Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Business aviation entrepreneur Kenny Dichter returned to NBAA-BACE to highlight his next chapter as founder of Real Jet, reentering the air charter brokering realm but this time with a boutique approach that focuses on top-tier service. Speaking to reporters Monday at BACE, Dichter likened the new venture to models of the Four Seasons or Burgess Yachts—long-standing companies with strong reputations for high-end, white-glove-type service, but that are not asset-based.
Announced earlier this year, the corporate entity is headquartered in New York with the operational base in Atlanta. Launching operations in August, Real Jet already has about 30 people on staff and has arranged about the first 100 flights, most of which have sought out Real Jet service.
Real Jet builds on relationships that Dichter and his colleagues have established over the years—in fact, he founded the company with several of his colleagues from Wheels Up and Marquis Jet. The company is led by president Robert Withers, who has long worked with Dichter both as a co-founder of Wheels Up and at Marquis Jet—“a 40-year friend and a 20-plus-year partner.”
“We’re really fortunate to have 12 or 15 people that joined us from our past lives,” Dichter said. Withers, he added, has “tremendous good faith and credit with the operating community.”
Real Jet is offering a straight brokerage without jet cards, membership, or other fee-based requirements for service. However, it is building a Real SLX platform that creates an “ecosystem,” with hospitality, unique experiences, and other curated benefits, in addition to private aircraft options.
Real Jet differs from the past two companies Dichter founded: Wheels Up, a multifaceted operator and broker that aimed to democratize the business with broad growth, and Marquis Jet, which pioneered fractional jet cards. Wheels Up ultimately went public with Delta Air Lines becoming the largest shareowner, and fractional ownership provider NetJets acquired Marquis Jet.
But unlike Wheels Up, which became a billion-plus operator, Dichter and his partner’s vision for Real Jet is to cultivate it into a $500 million to $750 million company over the next three&nbsp;to five years with a customer base of 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Likewise, the company plans to limit its charter placements to about the top 200 operators—ones that Real Jet executives know and have vetted, particularly on the safety front.&nbsp;But Dichter noted that many of the operators have long worked with the Real Jet team in their past roles. The Real Jet team is further meeting with operators at NBAA-BACE this week.
As far as service, Dichter said he’s taken lessons learned from the likes of fractional ownership pioneer Richard Santulli, the former NetJets chief who sold his service and then ultimately the entire company to Warren Buffett.
At Wheels Up, Dichter departed the company in 2023 as it was amid a reorganization and shoring up its debt. He noted the ongoing integration with Delta and said, “Both Robert and I are very proud of where Wheels Up is, but with Real Jet, there’s an amazing niche—a boutique play in the market.”
Pointing to Burgess, Dichter noted that it has a 360-degree view of the customer. With Wheels Up and Marquis Jet, “I think about the 2 million takeoffs and 2 million landings. I think about the over $10 billion of sales we created [over 20-plus years] and, in a lot of cases, new people to the industry, and I think about our retention rate of 90%. We have a high bar, but our new structure is where we are trying to have an incredible customer experience.”
He explained that this means customers remain at the center with full transparency and extensive communications.

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Kenny Dichter Gets ‘Real’ in His New Business Aviation Venture

Real Jet will serve as a boutique customer-centric air charter brokerage

Business aviation entrepreneur Kenny Dichter is returning with his next business, Real Jet.

Kenny Dichter Gets ‘Real’ in His New Bizav Venture

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Arrangements made on behalf of Big Sky resorts and ranches

Lone Mountain Travel Picks Moove AI Booking Tool

Charles Alcock

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

Private Jet Card Comparison tracked rates in North America

Average Jet Card Charter Rates Remain Stable in Q3

U.S. market is well-balanced; some other regions see growth 

Avinode Data Points to Mainly Favorable Charter Market

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

NBAA-BACE 2025

More In Charter & Fractional

Lone Mountain Travel Picks Moove AI Booking Tool

Arrangements made on behalf of Big Sky resorts and ranches

Average Jet Card Charter Rates Remain Stable in Q3

Private Jet Card Comparison tracked rates in North America

Avinode Data Points to Mainly Favorable Charter Market

U.S. market is well-balanced; some other regions see growth

Dassault Falcon 900LX Jets Drive Luminair’s Growth and Efficiency

Flying Dassault Falcon jets helps this charter operator stand out.

Blade Returns to NBAA as New Owner Joby Preps for Service

Joby bought Blade in August and is integrating the service into the Uber app

Vista Chases Growth In Japan's Private Flight Market

Company reported growth in demand for both VistaJet and XO program options

AI Accelerates Aircraft and Crew Scheduling Platform

Floating Fleet AI aims to have more than 100 aircraft listed by year-end

Leviate Air Group Acquires Vault Aviation

Expands company’s services for sports and entertainment clients

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN