Harrison Epstein on Building the First Members Club in the Sky

Emerging Voices // How Revaire’s Harrison Epstein is reimagining private flight as a shared experience

Every week, Emerging Voices spotlights a founder, creative, or strategist who’s quietly — or boldly — shaping what luxury becomes next. These are the conversations that decode the undercurrents: what’s changing, why it matters, and how to act on it.

What if private jets felt less like status and more like connection?

That’s the question driving Revaire, the members-only aviation club founded by Harrison Epstein and Luke McNees. Blending ride-share logic with a deep reverence for time, Revaire uses AI to match members on shared charters and empty-leg flights, creating an experience that’s built around access, efficiency, and ease. Behind the scenes is a compliance-first tech infrastructure; at the surface, an invitation to rethink how we move and who we meet along the way.

Harrison launched Revaire after years of flying for work, logging over a hundred flights annually. Despite all the perks of commercial status, he felt the grind of modern air travel eroding life’s most precious luxury: time. From that insight came a bigger idea: that private aviation could be made smarter, greener, and more communal. Revaire’s model not only reduces waste by filling underused legs; it reframes private air travel as a space for unexpected encounters and shared purpose.

We spoke with Harrison about the spark that started it all, and why the next evolution of luxury won’t be about ownership, but access, alignment, and belonging.

Luke McNees and Harrison Epstein

What first inspired you to rethink how people move through the air?

“I used to fly about a hundred times a year for work. I was Diamond on Delta, TSA PreCheck, Clear, lounge access… all the perks. But anyone who’s done that kind of travel knows that nothing compares to the simplicity of flying private.

The idea for Revaire actually hit me on a tarmac in Belize. I was coming home from vacation with a brutal travel schedule, sitting in the airport for hours, connecting flights, and as I walked out to the plane, there was a Gulfstream sitting on the runway waiting for its passengers. I remember thinking, “I would pay $5,000 right now to hop on that flight if it were going back to New York.”

That was the spark. Why doesn’t something exist that knows where I’m going, without me searching, and connects that to where private jets are already headed? That was the genesis of Revaire: an AI-driven platform that bridges those two worlds automatically, and with a sense of community layered in. We iterated from there, but it all started with that realization on the tarmac — that private aviation could be accessible, efficient, and intelligent.”

Private jets often symbolize excess, but your model reframes them around efficiency and shared experience. How do you walk that line between luxury and responsibility?

“While private aviation is often seen as excess, we see it differently. The greatest luxury isn’t champagne at altitude, it’s time. It’s the one asset you can’t buy, yet flying private lets you get some of it back. Revaire gives our members greater access, helping people reclaim hours, even days, to spend with family, pursue work that matters, or simply breathe a little easier.

We also know the future of this industry must be responsible. Sustainable aviation fuels are the path forward, but they’re still costly. By improving utilization, filling empty legs, and reducing waste, we make private flight more efficient today while helping accelerate that greener tomorrow.

At its core, Revaire isn’t about indulgence; it’s about intention. True sophistication lies in how thoughtfully something is designed, and that includes how we move through the sky.”

Revaire brings together founders, artists, and athletes — people who usually move in very different circles. What do they seem to have in common once they’re in the same cabin?

“They share ambition, awareness, and respect. Most are either working or resting from altitude, and they instinctively understand that space. That’s why our membership is built entirely on nomination and pre-vetted communities.

There’s no need for pretense or hierarchy. Everyone’s time is valuable. Everyone understands the balance between privacy and connection. That’s the quiet social contract that makes Revaire work.”

You’ve mentioned that the most interesting moments often happen between the people on board. Have there been any memorable encounters or stories that capture what Revaire’s community is about?

“Two flights stand out because they really embody what we’re building.

The first was a post-conference flight we arranged for five attendees heading home from an event called Gametime that we partnered with. It wasn’t planned as a networking exercise, they simply all needed to get back to San Francisco. Not only did it cut their travel time in half, but afterward, they all remarked how valuable the shared experience had been. Even though they’d been at the same event for days, that one-hour flight fostered deeper relationships than any panel or reception had.

One of my favorite examples was a group we flew home from the PGA Tour Championship outside of Atlanta. They were still out on the 14th hole when our platform spotted an empty leg headed back to New York. Within minutes, they had confirmed and paid for their flight. They finished the tournament at their own pace, no mad dash to the airport, and boarded a seamless private flight home… some of them for the first time.”

Private aviation is a heavily regulated space. What has been the biggest challenge in translating a disruptive tech idea into a compliant, real-world model?

“We built Revaire from day one to be fully compliant with FAA and DOT regulations. It was challenging to do this right the first time, but every part of the platform, from the app interface to the flow of funds, was designed under the supervision of top-tier aviation counsel to align precisely with FAA and DOT rules.

