Patrick Britton-Harr of AeroVanti: Private Aviation is Replacing Commercial Travel for Families and Disrupted Industries

As part of our series about “The Future Of Air Travel”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrick Britton-Harr.

Patrick Britton-Harr is the Founder and CEO of AeroVanti Air Club. A serial entrepreneur and investor for more than 15 years, Britton-Harr previously founded and led several successful companies in the healthcare and long-term care industries. As an avid recreational pilot, Britton-Harr married his two loves — aviation and entrepreneurship — when he founded AeroVanti Air Club in 2020.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Interestingly enough, I came to private aviation via the healthcare industry. As a serial entrepreneur and investor, I’ve been involved in healthcare, dental and infection prevention solutions for long-term care for many years, but my passion has always been aviation. As a third-generation pilot, the dream was always to marry my two loves (in addition to my wife and family!) — aviation and entrepreneurship. AeroVanti Air Club is the perfect union of those two passions.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Ironically, the most interesting thing is landing exactly where I belong — both in terms of launching an aviation company and being based in Annapolis. I’ve launched multiple companies in multiple cities and end up exactly where I’m supposed to be, both professionally and personally.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

Startup life is nonstop. When you’re an entrepreneur — particularly when you’ve invested in yourself and your goals and dreams — everything goes back to you. It’s a remarkable amount of pressure and it’s easy to burn out quickly. Flying, sailing and traveling have always been great ways for me to de-stress and balance priorities. Mr. Buffet’s theory on “changes in latitude” certainly rings true.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve been so lucky to have so many wonderful mentors along the way, but my father, who is our chief pilot, Steve Harr, has had the most impact. A retired Navy pilot and American Airways captain, he introduced me to the world of aviation and instilled a love for travel and exploration.

Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

We’re sharing the world with our customers through private aviation — and at a price point that simply didn’t exist before AeroVanti. We make it easier for folks to connect with the world, explore, spend time with family and friends and create meaningful, life-long memories. And we’re opening the world of charter aviation to an entirely new customer base who probably thought private aviation was out of reach.

Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the Aviation and Air Travel industries?

AeroVanti Air Club is completely disrupting the charter aviation industry, which is estimated to be a $25 billion-a-year industry. We’re not reaching an unreached marketing segment — we’re creating an entirely new market segment. Through our innovative membership model, we’re opening the world of private aviation to customers who would otherwise fly commercial — at a similar price point as first-class travel for a family of four.

It’s not just our model that’s disruptive. It’s our experience. Our customers experience an ease of travel that makes it enjoyable rather than stressful. No long-term parking struggles, no hourslong TSA lines — just drive up to your plane and we take care of the rest. All you have to do is show up and we bring you the world.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing these innovations?

We’re making travel desirable and easy again. Traveling — flying in particular — used to be a luxury and today it’s a hassle for so many people. We make it convenient and affordable to travel in luxury and actually enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

We’re completely dismantling the status quo and replacing it with a better way to travel. Our tiered membership options and $1,995 per flight hour rate open the world of private aviation to customers who would have otherwise continued to fly commercial.

Are there exciting new technologies that are coming out in the next few years that will improve the Air Travel experience? We’d love to learn about what you have heard.

We like to think we’re one of them. Our customer testimonials and our rapid growth back that up. There’s a better way to travel and we’re delivering it.

As you know, the Pandemic changed the world as we know it. For the benefit of our readers, can you help spell out a few examples of how the Pandemic has specifically impacted Air Travel?

The pandemic has ruined commercial travel as we know it. Flights are being canceled by the thousands, pilots are still being furloughed and laid off and flight attendants are dealing with non-compliant passengers and mid-air fights. Most people dread flying commercially because of it.

Can you share five examples of how the Air Travel experience might change over the next few years to address the new realities brought by the Pandemic? If you can, please give an example for each.

1. Travelers will avoid flying commercial at all costs. They’re looking for better solutions to travel because commercial travel has become such a burden.
2. People will look for safer, more private aviation and transportation services.
3. After being stuck at home for going on two years, people are so hungry for travel and adventure, but they’re looking for a safe and affordable way to do so.
4. Those who can avoid commercial travel, will. And they won’t go back.
5. Someone will answer the call. We certainly believe we have.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I love to fly and I love to travel. If AeroVanti can open this wonderful world to more people — and people who may have otherwise thought they could never experience it — then that’s a great day’s work.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Visit us at aerovanti.com today. Check out our flight estimator to see how much more affordable it is to travel in luxury than you previously thought. And connect with us on social media — Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!