OUR STORY
WELCOME TO JOURNEYS COLLECTION
- BY FLITESTAR
A WARM
WELCOME
Ever since we can remember we’ve loved travel. Neil, in his own words, is a plane nerd. From Air Fix models on the ceiling of his child hood bedroom, and early memories of travelling by car from Mombasa to Cape Town to visit family, you could say that it is in our blood. Today he still gets very excited about travel, and he knows his Boeing 747’s from his King Air’s, and it is this overriding passion that has got Journeys Collection and Flitestar where it is today.
Put simply our Private Jet Journeys are some of most requested routings and packages for private jets, although, we are the first to acknowledge that private jets are sometimes a little heavy on the pocket. It is here, though, that our tailormade journeys come into their own. We are able to offer the same experiences and hotels, but with scheduled flights. For many years we cut our teeth and earned our industry stripes in Group Travel, and therefore our groups department are able to help with incentive travel, special interest groups, or even a large family looking to travel together.
KEEP
TRAVELLING ON
In 2020 the world changed, possibly forever. When the Covid-19 Armageddon hit, our travel and tourism industry, along with hospitality & restaurants virtually ceased to exist. Many of us have dedicated our lives to building our businesses & have welcomed travellers from around the world for many years. We support our families, our employees & our communities. We have faced challenges none of us every thought we would see in our lifetimes.
But our industry is a resilient one. We have faced terror attacks, financial crisis & epidemics before and we are still here and we will survive. Journeys Collection is a collaboration of passionate business owners, hoteliers, aviators, tour guides and restauranteurs. We have teamed up to create a range of experiences and holidays focused on re-opening our world while paying careful attention to your health & safety. From flying safe to stay safe.
Many thousands of people depend upon us for their livelihoods in all four corners of the globe & tens of thousands more along the supply chain. So, from around the world, thank you for putting your trust in us and thank you for travelling on.
THE BOSS
MEET OUR
FOUNDERS
NEIL BAINES
Neil has over 20 years experience in Aviation & Travel. Neil graduated from University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Adminstration with a specialization
in tourism.
After 4 years with Comair & British Airways in Ground Services & Public Relations, Neil became a partner in a leading Corporate Travel Agency. Neil later went on to establish his own tourism company working with a number of top international travel brands in publishing, destination management and retail travel before selling the business in 2010.
Neil retained ownership of his second company, a commercial air charter brokerage handling government, celebrities and high-net-worth individuals as well as operating events and group tours on behalf of DStv, Africa’s leading broadcaster.
Now based in the United Kingdom, Neil oversees all flights and tour operations under both the Flitestar and Journeys by Collection brands.
MARCO-DAVID SOARES
Marco was born in the former Portuguese colony of Angola. A former refugee from the Angolan conflict, Marco grew up in the former homeland of the Transkei where he attended the first multi-racial school in South Africa prior to 1994.
An accomplished sportsman, Marco obtained Provincial & National colours in gymnastics and show-jumping. Marco went on to study fine-art, fashion design and then qualified in the veterinary medicine field where he developed a
particular talent for reconstructive surgery.
Upon meeting Neil in 2009, Marco assisted with a number of tourism related projects before joining Neil full-time in their aviation business. Marco gained extensive experience during this time in Event Management & Co-Ordination personally handling a number of large charter and incentive groups during his time at Jet Express and DStv.
Marco is responsible for the guest experience collateral at Journeys Collection and Flitestar as well as the LGBTQ+ component of the Company.