Interview with Richard Pryor, CEO & Founder of Private Flight

Behind every seamless inflight dining experience lies a world of hidden complexity. For more than twenty years, Richard Pryor has been at the heart of that world, working with royalty, government officials, global operators, and flight crews who bear a relentless responsibility: nothing can ever fall short.

He witnessed an industry filled with passion and service excellence yet constrained by inefficient processes, unpredictable costs, and a lack of transparency. That frustration became a spark. That spark became a vision. And that vision became Private Flight.

Today, Private Flight's Catering Management Platform is transforming how private aviation teams connect, communicate, and deliver in-flight catering services through technology, improving time management, organization, and the financial aspects of catering.

This is the story of a company reshaping an entire category and of a founder who believes the highest form of service is powered by systems that protect excellence.

You’ve spent years in the private aviation industry. What moment or pain point made you realize the industry needed a smarter, more connected way to manage inflight catering? 

Richard: It’s been more than 25 years, actually. Operating wide-body aircraft for a prominent member of the Saudi Royal family, I saw firsthand a level of inefficiency and pricing behaviour that simply had no place in an industry of this calibre. Too often, invoices were inflated, layered with unnecessary third-party fees, and lacked any meaningful connection to the value delivered to us, or actually any end-customer. And this wasn’t an exception - it was a pattern. 

It became clear to me that inflight catering needed a smarter, more transparent, and better-connected model. One that removed ambiguity, protected operators from unjustified costs, and upheld the standards of professionalism and integrity that private aviation should demand every single day. 

That led to Private Flight. We set out to build a system that elevates the entire process, bringing visibility, fairness, and structure to a part of the operation that had been underserved for far too long. And that mission still drives us today.

“In reality, the only way to deliver ‘bespoke’ reliably is through strong systems that ensure the accuracy of orders, transparent pricing, consistent communication, and the ability to anticipate the customer’s needs, not just react to them.”

People outside the industry often underestimate how complex private jet inflight catering is. What are the unseen challenges operators and crew face behind every order, and how does Private Flight's Catering Management Platform simplify them? 

Richard: People, outside and inside our industry, often assume that a meal on a private jet is simple, but behind it sits a remarkably complex web of expectations, logistics, and human dynamics. Private aviation is fundamentally a private service environment, and not everyone’s professional background or mindset is suited to that. The standard is absolute: every detail must be correct. The fear of disappointing passengers or owners can, unfortunately, push decision-making in the wrong direction, leading to inefficiencies, unnecessary costs, and avoidable stress. 

For too long, our industry has relied on manual communication, fragmented processes, and a lack of price transparency. That environment places enormous pressure on operators and crew and leaves far too much room for error. 

That’s precisely why we built Private Flight’s Catering Management Platform. Our goal has always been to bring structure, clarity, and intelligence to a part of the industry that historically operated on improvisation and goodwill. By connecting operators, crew, and caterers through a single workflow, we remove ambiguity and create predictability. Communication is standardised, pricing and timing are transparent, and every party has visibility and control. 

The outcome is a calmer, more professional operating environment that protects both the operator’s integrity and the passenger experience, which is, ultimately, what private aviation is all about.

Private aviation demands absolute service excellence, and the future is technology-driven. How do you balance digital efficiency with the expectations of customers, operators, and crew?

Richard: Private aviation, and private service more broadly, is built on the concept, or more accurately the feeling, of bespoke service. Yet the highest standards of service come from disciplined, technology-enabled systems and well-designed processes that allow service teams to focus on ‘customer touch points’ that genuinely feel bespoke to the passenger. 

Our platform is designed to deliver a service that feels personalised, but is powered by repeatable systems and processes, so operators and crew are not relying on last-minute changes and phone calls or improvising under pressure. This is how mistakes happen. 

I like to us this comparative: “Pilots don’t say, “Let’s try something new today.” Instead, they follow processes, SOPs, and checklists because structure keeps passengers safe. Checklists, for example, prevent human error, standardise complex tasks, eliminate improvisation, especially when under stress, enable teams to cross-check, and ultimately support predictability. Pilots then bring judgment, communication, and experience.  Private Flight operates the same way. 

