Flight sharing platform Wingly is officially launching in the UK after going live in France and Germany.
The service connects private pilots with passengers so they can share the cost of a flight, either for sightseeing, travel or simply to expereice the passion of flying.
As an example, a flight from London to the Isle of White takes 40 minutes and costs £32.
The planes pilots use on Wingly offer between two and six seats.
Passengers on Wingly can access a list of flights available in their region. Using filters, they can target specific destinations, flights and price ranges.
They can also directly check the map to see all flights. For each flight, profile and reviews of the pilot are shown. Wingly also asks for the medical certificate and licence of the pilot.
The website shows the latest flights to inspire users. When a flight is selected, the user can pay by credit card or PayPal. A user-friendly chat system helps passengers and passengers to organize the trip. If the flight is cancelled everybody is reimbursed.
More than 2,000 pilots are already registered on Wingly in France and Germany, and Wingly claims its sharing service can help them cut their cost by up to 75%.
By contrast, flight hours with chartered aircrafts are quite expensive for pilots, costing at least £160, depending on the model.
Co-Founder Emeric de Waziers about the vision: “We are passionate pilots, aeronautical engineers and passengers ourselves. Everybody should have the opportunity to discover the amazing experience of flying! Our goal is the democratization of light aviation.”