Knopf Touts Private Flight Options

As chief legal officer, Matthew Knopf sees Wheels Up as a key part of Delta’s brand strategy since more corporate and leisure travelers understand the value of time and convenience in the rapidly growing private flights market.

He stated, “We don’t compete directly with commercial airlines on price. We’re competing with commercial airlines on a valuable commodity, time. A private equity founder in New York City flying to a manufacturing plant in western Pennsylvania would have to arrive at the airport one to two hours in advance, fly for at least an hour, deplane/exit the terminal/get a rental car for another 1.5 hours, and another two hour car journey, taking seven hours vs. walking right onto a Wheels Up jet, flying for an hour, and landing at another private airport, taking less than two hours.”

Similarly, for executives with a global reach, private flying is a way to attend meetings in multiple locations in one day. Have breakfast in Dubai, London for lunch, and dinner in D.C. — in the commercial world, this would take two to three days.

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Knopf extols the benefits of opting for private flights in a variety of business and personal examples in the Wheels Up model.

Knopf also sees opportunities for leisure travel. “If you’re planning a family trip to Botswana for a safari, we can fly you Delta One to Johannesburg and connect you on a private jet the rest of the way. A family traveling to Aspen may leave on a Friday afternoon and fight through traffic in rush hour, deal with security at ATL and finally catch a flight to get there late at night. Or they could fly Wheels Up out of Peachtree-DeKalb Airport (PDK) with the whole family and pets, too, start the vacation on the plane and get there sooner.”

Another modern market — pets as family members. Some chose Wheels Up for just that reason, where pets sit with people.

In 2024, Wheels Up moved its headquarters to Atlanta to optimize its partnership with Delta, with a state-of-the art Member Operations Center (running 24/7) combining flight operations and corporate headquarters in Chamblee near PDK. Wheels Up has about 1,800 employees worldwide with about 450 pilots across the U.S.

All charter pricing is dynamic, only charging for “flying” hours. Booking ahead and flying on less busy days or times can save money. There are no upfront capital or contract commitments. Those who fly often enough find it practical to be a member as you can be eligible for additional benefits. Wheels Up owns its own fleet, focused on highly sought after Phenoms (six to eight passengers) and Challengers (eight to 12 passengers). Knopf added, “Adding all of this together with its worldwide charter operation, we have ways to meet any private flyer’s needs.”

As Wheels Up’s chief legal officer, Matthew Knopf leads all legal aspects of the organization, advising the CEO and board of directors. Prior to Wheels Up, Knopf was Delta’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel.

Knopf estimates 78 percent of the existing private jet fleet in the U.S. is owned by individuals or businesses for their sole use. The rest is comprised of a handful of large players, like Wheels Up, and smaller charter operators. Knopf makes this practical statement, “It doesn’t make sense to own your own aircraft unless you are flying more than 800 hours a year — while the average utilization of privately owned aircraft is about 200. As owning and operating a plane continues to become less attractive for some, we have grown.”

Glitterati have been criticized for private flights vis a vis climate change concerns, as is the broader aviation industry. Knopf proffered that fleet operators can be more energy efficient than corporations owning their aircraft which are often flown empty back to headquarters, burning additional fuel. Wheels Up rarely flies its planes empty by using a floating fleet to fly another customer from the same airport.

Customers don’t pay separately for insurance. All aircraft have two engines and two pilots, and larger aircraft may include a flight attendant. Wheels Up utilizes an app to create an account for quotes (or call). Members have access to a dedicated account manager.

Knopf, a member of The Temple, is married to Terri Bonoff, CEO of Jewish Family & Career Services.