Qatar Airways Takes a Stake in a Small California-Based Airline
Photo Credit: Qatar Airways will take a minority stake in JetSuite. Pictured is one of JetSuite's aircraft. JetSuiteX
Skift Take
Did Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker finally win himself a slice of a U.S. airline? You could say that. But remember JetSuiteX, for now, has only five airplanes. We'll see how much it grows with the new money.
Less than a year after Qatar Airways was rebuffed in an attempt buy a minority share of American Airlines, the gulf carrier has won a much smaller prize, a slice of a California-based company called JetSuite backed by JetBlue that has been dabbling in the airline business.
JetSuite began more than a decade ago as a private jet company, mostly shuttling wealthy passengers on small, lightweight four and six-seat jets around the western United States. It is still in that business and has been growing it, but increasingly, JetSuite has been investing in what is essentially its own airline, albeit one with an unusual model.
It is called JetSuiteX and it now operates five 30-seat Embraer E135s on the West Coast, mainly in California and Nevada, with plans to
