BLADE Corporate Description
BLADE, the digitally powered short-distance aviation company, leverages mobile technology and an on-the-ground customer experience network, to enable travelers to enjoy air travel that previously was only available to owners and charterers of private aircraft.
The company’s unmatched mobile platform bridges the needs of consumers and aviation operators to significantly reduce the cost of air travel on private aircraft by maximizing passenger capacity utilization.
While best known for being the largest helicopter and seaplane service provider in the New York area, BLADE has expanded its offerings to include regularly scheduled turboprop and jet service.
Additionally, BLADE has rapidly grown its footprint of private lounges at airports, heliports and seaplane docks. The Company now leases and controls four lounges in Manhattan (including one marina based lounge for Seaplane arrivals), the first ever private aviation lounge in Nantucket, as well as our largest Lounge yet, located at the Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami.
Over 100,000 travelers have downloaded the BLADE app and registered with our company.
BLADE’s investor Group includes David Zaslav (CEO, Discovery Networks), Eric Schmidt, (Chairman, Alphabet), Barry Diller, (Chairman, IAC, Inc.), Bob Pittman (CEO, iHeartRadio), and the RAINE Group (VC arm of a PE firm with a 33% ownership in VICE).
In August of 2016, BLADE appointed Kenneth Lerer, co-founder and former chairman of The Huffington Post and managing partner of Lerer Hippeau Ventures as chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.