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The company was founded in 2013 by Kenny Dichter. The company announced its management team in August 2013. It confirmed a Beechcraft turboprop order for 105 King Air 350i aircraft in a transaction valued at US$1.4 billion, including maintenance. The company focuses on non-hub markets that commercial airlines service less effectively. Wheels Up's marketing strategy involves entertainment at major sports and cultural events for their VIP members throughout the year.
By 2014, the company had more than 1,000 members and had taken possession of 27 new King Airs and 10 fully refurbished Cessna Citation jets. After five years in business as a United States-only membership, the company had sold 5,379 individual and 379 corporate memberships and owned 72 King Airs and 20 Citations. In 2017, Wheels Up flew 59,960 hours and covered close to 15 million mi (24 million km). Wheels Up also flies Beechcraft King Air 350i, which has good short field performance, cargo capacity and seats nine passengers.
Wheels Up was a sponsor of American Pharoah at the 2015 Belmont Stakes, when the Thoroughbred won the racing Triple Crown, and signed with the Miami Marlins as the team's Official Private Aviation Partner in 2018. The company has also been involved in philanthropic activities for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when it took delivery of a pink King Air 350i, and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In February 2018, Wheels Up announced a new flight sharing membership called Wheels Up Connect. Connect members can access members' only community boards to share flights with full program members. The goal is to democratize private flying by making it more affordable. In June 2019, Wheels Up announced it had acquired Travel Management Company, referred to as TMC Jets, a charter operator with 24 light jets.
In September 2019, Wheels Up announced it had purchased Avianis, a B2B platform that streamlines communications between operators and brokers. On March 2, 2020, Wheels Up announced it had acquired Gama Aviation Signature, the largest Part 135 charter operators in the U.S. In April 2020, Wheels Up launched the "Meals Up" initiative with Russell Wilson and non-profit Feeding America to provide meals for those impacted by food insecurity. To date, Meals Up has donated over 80 Million meals to Feeding America.
Following its acquisitions of Delta Private Jets, Travel Management Company, Gama Aviation Signature, Mountain Aviation, and additional regional providers, Wheels Up Group is now the second-largest private aircraft operator in the U.S. behind NetJets.
In January 2022, Wheels Up announced it had reached an agreement to acquire Air Partner PLC (LSE: AIR), a U.K.-based global aviation services group with operations in 18 locations and across four continents.
In November 2022, Wheels Up partnered with AirMed International as their aviation partner to bring medical services to Wheels Up members.
In October 2023, Wheels Up's private aircraft management division was acquired by Airshare, an aircraft provider based in Kansas. Airshare acquired 90 airplanes and 300 employees. At that time Wheels Up still had 215 aircraft.
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In November 2024, Wheels Up announced the successful closure of a $332 million revolving equipment notes facility with Bank of America. This financial move facilitated the acquisition of GrandView Aviation's fleet, which includes 17 Embraer Phenom 300 and 300E aircraft. Alongside the aircraft, the deal encompassed associated maintenance assets and customer programs, marking a significant expansion of Wheels Up’s operational capabilities and service offerings.
From Wikipedia’s article on Wheels Up, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6