ONEflight International faces a fifth customer lawsuit after an October 9 filing alleged that the private-jet broker collected at least $550,000 from a customer before pausing flights. The growing litigation highlights the financial exposure of travelers and businesses that pay large sums upfront for future charter trips.
Robert K. Hillin Jr.’s complaint, filed in federal court in Colorado, names ONEflight, founder and Chief Executive Ferren Rajput, and sales executive Mark Dismuke. Hillin alleges that he made three substantial payments between January and July 2026 after receiving assurances about the company’s financial condition.
He says he took four trips and seeks recovery of his unused deposit balance, along with other damages. The $550,000 represents deposits paid, not a verified calculation of his remaining loss.
The Englewood, Colorado-based broker announced a pause in flight activity in mid-September, describing it as lasting 30 days or until further notice while it evaluated its operations. That wording did not guarantee a restart after 30 days.
Five customer cases are now documented in the U.S. District Court for Colorado. They include complaints from Hillin, Jeremy Ricks, Five-Star Audiovisual, Kamran and Sharri Jinnah, and Davin Pokoik. Pokoik’s case was filed October 5.
The cases contain allegations of fraud, contract breaches and misuse of customer funds. Those allegations have not been established by the filings themselves, and the amounts customers demand are not court-awarded recoveries.
ONEflight’s business model helps explain the stakes. It sells prepaid access to private flights and arranges trips through third-party aircraft operators. Customers draw down their balances as they travel, while the broker pays operators to provide the aircraft and service.
That creates a period during which the customer has paid but the flight has not been delivered. The financial protection attached to that money therefore matters alongside aircraft availability and hourly rates.
Rajput previously told Private Jet Card Comparisons that ONEflight did not hold customer funds in escrow, according to AeroTime’s reporting. An escrow arrangement would have different protections depending on its terms; a prepaid account balance alone does not establish that money is separately protected.
Ricks’ September 20 complaint says he deposited approximately $780,000 between May 2025 and June 2026. It alleges an unused cash balance of $580,461.42 after air-travel expenditures.
He accuses the defendants of using new deposits to cover obligations to earlier customers and vendors and to support marketing and sports sponsorships. The complaint also alleges that sales representatives repeatedly reassured him about ONEflight’s solvency.
Five-Star Audiovisual, based in Naperville, Illinois, seeks at least $223,078.58 in damages tied to its prepaid balance, plus additional losses. Its September 22 complaint says it had two fully paid flights scheduled and was solicited for another $250,000 shortly before operations stopped.
The Jinnahs’ September 25 complaint says they transferred $745,000 in three payments during the first half of 2026. Their claimed account value includes promotional flight credits, making it important to distinguish cash deposited from credits awarded.
An estimated $150 million in customer deposits or prepaid flying potentially at risk appears in complaints and industry reporting. It is not an independently audited loss total or a company-confirmed amount owed.
ONEflight’s earlier financial claims also require context. It reported $232 million in 2025 revenue, according to aviation reporting, but revenue does not show how much cash remains available to honor prepaid commitments. Its August announcement of a 35% flight surcharge was withdrawn hours later.
Bloomberg reported October 9 that calls to the company went unanswered and Rajput did not respond to its request for comment. Private Jet Card Comparisons likewise reported no response from Rajput’s attorney or Dismuke for its coverage of the latest suit.
Competitors are offering replacement travel arrangements, but those offers do not return money held by ONEflight.
FlyUSA’s program offers qualifying customers flight credits equal to 20% of eligible spending, subject to approval and an aggregate $100 million program limit. A customer with a verified $100,000 stranded balance would need $500,000 in qualifying spending to earn $100,000 in credits.
Those credits are not cash refunds, and FlyUSA does not assume the previous provider’s debt. Program terms also impose eligibility and usage conditions.
Amalfi Jets is offering eligible ONEflight and BAJit members free enrollment and a waiver of its usual $100,000 deposit through October 15. Its terms explicitly say the offer creates a new relationship rather than transferring or reimbursing an existing balance.
For affected customers, the immediate questions remain whether ONEflight will resume arranging flights and what funds are available to satisfy repayment claims. The lawsuits seek answers through financial records, accountings and damages; the competing offers address future travel, not those unresolved liabilities.
JBizNews Desk | Denver
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