Every flight is conducted by FAA-certified Part 135 operators, all of whom have been vetted by the Revaire team. Safety and compliance aren’t boxes we check; they’re foundational principles of how we operate.”

You’ve built an entire members’ club around mobility. How do you design belonging in a space that’s constantly in motion?

“Our members aren’t bound by geography, they’re connected by how they move, and what they’re building and accomplishing with their lives. Our long-term goal extends well beyond aviation: to create the ultimate global community of luxury travelers and redefine travel as something inherently communal, not solitary.

That could mean connecting members on flights today, and at destinations tomorrow. At events, villas, or curated gatherings around the world. Our technology is designed to keep expanding those touchpoints.

Unlike traditional clubs, we’re not about a building, a bar, or a pool. The club is the people, the mindset, the movement, and the shared pursuit of elevated experiences wherever they are in the world.”

Private flight can feel intimidating or even taboo to talk about. How do you make the Revaire conversation more approachable — something that feels fun and communal rather than exclusionary?

“We frame it around time, not status. Every member understands that what they’re really regaining is life’s most valuable asset – time.

We also operate with quiet discretion. Members agree to a strict code of conduct, which creates an environment where people can travel comfortably, knowing they’re surrounded by others who share the same respect for privacy and purpose.

It’s not about showmanship. It’s about efficiency, shared values, and mutual respect. Everyone on board values time, productivity, and connection, and that makes the experience feel communal, not exclusionary.”

Luxury is shifting — it feels less about possession and more about experience, ease, and connection. How do you see Revaire fitting into that evolution?

“Luxury used to be about ownership. Now it’s about access, ease, and identity through experiences and who you share those experiences with.

Revaire fits squarely in that evolution. We give members access to extraordinary moments that are curated, frictionless, and connected. As Millennials and Gen Z enter their prime earning years and inherit an unprecedented transfer of wealth, their preferences are unmistakable: they value time, experience, and connection far more than accumulation.

Revaire sits right at that intersection. A product that embodies experience and community, while restoring the one thing money can’t usually buy: time.”

What kind of feeling do you hope Revaire evokes a few years from now — not just as a way to fly, but as a community?

“Ease.

We’ve intentionally invested in an incredibly complex backend so that our members experience the opposite – simplicity. A frictionless experience with no searching, no bidding, no haggling, no guesswork. Transparent pricing, instant notification, seamless coordination.

We want Revaire to evoke that feeling of everything just working – that the technology, compliance, and logistics all disappear behind the experience. When members think of Revaire, I want them to feel that their movement through the world has become frictionless, connected, and inevitable.”

So What?

Revaire reimagines private aviation as a platform for connection, time, and thoughtful design. In a sector long defined by scarcity and separation, Harrison Epstein is offering something counterintuitive: fluidity, connection, and ease. The story of Revaire reflects a broader evolution within the luxury landscape.

1. Luxury is shifting from what you own to how you move

For decades, private aviation stood as the ultimate symbol of possession. Revaire reframes it around access and optimization. Like a ride-share for the sky, the model connects unused flight capacity with real-time demand. At the same time, it humanizes the journey, linking a curated network of travelers who value time over status.

2. Community is the new currency of exclusivity

While traditional private clubs are anchored in place, Revaire builds belonging in motion. Its members: founders, artists, and athletes, aren’t defined by geography, but by pace, purpose, and mutual values. Each shared flight becomes a moment of proximity where conversations and relationships can form organically. At a time of digital overload, that kind of intentional in-person connection has never felt more relevant.

3. Sustainability begins with smarter systems

Private aviation and sustainability may never fully align, but innovation can still move the needle. Revaire approaches the issue through efficiency: by reducing empty legs and optimizing shared routes, it makes better use of existing resources while paving the way for cleaner technologies ahead. The progress may be gradual, but it signals a more conscious way forward for an industry often criticized for excess.

As Harrison puts it, “It’s not about indulgence — it’s about intention.” And that mindset may define where the meaning of luxury is headed next.

See you next week for another edition of Emerging Voices, and another perspective shaping what luxury becomes next!

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Carlota Rodben is CEO and Founder of Beyond Luxury Group and host of the Beyond Luxury Podcast, ranked among the top #2 globally in its category. A best-selling author, she has written Beauty As It Is and Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion, two acclaimed books exploring the future of beauty and luxury. Formerly at CHANEL, she founded the Open Innovation Team in Europe and later led New Concepts for the Global Open Innovation Team. Carlota lectures at institutions including NYU, Glion, ESADE, IE, and Regent’s University London, is an advisor to leading global brands and thought-leader on innovation, brand, and purpose-driven strategy in the luxury industry.

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