Flying Aero: One Passenger’s Experience

By Brian T. Coleman

For discerning travelers seeking to bypass the hassles of commercial air travel, Aero offers first-class seating on private jets. The luxury airline, based at Van Nuys airport in Southern California, presents a compelling alternative to traditional travel options. Aero flies out of Van Nuys, CA airport to select destinations, including Aspen, Sun Valley, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Napa Valley, and Cabo San Lucas. They deliver passengers to their destination in style and comfort with a focus on luxury and efficiency. Today was my opportunity to experience Aero service.

Aero was founded by Garrett Camp, co-founder of Uber, with the goal of bridging the gap between commercial first-class and semi-private jet charters, offering scheduled service to select destinations. Essentially, Camp viewed Aero as the Uber of air travel. Service was first launched with flights between the Mediterranean vacation Islands of Mykonos and Ibiza before bringing luxury travel to America. In addition to scheduled flights, Aero offers exclusive flights to major sporting and entertainment events nationwide. Aero operates a fleet of Embraer 135 and Legacy jets configured for between 13 and 19 passengers.

Aero invited me to experience them on a trip from Van Nuys, CA, to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and back. A member of their marketing team directed me to book my reservation on their website so I could have a complete passenger experience. Booking my flight was a seamless process. The most difficult part was deciding on a date that fit my busy schedule. The www.aero.com site was a simple, user-friendly, clutter-free website. It is well laid out with only the basics of what passengers need to make their booking. A nice addition to the site, though, would be a cabin layout graphic so the passenger could easily choose their preferred seat. Of special note, Aero does not fly to every destination every day of the week and offers only seasonal service to some airports.

After booking my reservation, one of their very professional concierge team contacted me and stayed in contact with me throughout the entire process. The concierge team members I worked with were efficient and answered every question I could throw at them. For example, having never flown out of Van Nuys airport, I had no idea where to park. After a text to my concierge, I learned valet parking is available for $45. In addition, the valet company could wash or detail my car while I was traveling, a valuable convenience for busy travelers.

The day before departure, another text message gave me the tail number of the aircraft I would fly to Cabo. On FlightAware, I learned my ERJ-135 was initially delivered to American Airlines in 2006. You would never know any of their ERJ-135s were not brand-new. It’s not uncommon for these planes to move from airline to airline, being completely refurbished in between. Additionally, Aero flies the smaller Legacy 600, which is laid out in a more traditional private jet configuration with seats facing each other.

At Van Nuys

When I arrived at Van Nuys airport, I easily reached the exclusive terminal for Aero passengers at Signature Aviation. Awaiting me on the tarmac were four ERJ-135 aircraft beautifully painted in a deep black livery. They oozed elegance. There was also a smiling valet ready to take my car for its much-needed spa treatment.

In the well-appointed terminal building, Aero provides a private, luxurious atmosphere, with efficient and courteous staff ensuring a smooth check-in process. The waiting area, while comfortable and well lit, could benefit from a few more amenities. However, there were some delicious fresh pastries, cold drinks in a self-serve refrigerator, and a team member was offering Veuve Clicquot Champagne and a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. As you would imagine, all of this was provided free of charge. Sadly, it didn’t look like any of the other passengers touched the yummy pastries.

Aero’s fleet of ERJ-135 jets, includes all-forward-facing seats across eight rows of 1-1 seating, ensuring everyone gets both an aisle and a window seat. They are very similar to domestic first-class seats but with much larger seat pitch. While I didn’t have a tape measure with, I imagine the seat pitch was at least 45 inches. The over wing exit row pitch was even larger. With this spacing, there is plenty of room for everyone. When flying as a regular regional jet, the ERJ-135 is typically configured for up to 37 seats.

An Ontime Departure

Our scheduled takeoff time was 9:30 AM. We were fully boarded in 4 minutes. The captain pushed back … actually, we taxied forward at 9:40 and were in the air four minutes later. Oh the joy of flying out of a non-commercial airport. The flight was scheduled for two and a half hours. The in-flight experience was exceptional, with a modern cabin design, spacious seating, and an attentive flight attendant who ensured all passengers’ needs were promptly met.

There is no inflight entertainment on Aero, but no one seemed to mind as everyone seemed to be using their phone, tablet or computer.  I have been wondering for a while now how important IFE is, especially on short flights when everyone has a phone or tablet with hours of content preloaded? All Aero aircraft are equipped with Starlink satellite service which I found to be surprisingly fast and reliable. Running SpeedTest, I consistently received 22 Mbps download and 10Mbps upload speeds with a ping of 4 milliseconds. Very impressive for travel at 40,000 feet in an aluminum tube. Aero also beefed up their fleet with additional soundproofing, so the jets are very quiet, making the journey even more enjoyable.

