Editors’ Note

Jim Segrave leads flyExclusive, one of North America’s largest and most innovative private jet operators. An aviator himself with about 12,000 hours of flight time and an Airline Transport Pilot License, Segrave started Segrave Aviation in the mid-1990s before selling it to Delta Air Lines in 2010. He then pioneered the one-way, floating fleet model in private aviation – the idea that trips are priced point to point, not round trip. Segrave was born in Kinston, North Carolina where he grew flyExclusive into one of the top three private aviation companies in the U.S.

Company Brief

flyExclusive (flyexclusive.com) is a vertically integrated, FAA-certificated air carrier providing private jet experiences by offering customers a choice of fractional ownership, Jet Club, and on-demand charter services to destinations across the globe. The company operates one of the largest private jet fleets in the U.S., with full operational control over maintenance, refurbishment, and avionics through its in-house MRO facilities in Kinston, North Carolina.

Will you discuss your career journey?

Aviation began as a personal passion. I earned my pilot’s license when I was 19 and I still fly today. I hold ATP type ratings on eight different jets, and have logged approximately 12,000 flight hours. Over time, that passion developed into a business. I founded Segrave Aviation in 1994 and grew the company until Delta Air Lines purchased it in 2010 and renamed it Delta Private Jets. I then served as president of Delta Private Jets, which let me see private aviation through the eyes of a major global airline.

I founded flyExclusive in 2015 with two aircraft and a small group of people who believed in the same thing I did, that we could build a better private aviation experience by controlling more of the operation ourselves. Since then, flyExclusive has grown into the third largest private aviation operator in the United States.

How do you define flyExclusive’s mission?

Our mission is to build the most vertically integrated private aviation company in the world and to exceed what our customers expect on safety, quality and convenience. For me, safety runs through every part of the trip. Customers trust us with something they cannot get back, which is their time. Our job is to make travel reliable, personal and easy. I want customers to call us world class in every respect, from how we communicate to how we deliver.

We also want to build a company that creates lasting opportunity. That means real careers for our people, investment in the communities where we operate, and a business that holds up when the market shifts. We are not trying to be the biggest operator. We are trying to be the best.

Will you provide an overview of flyExclusive’s services?

flyExclusive offers a range of private aviation services built around how much people actually fly. Our Jet Club offers members reliable access to a versatile fleet with a service experience that is consistent every trip. Our fractional ownership program is designed for customers who fly more frequently and want the benefits of aircraft ownership without many of its traditional administrative burdens. We also provide on-demand charter and partnership solutions for customers and organizations with more specialized needs.

Beyond flight services, we operate an expanding maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business in Kinston, North Carolina. We handle aircraft maintenance, avionics, paint and interior refurbishment for our fleet and third-party aircraft. We also manage and sell aircraft.

Together, these capabilities allow us to serve customers across a much broader portion of the private aviation ecosystem.

Will you highlight flyExclusive’s vertically integrated model?

Vertical integration is one of our biggest differentiators. We control many of the functions that other operators routinely outsource. We maintain our own aircraft, run our own paint facilities, refurbish interiors in house, and handle our own avionics. We are also developing additional technology and building our own pilot training center.

Controlling these capabilities gives us greater influence over quality, cost and aircraft availability. If an aircraft requires maintenance or refurbishment, our teams can coordinate directly instead of relying entirely on outside vendors and their schedules. That helps reduce downtime and supports a more consistent customer experience.

It also creates an additional growth platform. The technical capabilities we developed to support our fleet can increasingly serve other aircraft owners and operators. Vertical integration therefore improves our core business and opens new revenue at the same time.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth?

The best opportunities are in the parts of the business that build lasting customer relationships and put our aircraft to work more of the time. Jet Club and fractional ownership let us match steady customer demand to the fleet we already have. There is also real opportunity in doing maintenance, avionics, paint and interior work for outside owners and operators. The industry needs more reliable technical capacity than it has, and Kinston has the infrastructure and the people to help fill that gap.

Raleigh is a growth opportunity too. Putting our corporate teams there gives us access to a much deeper talent pool in technology, finance, operations, sales and leadership. That matters as the company gets bigger and more complex.

Technology is a big one as well. We are investing in better scheduling, pricing and operational data. That means more flying, faster decisions and better trips.

We are disciplined about how we grow. We want to add customers, aircraft and capabilities in a way that protects profitability and service quality at the same time.

What has made community engagement so important to you?

I was born in Kinston, and my family has been in Eastern North Carolina for generations. Building flyExclusive there proved something worth proving; you can build a nationally recognized aviation business, and the skilled careers that come with it, in a small town. As the company has grown, so has our footprint. Raleigh is a big part of our future. It puts us in one of the most dynamic business and technology communities in the country and gives us the talent we need for the next stage.

Our commitment to Kinston has not changed. Kinston is home to our maintenance, avionics, paint and interior businesses, and those operations are going to keep growing. This was never about choosing one town over the other. It is about letting each one do what it does best. Raleigh is our corporate and talent center and Kinston is our technical aviation center.

A company’s impact should extend beyond financial performance. It should create opportunities for people to build careers, support their families, and develop valuable skills. When employees can see that their work is contributing to something larger, it strengthens both the community and the company.

How do you focus your efforts leading flyExclusive?

I spend my time where leadership moves the needle – setting direction, putting resources in the right places, developing people and maintaining accountability.

Aviation is an unforgiving business. Details matter and every minute matters. That requires a culture in which safety comes first, people communicate clearly, and teams take ownership of outcomes. I spend a great deal of time ensuring that our leaders know the mission, have the resources to execute it, and remain focused on measurable results.

With the corporate side of the company now in Raleigh, a big part of my role is keeping everyone on one team. Our leadership in Raleigh has to stay close to our technical teams in Kinston, our flight crews around the country and the people who deal with customers every day.

I also try to stay close to the operation. I have spent most of my life flying and building aviation businesses, and the thing I have learned is to listen to the people doing the work. The best information comes from pilots, mechanics, customer service professionals and everyone else who is closest to the aircraft and the customer.

My role is ultimately to keep the organization aligned around a clear vision while creating an environment in which talented people can succeed.

What are your priorities for flyExclusive?

Safety comes first, and it always will. After that, it is operational excellence – getting our aircraft in the air more, giving every customer the same great experience and running a tighter operation across the board.

We are building the company around what Raleigh and Kinston each do best. In Raleigh, the priority is developing the corporate, financial, operational and technology muscle a national aviation business needs. In Kinston, we keep investing in and growing our maintenance, avionics, paint and interior businesses.

We are also focused on strengthening profitability while also investing selectively in Jet Club, fractional ownership, third-party aviation services, technology and training.

Equally important is continuing to develop our people. I want flyExclusive to be a place where someone can build a meaningful, long career and where doing good work opens doors.

If we execute those priorities well, we will create lasting value for customers, employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate. That is how we intend to build an enduring company.