OneFlight took US$226m of jet card cash in 2026 against over US$400m of promised flights

What happened

Charter broker OneFlight International took in US$226m of jet card (prepaid private flying) cash through early September 2026 while taking on more than US$400m of flight obligations, according to an analysis of its sales records published on 15 October by Private Jet Card Comparisons.

The gap reflects US$176m of flight credits, bonuses and other discounts, including waived membership fees. That is 77.9 per cent of the cash received. A typical card bonus is one free hour per 25 hours bought, or 4 per cent, and bonuses of 10 to 15 per cent are considered generous.

At least 17 deals gave customers who sent at least US$250,000 in cash another US$250,000 in bonuses plus 10 free hours on a large-cabin jet. Before the pause, the records show US$7.4m in cash and US$8.7m in bonuses. OneFlight paused operations on 16 September.

An attorney for OneFlight’s chief executive, Ferren Rajput, declined to comment. An internal email says even US$4m from sales would not cover the company, and refers to a second-quarter federal excise tax liability.

OneFlight faces seven lawsuits. A suit filed in the US District Court for the District of Colorado in September alleges that new money is used to pay old obligations.

Another, filed in the week to 15 October, comes from a customer who wired US$815,000 in total, including US$250,000 in October 2024 and US$250,000 in May 2026. The sales records also show an offer of US$200,000 of flights for US$100,000 in cash. The suits are allegations, not findings.

For holders of OneFlight cards, the pause leaves prepaid hours unflown. Paying charter operators for the promised flying would have required over US$300m, some US$75m more than the cash the broker took in.