Honey Jimenez Schmidt - the perfect CEO for Pet Jets with a wealth of knowledge in the private aviation industry and a love for pets. Not only is Honey the CEO of Pet Jets, but back in 2017 she started her own private jet consultation company – Made to Jetset, Inc. – which focuses on air charter of any kind – with or without pets. With experience ranging from founding companies within aviation to working as a flight attendant on a Gulfstream IV - Honey has the experience to help people with booking private jet charters and helping them effectively move their pets.
Honey currently has two rescue pups - Dotty and Pickles. She rescued Dotty on the side of the road close to Disneyland in California. She did not realize at first that she was not only rescuing Dotty, but all of her pups she was carrying as well! Honey cared for Dotty and her pups before she found loving homes for the babies. One of the pups, did not want to leave Dotty or Honey - Pickles - whose formal name is William. Pickles was way too attached to Honey to leave for a new home so he became a permanent family member. Honey understands Pet Jet's clients passion for their pets because she has the same deep love for her own.
Honey is not a broker who is just looking to work with as many people as possible while banging out quotes left and right. Instead, Honey likes to build lasting relationships and have clients return for several flights/trips throughout their lifetime. Even if someone only needs to fly with Pet Jets once for a move, we still want to build a lasting relationship with our client to show we value their family and their pet’s experience while traveling. Honey can advise clients based off of her many years of experience within the private aviation industry. Honey’s experience speaks for itself to highlight all of her knowledge within the industry:
Before starting her own company, Honey worked at Le Bas International as an air charter analyst and account executive. Honey managed jet programs for American Express Travel, Boeing, Textron, and NIKE Travel. At Les Bas International is where Honey first connected with the founder of Pet Jets, Brian Fiske. Brian saw Honey’s passion for the private aviation industry and had her join him as he grew Pet Jets.
Before connecting with Brian and working as an air charter analyst – Honey was involved in the private aviation industry through the music industry and through being a flight attendant. Honey started her journey in cargo transportation by working in the music touring industry. She worked with headlining acts including Prince, Metallica, Jay-Z, Eagles, Beyonce, and for Broadway shows. Honey also worked as a flight attendant on GIV where she traveled all around the world.
Honey was a founding partner of two, very successful cargo companies - Air Cargo Entertainment Services (ACES) and Shockwave Cargo. Honey also traveled around the world with the acts they were transporting cargo for.
It is rare that someone has worked within so many different roles in an industry, but Honey has extensive background in various areas of aviation. Not only does she have lengthy experience with private charter sales, but she also has extensive knowledge about transporting cargo and providing excellent service on a private jet with details such as catering and jet side transportation services.
With extensive experience and knowledge within the aviation industry, Honey is able to think outside the box to provide solutions to members that are beyond the typical. We always state that Pet Jets and Made to Jetset are “solution based companies” which reflects that Honey is not a broker, but instead is a consultant who can not only present various options to help people get their families and pets where they need to go. For example, we had a member who wanted to share a private jet in August to get their pup to California – but they decided without someone to share the cost of the flight with that VIP ground transportation would be a better option. Honey found them a great option that quickly and cost effectively got their pup across the country where they all needed to be.
With so many flight experiences under her belt, Honey knows what the best practices are when booking private jet charters. Many people get stuck on only looking at the cost of an option for travel, but Honey always considers safety, stability, and the overall experience for the people and pets. Pet Jets carefully plans out manifests for our flights so that we are giving air carriers a good product. This ensures that private jet travel will continue to be an option for pet owners for years to come.
Before entering the aviation industry, Honey pursued legal studies at Chapman University where she was a three sport athlete - competing in water polo, swimming, and crew.
Honey prides herself in being readily available to her clients, but when she does take a break from work she enjoys traveling with her own family to the mountains for some time in the snow, or to the desert for some star gazing. Her and her family also enjoy spending time at the beach. Honey also loves going to concerts and just spending time with her friends and family. Just like our clients - Honey loves traveling with her two fur babies - below shows Pickles and Dotty enjoying a snowy getaway to the mountains!
