Why AI Agents Can't Book Private Jets (Until Now)
Try asking ChatGPT to book you a private jet from New York to Miami. Or ask Claude to find available Gulfstream G650s for next Tuesday. What you'll get is generic information, rough price ranges from outdated sources, and a suggestion to "contact a charter broker."
This isn't the AI's fault. It's the industry's fault.
The Structured Data Problem
Private aviation operates in a world of proprietary databases, broker relationships, and phone calls. Aircraft availability changes by the hour. Pricing depends on positioning, fuel costs, crew scheduling, and dozens of other variables. None of this data exists in a format that AI agents can consume.
Compare this to commercial aviation, where sites like Google Flights aggregate real-time data from hundreds of airlines through GDS systems and direct API connections. Private aviation has nothing equivalent.
What Agents Actually Need
We talked to dozens of AI developers building travel agents. Their requirements are surprisingly simple:
- A search endpoint that accepts natural language ("4 passengers, NYC to Aspen, flexible on dates")
- Structured responses with aircraft specs, photos, pricing, and availability
- The ability to hold and confirm bookings programmatically
- Commission tracking for agent referrals
VOLO's Approach
We built VOLO to be agent-native from day one. Our platform aggregates real-time data from 500+ aircraft and exposes it through four integration paths: REST, GraphQL, OpenAI Plugin, and MCP Server.
An agent can go from "find me a jet" to a confirmed booking in a single API conversation — with real pricing, real availability, and real aircraft.
The Human Safety Net
But we also know that booking a $50,000 flight through an API requires trust. That's why every booking made through VOLO — whether by a human or an agent — is backed by our operations team of 100+ specialists. They verify every detail, manage contracts, and ensure the luxury experience is flawless.
AI handles the speed. Humans handle the trust.