Bitlux: One in three flights booked using cryptocurrency

At least one third of Bitlux’s flights flown to date have been paid for using cryptocurrency, according to founder and president Kyle Patel.

With almost 1,000 occupied takeoffs and landings and over 1,700 flights completed dating back to early 2021, the Florida-based charter firm has amassed nearly $32m in total revenue, equivalent to approximately 470 Bitcoins.

By leveraging cryptocurrencies as a secure, efficient, and anonymous payment method, the Boca Raton company was founded on a commitment to innovation and customer-centric service. Patel (pictured above) had the idea back in 2017 when a client with banking issues put in a request for an urgent flight to Europe. “The only option was Bitcoin,” said Patel. “It actually turned out to be really simple and within a few hours we had him flying to Europe.”

“That is when I realised there are few philosophical differences between cryptocurrency and private aviation. In terms of efficiency and borderless payments it’s the same ideological approach that it should be found in private aviation — you can fly wherever you want, however you want, whenever you want. Private aviation should be something that revolves around you instead of trying to constantly navigate this sea of chaos.”

Patel said he recognises that today’s travellers, particularly millennials, value flexibility, convenience, and security in their journey.

“No longer bound by fixed schedules and crowded terminals, passengers crave the ability to jet off on their terms, choosing when and where they want to travel without compromise,” he said.

Bitlux has also been able to help at the most critical of times too. Back in 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, a client called with a request to fly his mother out of southwest Russia because she required urgent lifesaving medical care.

“The hospital didn’t have the facilities to be able to care for her. The client said she is going to die here pretty soon. So the next though was ‘well, how do we process payment?’ Well, Saturday morning at 2am, banks are closed and I don’t have a credit card that can facilitate more than $5,000. The client asks ‘Do you guys take bitcoin?’ So within six hours we had a French plane with a medical staff landing in Russia, and then she was on her way to Oslo.

“Without cryptocurrency there is no way we would have been able to facilitate that,” said Patel.

If you’ve ever made a cryptocurrency transaction it probably involved a wallet-to-wallet transaction. This is exactly how Bitlux does business too. “It’s very people oriented. I thought about putting an automated system in, but I think it removes a certain level of service and attention from both parties that a transaction of this size definitely commands.”

“We’re not just a jet company. We’re the way to living your life without limits,” concludes Patel.