We also know most successful industries have already proven this model, like Luxury hotels who use sophisticated back-of-house systems to ensure guests experience have a seamless, “customised” stay. Guests feel personally cared for, but behind the scenes, data and automation ensure consistency. Even high-end automotive brands deliver bespoke options, but manufacturing is driven by robotics, quality controls, and automation to guarantee reliability at a premium level. 

In private aviation, the mistake is believing that “bespoke” customer service means “manual” or “start from zero every time.” In reality, the only way to deliver ‘bespoke’ reliably is through strong systems that ensure the accuracy of orders, transparent pricing, consistent communication, and the ability to anticipate the customer’s needs, not just react to them. 

At the end of the day, technology efficiencies amplify service opportunities - it doesn’t replace them.

“Ultimately, trust is built when all parties feel the system works for them, and that has been the guiding principle behind the platform and service we’ve built.”

The Private Flight Platform connects caterers, operators, and crew. What has been the most important lesson in building trust and transparency among them? 

Richard: Building trust and transparency between caterers, operators, and their crew has always been about neutrality and value creation. One of the main reasons we’ve earned that trust is that Private Flight is both customer and caterer-agnostic. Our bias is toward efficiency, clarity, service, and fairness. 

People in most industries understand the future is platform-driven and that collaboration, not control, creates lasting value. Our platform makes lives easier by simplifying order management and bringing structure to what can be a very fragmented and opaque process. 

We’ve also disintermediated unnecessary third parties, enabling caterers and operators to work together more directly and bring cost-efficiently and better communications to both sides. For caterers, that meant more predictable cash flows and better cost control for customers. 

Ultimately, trust is built when all parties feel the system works for them, and that has been the guiding principle behind the platform and service we’ve built.

As private aviation continues to evolve, where do you see the biggest opportunities for innovation, especially in service delivery? 

Richard: Private Flight provides catering procurement and logistical support for private jet operators: Royal, Government, Management, Charter, and Cargo, across 176 countries. Our mission is to help customers achieve internal efficiencies, improve profitability, and deliver exceptional passenger experiences. And the way we achieve that is through a platform model. 

I strongly believe Platforms fundamentally change how innovation reaches customers. For example, instead of building isolated tools for isolated problems, a true platform creates one intelligent environment where operator management, crew, and caterers all work from a single, secure source of truth. When you have unified secure data, intelligent workflows, and clear standards, you see patterns more clearly and can introduce new features and improvements once, and everyone benefits immediately, without the delays, inconsistencies, disruption, or costs that come with bespoke one-off solutions. 

For me, this is where the future of service delivery sits. Technology should take care of the operational challenges so operator personnel and caterers can focus on what truly matters, fantastic ‘moments of truth’ for their customers. 

In my view, the evolution of private aviation will be led by platforms that provide structure and intelligence, enabling people to deliver a more consistent, personalised, and reliable inflight experience. That combination of high yet authentic service supported by intelligent technology-led systems and processes is where the biggest step-change will happen.

“Technology should take care of the operational challenges so operator personnel and caterers can focus on what truly matters, fantastic ‘moments of truth’ for their customers.”

Technology is central to Private Flight, but people remain at its heart. What values guide your team and partnerships to ensure technology enhances, rather than replaces, the human touch in private aviation?

Richard: Technology is central to Private Flight, but people remain at the heart of everything we do and they should also remain at the heart of how our customers serve their passengers. My background in psychology, business, and hospitality has taught me that service quality ultimately comes down to human behaviour, trust, and authentic connection. Technology can support that, but it should never replace it.

Our values haven’t changed since the company’s inception; they centre on a pioneering spirit, unity, responsibility, excellence, simplicity, and integrity. These values guide how we build our team, how we design our technology, and how we form partnerships -whether with operators or catering providers.

In practice, that means our systems take care of complexity so that people can focus on the personal touches that make service feel truly bespoke.

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Private aviation continues to evolve faster and more globally than ever before. But excellence in this industry has always relied on one thing: trust. Trust that every detail will be right. Trust that technology will support people, not replace them. Richard Pryor’s story is a reminder that innovation is not about disruption for its own sake; it’s about building intelligent systems that empower operators, caterers, and crew to deliver their very best. And that is exactly what Private Flight stands for.