In an era where social media can make or break businesses, one 24-year-old entrepreneur has soared to remarkable heights by turning private aviation into viral content. Kolin Jones, founder of California-based Amalfi Jets, has amassed 2.9 million TikTok followers and transformed his dorm room startup into a global aviation phenomenon.
The University Dorm That Launched an Aviation Empire
Jones founded Amalfi Jets in 2020 with nothing more than determination and a credit card. Starting with zero capital and no investors, the then-18-year-old launched the company from his dorm room at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He had recently earned his pilot's license at Van Nuys Airport and brought on his high school friend Calvin Yoon as business partner during the early growth phase.
Today, the company boasts 27 full-time employees and provides on-demand charter services through a network of 3,500 aircraft across 170 countries. Their clientele includes high-profile names like Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Dunne, yet the firm owns no aircraft itself.
TikTok Takes Flight: Behind the Scenes of Private Aviation
Much like the reality show Below Deck demystified super yachts, Jones uses TikTok to lift the curtain on private aviation. His content reveals the extraordinary demands of wealthy clients, from requests for cabins smelling of Dior Sauvage cologne to booking flights for puppets.
"The clients, the calls and stuff that you see on social media are maybe two percent of our business," Jones explains. "Ninety-eight percent of our business is a client calling me up and saying, 'Hi Kolin, I need a jet from New York to London.' 'Great — it's $150,000.' 'Great, I just sent you the money. Have a good day.' Super simple."
The company's viral content extends beyond client requests to include office dramas and creative stunts. In one popular clip with over 236,000 views, Jones boards an Amalfi jet and "races" it against an employee on a commercial Spirit Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Changing Perceptions and Capitalising on Commercial Airline Woes
Jones believes his social media presence has helped reshape public perception about private jet travel. "The world isn't full of horrible rich people," he notes. "For a lot of people, flying private isn't about luxury — it's about necessity."
He cites examples of business teams using private jets for efficiency, such as one client who needed to transport 12 people to five cities in a single day. "If they'd tried to do that commercially with 12 people, it would've been a multi-day trip," Jones explains.
The company has cleverly positioned itself as an alternative to commercial airline headaches. Jones reveals that whenever major carriers experience delays or cancellations, calls to Amalfi Jets surge. Their slogan, "If you're stuck at the gate and feeling blue, Amalfi Jets will rescue you," has become a calling card for frustrated travellers.
"We once had a client whose commercial flight was suddenly canceled," Jones shares. "They called us from the airport, and within 37 minutes they were in the air on one of our jets."
Jones attributes much of their growth to commercial airlines' shortcomings. "Airlines innovate with newer planes, but at the end of the day, the airport experience has not changed. Airports are still crowded, you still have traffic at them... flying private is light years different from flying commercially."
With his motto "better known beats best" guiding business decisions, Jones has proven that authenticity and social media savvy can disrupt even the most traditional industries. From zero capital to 2.9 million TikTok followers, Amalfi Jets continues to redefine private aviation for the digital age.
