VistaJet Founder Thomas Flohr on Building a Luxury Subscription Airline

Unusual requests are routine. One client wanted to run three marathons on three continents in one week. VistaJet coordinated the flights. Another corporate client needed executives from four continents to converge on India for a board meeting and return. Flohr said the company pulled off both.

Flohr's schedule varies by location. Based in Dubai but often traveling, he adjusts meal times to local norms. He eats a light lunch of vegetable soup or a sashimi dish. Dinner at home in St. Moritz comes around 8:30 p.m. There he has a bowling alley – he and his guests head downstairs for a few rounds after the meal. He avoids screens at night, listening to classical music or 1970s rock before bed. Weeknights he sleeps seven hours; weekends nine.

He described his approach as an integrated life, not a balance. Work and personal time are part of one endurance effort, similar to endurance sports or car racing, which he also pursues. He flies about 500 hours annually but makes time for walking, hiking, and shopping at local markets for fruits and vegetables.

VistaJet now operates 25 offices worldwide. Flohr said the subscription model works because it solves the problem he experienced himself: the inconsistency of private aviation. Clients pay for reliability and service, not just a seat on a plane.