semi-private-aviation
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Ben Klein
Ben Klein is the CEO of Aero, the by-the-seat semi-private jet airline founded by Uber co-founder Garrett Camp and based at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. A licensed pilot since high school and a former aviation litigator, Klein is unusual among airline chief executives: he not only runs the company but also flies its Embraer 135s and Legacy 600s as a certified first officer. He joined Aero as General Counsel in 2021, became President, and stepped up to CEO in September 2023, steering the carrier's consolidation around Los Angeles and its position in the gap between commercial first class and full private charter. He also teaches aviation law as an adjunct professor at San Jose State University.
Aero
Aero is a Los Angeles-based semi-private airline that sells individual seats on custom-configured business jets, slotting itself between full private charter and commercial first class. Founded in 2019 out of Garrett Camp's Expa studio, it flies all-black Embraer ERJ-135 jets reconfigured to 16 leather seats from private terminals on routes like Los Angeles to Aspen, Los Cabos, Napa and Maui, letting guests arrive about 20 minutes before departure for fares roughly comparable to premium commercial cabins.