Jet Linx has signed more than a dozen new base partners since relaunching the program last December, and Executive Chairman Jamie Walker told Private Jet Card Comparisons at NBAA's convention in Las Vegas that he expects around 12 more deals before year end. Before Covid, the program worked much like a local franchise. Jet Linx rolled those older local interests into the parent company, and new partners, typically high-net-worth individuals active in their home markets, now invest only in the main company while acting as its local ambassadors. The operator has 22 locations, was ranked the 8th-largest U.S. private jet operator by charter and fractional hours in 2025, and says a West Coast push is still being finalized.
As an investor, I think the restructure is the smart part. A local franchise gives a partner upside in one airport and a lot of exposure to that market's bad years. Equity in the parent spreads that risk across 22 locations and keeps safety, training, operations and maintenance under one central standard. Walker's line about taking the best of both structures is fair: the company keeps local relationships without letting each base drift.
It is also a clever way to grow. Well-connected locals become owners, bring their own networks and help open new markets. That is capital and distribution in the same check.
For Melion, the lesson is that private aviation still runs on local trust. Clients want a familiar lounge, a known crew and someone in town who answers the phone. A marketplace has to respect that. Our job is to connect travelers with well-run operators like these, show the inventory clearly and let the relationship stay where it belongs, between the client and the people flying the aircraft.