JetSmarter aims to be the Uber of private flights

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A new service is putting private jet travel into an app, and it's being called the Uber of flying.

Most celebrities value a good bargain as much as the rest of us, and that explains the appeal of a 3-year-old company called JetSmarter.

Kim Kardashian says JetSmarter has made her life easier, while Fergie posted an endorsement to her Instagram account while using the app on tour.

Jay-Z was so impressed that he became an investor in the company, which has become a music industry favorite thanks in part to DJ Khaled and Beau Vallis, who works with Kelly Rowland.

"You get a lot of people on the plane that are amazing to network with," Vallis said. "And the people that I've met with range from all types of businesses."

Company founder Sergey Petrossov spoke to Eyewitness News after his plane landed in White Plains following a trip from Miami. There were no stars aboard, but famous or not, all members enjoy perks like helicopter service to Midtown Manhattan after landing.

"We're making the journey just as important as the destination," Petrossov said. "And that's what really has left aviation."

Customers pay $5,000 to join and $10,000 per year for the right to fly private at a fraction of the cost of chartering a jet.

The company doesn't own planes, but rather uses digital technology to use jets sitting idle or fill seats on planes that would otherwise be empty. Passengers can take-off as strangers and land as friends.

Such travel remains out of reach most of the population, but for stars and young tech entrepreneurs, it's a bargain. And that's just one reason JetSmarter continues to grow at a rate of 10 to 15 percent every month.