VistaJet is renowned for its distinctive silver and red fleet and that it is equipped for all needs — whether you need a fully enabled business suite or a restful home away from home space. We interviewed Matteo Atti CMO for this ever-evolving luxury private jet charter company, let’s learn a little more about the company and the marketing that has lead to such success in the world of luxury travel:

Please tell us a little more about VistaJet and your role.

MA: I have served as Chief Marketing Officer of VistaJet since 2016 and its Group company Vista Global Holding (Vista) since its inception in 2018. In this time, we have positioned Vista’s market leading brand, VistaJet, as the most admired and trusted private aviation brand in the world. At Vista, I look after brand, marketing, public relations and service innovation, with a focus on customer engagement.

A luxury professor at the University of Monaco, I spent  20 years working with luxury and iconic brands like Gucci during the Tom Ford tenure, Paul Smith, Bottega Veneta, Nokia and Vista.

Since 2004, VistaJet has flown corporations, governments and private clients to 187 countries, on its fleet of silver and red business jets — making its global, elegant and consistent service the core of its proposition, both aesthetically and operationally.

What sets VistaJet apart from other jet charter services?

MA: While private jets are synonymous with luxury and efficiency, chartering a plane is often an unpredictable experience.

VistaJet offers a unique product — guaranteeing an aircraft available for its Members anytime and anywhere, with the highest level of service, and a consistent experience on every flight. While this might be customary in retail luxury or five-star hospitality, nobody in private aviation has ever tried this — as it requires a gargantuan level of coordination to be able to serve from any airport in the world, in as little as 24 hours’ notice, 365 days a year.

The renowned VistaJet service — from fully enabled business suites to relaxing family spaces, served by Cabin Hosts trained by the British Butler Institute, MedAire, Norland College and Wine & Spirit Education Trust, is unparalleled. It creates the feeling of a home away from home combined with an office in the sky — on every flight.

While there are thousands of private jets in the market, none of them stand out more than a silver with a red stripe VistaJet aircraft. VistaJet just trademarked its iconic aircraft livery design scheme – a unique recognition of the value of the livery as a key component of the brand’s equity.

What has been your most successful marketing campaign for VistaJet so far?

MA: Observations made in the cabin have inspired some of VistaJet’s signature services and campaigns: from VistaPet, the first service to ease flying with four-legged friends; to Adventures in the Sky, making memories for kids; all the way to its precious wine program.

With that said, the ongoing VistaJet Private Dining campaign has been the biggest marketing campaign to date — it secured approximately 700 pieces of global coverage to date, with a 2.7 billion global reach. Our clients’ passions for fine cuisine ignited a partnership with Chef Nobu — and we now work with 100’s of the most sought-after private chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe to design gastronomic moments in the sky and on the ground.

A table at 45,000 feet — higher than Mount Everest — is probably the highest our Members and clients will ever dine. With VistaJet they embark on a curated voyage through the finest experiences in the world — on board and at destination. VistaJet is focused on seasonality, health and wellbeing, continually evolving our menus for all palates, no matter where our Members are flying from.

Dining in flight often gets ignored and not properly developed with altitude and the effects it has on the palate in mind. Therefore, partnering with world-renowned chefs to develop this and offer food that is truly delicious both on the ground and in the sky is incredibly important to us — we and our clients value their expertise.  Many of our award-winning partners have reformulated their iconic dishes and created exclusive meals to taste perfect in a VistaJet cabin.

It is undeniable that UHNWIs have more choices than most. On the other hand, they are also bombarded by requests and sought after by more providers. Also, to protect their privacy and time, they often wrap themselves in layers of supporting teams, advisors, and assistants — they are surrounded by a complex series of spheres of influence. Therefore, it is important for brands to understand this to provide services and campaigns that ensure a sense of familiarity for the client — brands need to stay close to their clients’ wants, needs, hopes and dreams.
 
How does social media impact VistaJet?

MA: Our key social media platforms are Instagram and LinkedIn — both exceeding 110k followers each. Social media is a valuable tool that can attract prospective customers, obtain customer feedback and build customer loyalty. Both platforms have a track record of increasing our reach internationally. Additionally, through social media, we can showcase the breadth of our VistaJet services, at a glance. May this be from the exquisite in-cabin experience to the VistaJet Private World offering — a service that opens the doors to the most exclusive establishments and people in the world and builds a community aspect of the brand, via events and experiences alike.

What are the most important things clients should know when booking with VistaJet?

MA: We are seeing a bigger trend in desiring asset-free solutions. Individuals want to avoid owning a multimillion-dollar private jet when they can buy a subscription, only paying for the hours needed.

