Private jet booking network PrivateFly.com raises £2 million

We’ll all been there. You are craving that delicious sandwich from that place a couple of miles from your home for lunch, when you realize your wife took the car to go shopping (again). So you hop online, looking to compare prices for the best private aircraft and nearest available flight, and begin to search frantically for a website where you can quickly charter a helicopter or small private jet so you can get that smoked salmon and avocado sandwich pronto.

PrivateFly.com feels your pain, and has established a private aircraft booking service that lets you find, compare and book your private charter jet or helicopter flight all in one, online place. The company has just raised £2 million from a number of private investors to roll out internationally.

All kidding aside, co-founders and husband-and-wife team Adam Twidell and Carol Cork apparently sold their house for initial seed funding for the company back in 2008.

Twidell had previously served 10 years as a pilot in the RAF, three years at NetJets, and was a consultant for London City Airport’s bid to start a private jet hub at RAF Northolt.

Fast forward to today, and PrivateFly.com boasts a network that accesses over 7,000 aircraft all across the globe. The company will use the fresh capital to roll out to new international markets, upgrade all its platforms, including those for mobile apps, and boost real-time integration of pricing and availability with aircraft operators.

PrivateFly.com investors include travel tech entrepreneur Sam Friend (founder of wotif.com), David Scowsill (president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the startup’s chairman Richard Carrick (former CEO of Hoseasons) and industrialist Damon De Laszlo.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m hungry.