Home BELGIAN ENTREPRENEUR PAYS IN BITCOINS FOR PRIVATE JET FLIGHT Monaco-based Olivier Janssens is ‘world’s first’ bitcoin private jet customer to go public, after booking a jet with PrivateFly Following the recent announcement by PrivateFly that it now accepts payment in bitcoin via BitPay, one of the clients of the private jet booking service, Olivier Janssens, has revealed details of his first bitcoin-powered flight.The Belgian tech entrepreneur and bitcoin millionaire flew on the evening of 27th January 2014, from Brussels to Nice Cote D'Azur.Monaco-based Mr Janssens, an existing client of PrivateFly, had booked and paid for the flight earlier the same day, using the digital currency.He comments: "My various internet investments require me to travel extensively throughout Europe and I already used private jets as a business accelerator.“I became a client of PrivateFly in early 2013, when I was looking to find a more technology-focussed approach to private jet charter.

PrivateFly's service - giving price comparison via web and mobile platforms, alongside 24-hour phone support - suited my hectic business lifestyle.When they started to accept bitcoin, I was the first in line, having obtained all my bitcoins by mining in 2010."I am a firm supporter of bitcoin and the efficiency it offers compared to other currencies - as a payment method and an investment.The flight was the biggest bitcoin payment transaction I have made, but it was very easy and efficient, particularly as I wanted to fly at very short notice.It was the perfect way to pay.I'm working on several bitcoin business projects and very excited about its future potential."PrivateFly CEO Adam Twidell added: "PrivateFly now accepts bitcoin amongst our other payment methods and Mr Janssens is one of the world's first private jet customers to pay this way - certainly the first to go public.While client confidentiality is absolute at PrivateFly, Olivier Janssens was happy to reveal his first bitcoin flight, as a firm supporter of the currency.

“We had been closely following bitcoin for some time and in 2013, started to receive requests from clients to accept it.bitcoin elitePrivateFly's aim is to make choosing and buying private jet charter as fast, efficient and cost-effective as possible, using technology.ep2c5t144 bitcoinSo after considerable research, we came to the conclusion that it was a logical addition to our payment options.bitcoin elfogadóhelyek"Mr Janssens flight was booked on the same day as departure, which is not at all unusual for us - and across our industry.bitcoin fpga spartan-3With bitcoin payment being fast, flexible and not subject to banking hours, it's a good fit."bitcoin george soros

About PrivateFly: PrivateFly is a fast-growing, disruptive business model in the traditional private jet broking sector, comparing live pricing and availability for over 7,000 accredited private aircraft worldwide.bitcoin furnitureIt combines award-winning technology with a 24/7 team of passionate aviation experts.PrivateFly is a FT1000 business, an official list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, across all industries.It is also ranked in both The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and SME Export Track 100.In 2016 it became an Argus Certified Broker, the first company in the UK and only the second in Europe to receive this best practice and safety accreditation.For further information, interviews or imagery, please contact: PR Agency: Katrina Suppiah Publicité Ltd T: 020 8543 6582 E: k.suppiah@publicite.co.uk In-house PR contact: Viv Diprose T: 020 7100 6960 Recently I’ve been asked to speak about about PrivateFly’s decision to accept payment for flights in Bitcoin.

We were featured on a Channel 4 news feature in September, which looked at the increasing popularity of the cryptocurrency.I was also invited to present at at Retail Week’s Technology and Ecommerce Summit 2014.As an online retailer I spoke about why we decided to accept Bitcoin at PrivateFly; the process of evaluation we went through; what it brings to our business – plus my view on the future for Bitcoin in wider retail.The cryptocurrency has been a big talking point for months (and much of that has been around security concerns).But the debate now seems to be a little more forward-thinking: Looking at how Bitcoin fits in today’s global financial structure – and discussing its future potential.(Most often I am asked to explain how Bitcoin works of course – but to avoid my attempt at an explanation, you might want to view this video, which gives a quick summary).So why did we decide to accept Bitcoin?PrivateFly’s aim is to make choosing and buying private jet charter as fast, efficient and cost-effective as possible, using technology.

So after customer feedback asking us to consider accepting it, we researched the risks and costs and decided to offer the facility.So far it’s still a niche payment method for us but as the first global private jet company to accept Bitcoin, it has helped to raise our profile, especially amongst technology entrepreneurs.We weighed up the risks – including exchange rate volatility and money laundering – against the benefits.And concluded that the flexibility, speed and low cost of Bitcoin payment processing made it worth offering.The private jet market is all about fast turnaround and processing bank transfers or clearing credit card payments at short notice can slow things down.With Bitcoin we can easily make a £20,000 payment at midnight when the banks are shut.So far there has been a modest demand and, using BitPay to process the transaction, we convert the payment instantly to sterling or dollars to minimise the risks.This is the approach taken by almost all the 63,000+ global retailers who already accept Bitcoin (including Expedia, who recently announced a US trial for its hotel bookings).