As a result, 2022 was another year of record-breaking flying — Vista’s revenue was up 50% YOY.

In the past 12 months, we continued significant investment in global infrastructure, scale and technology. We expanded the Vista Members’ fleet to meet demand with an additional 117 net aircraft in 2022, now with over 360 aircraft globally.

We offer every private aviation client a simple, flexible and secure solution for their flying needs: from one-off flights to global subscriptions for corporations and private individuals, from as little as 25 hours per year.

How many jets do you have in the VistaJet fleet?

MA: The Vista Members’ fleet comprises over 360 aircraft — a global fleet across all ranges and aircraft classes, including Global 7500, Global 6000, Falcon 7X, G450, Challenger 350 and Citation XLS jets.

What has your most significant achievement been to date for VistaJet?

MA: In business aviation, getting praise from customers is undeniably hard. So, I will always remember when last year, landing after a 14-hour flight on a Global 7500, a passenger asked the crew if they could stay in a little bit longer on the plane!

What does your day look like?

MA: We work 24/7, across multiple locations. The day starts early with reading at least 3 different regional newspapers. A brisk walk to the office followed by a team meeting to set the agenda for the day. The day often ends with client entertainment and networking. After all, business aviation is all about building personal trust with clients and partners.

What are the challenges that lay ahead for VistaJet for 2023?

MA: More and more clients globally are recognizing that Vista, across its market-leading VistaJet and XO brands, provides the best value and end-to-end experience, and our expanded team of over 4,000 experts is fully committed to developing the next era of innovative and advanced flying solutions across the globe. We have seen a strong momentum at the start of 2023 which is expected to continue across our dynamic global markets.

Aviation is a major contributor to global economic prosperity: unlocking trade, investment, and understanding between cultures. Private aviation specifically has seen unprecedented growth since the pandemic, as travel continues to be a necessity for companies to provide business acceleration and continuity via point-to-point connections. Therefore, it is essential to ensure economic growth and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Vista is making every effort to reduce the industry’s impact on the environment. That’s why in 2021, after years of research, VistaJet committed to carbon neutrality by 2025 — a pledge to serve as a blueprint for all Vista companies.

The biggest challenge, which is a positive in our eyes, is reiterating our carbon neutrality commitment to a greener future for our industry and clients. The political landscape is very delicate surrounding private aviation, particularly within Europe and the industry is being challenged on all fronts to act more sustainably.

VistaJet continues to actively seek and invest in new developments that are in line with the latest available science, to help push beyond the current limitations to further reduce GHG footprint — to become the first carbon-neutral business aviation operating company by 2025. Following years of research, and working with clients, the industry and regulatory bodies, VistaJet already has:

Increased the adoption of carbon offsetting by VistaJet Members to over 89%;
Provided global access to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) no matter where clients are traveling from, while continuing to advocate externally for the widespread adoption of SAF in the industry;
Used AI to maximise fleet optimisation to improve fuel-efficient consumption by 8%;
Added 18 new Global 7500 aircraft to the fleet, the first business jet with a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The high-speed transonic wings of the Global 7500 cut down on drag, and reduce fuel burn and emissions while its GE passport Engines reduce fuel consumption.
Invested in new aircraft technology development.

How do you see VistaJet evolving?

MA: The popularity of business aviation continues apace with people seeking private and efficient alternatives to travel. We have been experiencing positive trends across VistaJet’s dynamic global markets and unprecedented levels of demand from existing and new Members.

VistaJet sees the brand as a holistic experience. Extending beyond the aircraft and the crew, this includes every single sensorial detail, down to the smell of the cabin across the fleet. Likewise, the cabin colours and furnishings, even the wine choices and amenities, are consistent no matter where in the world you might depart from. The cabin design is carefully considered, so that the moment customers come on board, they already know exactly where to sit or where to leave their items. The brand is not just built through design but with feelings in mind.

After purchase, brands focus on retention and referral. To remain a partner in excellence, a brand cannot risk for its flights to be lived as a commodity. So, to secure memories are created on every flight, the VistaJet brand evolves constantly.

Partnerships are critical to this extent. While the cabin concept remains constant, the entertainment on board and at destination constantly evolves via VistaJet’s Private World – a collection of exclusive opportunities for Members to enjoy the best things the world has to offer. Private World opens the doors to the most exclusive establishments and people in the world and builds a community aspect of the brand – via events and access to the most remarkable people and services on the planet.

Who is your target market? Where are they from generally, Europe, Asia, or elsewhere?

MA: Our key markets are the US, EMEA and APAC.