the Wheels Up light jet offering and growing Charter Marketplace.
"This acquisition is a foundational piece in our continued brand evolution and mission to provide our members with a total private aviation solution, and we are thrilled to be welcoming TMC into the Wheels Up family," said Kenny Dichter, Founder and CEO of Wheels Up. "TMC and their light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, and their pilots, who will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet and provide our members with the same high level of safety and service that they do today."
TMC will operate as an independent subsidiary of Wheels Up and continue to provide the same service to their existing wholesale channel partners. TMC customers and wholesale channel partners will continue to engage with their respective TMC contacts, including CEO Phil Dodyk and the TMC leadership team. TMC will continue to operate out of its current location in Elkhart, IN.
Wheels Up offers three membership levels of Connect, Core and Business, which provide access to the member and varying numbers of other lead passengers to the full suite of services.