Blue Star Jets

Luxury Travel Magazine.

Ricky Sitomer is CEO of Blue Star Jets, which claims to be the world's most comprehensive and efficient private jet brokerage company. Soon to open its first London office, and with access to more than 4,000 executive private jets, the US-based company arranges charter of private aircraft for flights to any destination in the world on a moments notice. There are no membership fees, acquisition costs, or maintenance fees.

Why the name Bleu Star Jets? Is it connected to the movie Wall Street, given that you are a former successful Wall Street stockbroker?
It was entirely due to the movie - we were an unknown brand and wanted name recognition.

Is you company's motto - "Fly like you own it, Pay like you don't" - the recipe for your success?
Our other motto is "any jet, any time, any place". Our success is based on the flexibility we give to change your aircraft for each trip, as well as our personalized service. We provide true luxury for substantially less than our competitors, with no long-term commitments.

Jet travel is a fast-growing industry, how do you explain this?
The luxury traveler is very discerning. As long as they feel they are getting value and service, they don't mind spending the money.

Blue Star Jets is a luxury lifestyle brand that your customers are proud to be associated with. How do you create that?
We have the first comprehensive rewards programme in the industry, www.BlueStarRewards.com. This allows our SkyCard customers to use points for luxury goods, serrvices and travle offers. Our clients have a personal concierge assigned to them 24/7, who handles all their needs, including jet, catering, cars, limos, services, masseuse, hairdressers, and any specialised service.

What plans do you have for the future of the company and where do you intend to take it in the next five years?
We are looking to open 10 to 12 office in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. London will open this quarter. Blue Star Jets already has the largest sales staff in the industry - in the next five years we want to be the biggest provider of lift within jet charter.

What is your definition of luxury today?
Luxury is very personal today. We try to tailor every trip to our client's desires; catering (from lobster to pizza for the kids), spa treatments, yoga, Taittinger champagne - whatever our client wants, that's luxury.

Which travel and luxury companies do you most respect?
In terms of brands, we only try to align ourselves with the top luxury brands, such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Takashimaya, Bentley, Ferrari, LaMer, Taittinger, Grey Goose, Voss Water. The luxury companies we are preferred partners with include LuxuryAgentss, Vacation.com, Signature, GoTrump and American Express.

Which are your favorite hotels and resorts?
I really like [the hotel chains] Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons. I was recently in London at the Dorchester and Relais & Chateaux properties.

What mistakes have you made that you learned from the most?
Based on the trend of our business, there haven't been too many mistakes. However, the biggest thing for me to remember is to push really hard for continued growth and expansion.

What do you think will be the biggest future trends in luxury travel?
I think the biggest trend is personalized luxury. People want a variety of unique destination options and ways to get there - that is different luxuries. The future is giving them exactly what they want.

What piece of advice you would give to the luxury travel industry?
Think high and give your clients multiple options. Let them shop with you, not against you.

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