The complimentary gourmet food offerings provided by Erewhon, an upscale grocery store, were a delightful touch. While the selections were all tasty, the portions were somewhat small. But no one seemed to care but me. The menu offered a choice of Banana Bread Bites with Seasonal Berries, Strawberry Overnight Oats, and Smoked Salmon Tartine. As the flight was almost full, 15 of the 16 seats were occupied, I told the flight attendant to take everyone’s order first and give me whatever remained. I knew I’d be happy with any of the choices. I ended up with a delicious Smoked Salmon Tartine. There were complimentary pre-packaged snacks available as more Veuve Clicquot and other cocktails and soft drinks were offered further enhancing the in-flight dining experience. I’d rate the comfort and service on this flight as excellent.

Using the Lav

A few thoughts on the plane’s lavatory. Although very spacious, the soap and lotion bottles were not secured and ended up in the sink. The flush button is VERY small an in a difficult location some passengers will find difficult to locate. I learned this the hard way since the previous passenger either did not find or chose not to use the flush button. I believe Aero custom-designed the lav or at least chose a different one than what was installed with American Airlines owned the aircraft. This oversight, however small, can lead to some interesting surprises.

Another item I found strange was the quality of the hand towels in the lav. They were very large and thick… a great quality product.  However, I was surprised to see them because many passengers typically flush paper towels down the toilet which would clog the system. This is the main reason traditional commercial airlines don’t use regular towels and eventually switched to super thin and quick dissolving paper ones. Now I’m not complaining about having great towels. Again, I’m just surprised that Aero has such a nice product for their lavatories with its potential to disrupt their entire service.

Arrival in Cabo

It was a clear day and the sights going down the Baja peninsula were truly specular. I saw my most favorite town in all of Baja … Bahia de Los Angeles, a tiny village where I’ve been able to scuba dive many times. Its geography makes it super easy to spot from the air. With the Starlink satellite network aboard, I was able to snap a picture of the town and send it to my marine biologist friend, Dr. Hans Bertsch, with whom we have spent many hours underwater observing nudibranch.

After the quick 2.5-hour flight, we landed at 12:15 and taxied to the gate. A highlight of the Aero experience was the efficient and hassle-free arrival at Cabo San Lucas. One of the standout features was the expedited customs and immigration process just for Aero passengers. After landing, passengers were promptly guided through a separate, streamlined lane, significantly reducing wait times. The customs officers were professional and efficient, ensuring the entire process was quick and stress-free. This allowed all to start their vacations almost immediately after landing, without the usual delays associated with international travel. Assistance with luggage retrieval and transport was much appreciated by all the guests and well-organized on the part of Aero.

A travel podcaster’s job is never done. Despite the beautiful location, my real vacation in Cabo would need to wait for another time since I needed to return to Los Angeles on the next flight home, in about 45 minutes. Although Aero does not have a private terminal at Cabo, the waiting area was large and well lit.  It included a small bar was where I purchased a drink and snack while waiting to board the flight home. While waiting to board, I engaged in a very pleasant conversation with the bar tender who was born and raised in Cabo. We talked about my experience flying down and my observations of Bahia de Los Angeles. With a big smile, he informed me that he also loves vacationing there. We had a laugh and then it was time to board the flight home.

The concierge in Mexico was originally from London and was awesome.  Boarding started at 1:15PM and the door was closed at 1:20. The return flight mirrored the positive experience of the outbound journey. Two of the passengers were cold on this leg and asked for blankets. I thought the temperature was perfect, but the flight attendant adjusted the temperature a bit higher, and everyone was happy.

The food choices on the return flight were from their lunch menu again with items prepared by Erewhon. I had the roast beef sandwich from choices of Asian Chicken Salad and Tibetan Power Salad with Teriyaki Glazed Tofu. After finishing my sandwich, I was still hungry, so I asked the flight attendant if there were any other goodies. She told me there was an extra Asian Chicken Salad. She promptly delivered it to me with an ice-cold Coke.

We landed back at Van Nuys on time, at 3:54. We started deplaning at Signature by 3:56. Yes, only two minutes after touchdown the door was open where another Aero concierge met us. The valet had all the cars waiting and everyone was back to reality and enjoying LA traffic for their ride home or wherever they were headed.

Aero delivers on its promise of a premium flying experience characterized by the comfort, service, and efficient operations of private-jet travel. The airline offers a compelling alternative for discerning travelers seeking a luxurious and hassle-free travel experience. My flight with Aero was a positive experience overall, and I can’t wait to fly them again.

Maybe next time I can spend a few days on the ground and enjoy the destination as much as the flight on Aero.

Author Note: While Aero provided this flight at no cost to me, my opinions are my own.  I can’t be bought.

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Brian Coleman, a lifetime IK United premium flyer, is co-host and producer of the popular travel podcast, The Journey is the Reward.