06 March 2014

Virgin Galactic, bitcoin and the Winklevoss twins

Virgin Galactic has secured high-profile bitcoin clients in the shape of the twin tech entrepreneurs, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. The Winklevoss brothers are high profile supporters of the digital currency and have a number of bitcoin business interests.

Space flights are the next frontier for private aviation, so I’m closely following Virgin Galactic’s progress – and have always been excited by their vision and innovation.

PrivateFly was the world’s first private jet company to start accepting bitcoin in December 2013. Our aim has always been to make choosing and buying private jet charter as fast, efficient and cost-effective as possible – using technology. So after considerable research, we came to the conclusion that bitcoin was a logical addition to our payment options.

And while Virgin Galactic’s customers are waiting patiently for take-off (the company says it is expecting to launch commercial operations at some point in 2014), our lead times from booking to take-off are a little shorter: We have bitcoin clients already airborne. The online currency is proving increasingly popular with some of our regular private jet clients in both Europe and the US.

Recently one of our customers booked and flew the same day from Brussels to Nice Cote D’Azur, paying by bitcoin. Client confidentiality is absolute at PrivateFly, but in this case Olivier Janssens wanted to go public to talk about his first bitcoin private jet flight. Much like the Winklevoss brothers, the Belgian tech entrepreneur is a firm supporter of the currency and wanted to showcase its advantages.

A same-day booking is not at all unusual for us – and across our industry. With bitcoin payment being fast, flexible and not subject to banking hours, it’s a good fit.

Space travel and bitcoin are great examples of how technology is changing the way we travel – and transact. It’s great to see high profile names like the Winklevoss brothers drawing attention to innovation in both.

Find out more about PrivateFly’s payment options and how to travel to bitcoin events 2014 by private jet.

Related content

29 February 2012

The use of GPS in aviation

Since its launch in 1994, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has impacted our lives in many ways. Maintained by the United States government, it is freely available to anyone with a GPS receiver – including…
Sustainability

PrivateFly is committed to a long term sustainability program, dedicated to going far beyond just carbon offsetting.

Read More
Our Group

PrivateFly is a sister company to Flexjet, which provides shared ownership and programmes for experienced private aviation users who fly 50+ hours per year

Visit The Website
Speak to our flight team 24/7
Connect With Us
Our Websites
Back to top