Texas Tech launches private jet travel platform for donors and athletes

By AI, Created 9:52 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club has partnered with Game Day Private Jets to roll out REVUP, a private travel and revenue platform aimed at boosting donor engagement, simplifying game day trips and creating new money for student-athletes. The program makes Texas Tech the first school to use the platform, which blends premium travel with NIL-linked revenue opportunities.

Why it matters: - Texas Tech is using premium travel as a new way to deepen donor ties and generate incremental revenue for athletics. - REVUP ties game day convenience to fundraising, which could give college programs another tool to support student-athletes in an NIL era. - Texas Tech becomes the first program to adopt Game Day Private Jets’ platform, making the school an early test case for the model.

What happened: - The Red Raider Club partnered with Game Day Private Jets to launch REVUP, a community-based travel and revenue platform. - The announcement was made May 4, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. - REVUP is designed for Texas Tech donors and alumni traveling to home and away games. - The platform offers shared and private charter options.

The details: - REVUP is intended to streamline game day travel while creating new, incremental revenue for Texas Tech student-athletes. - The platform connects donors and alumni through a structured private travel ecosystem. - Members can travel same-day to games and avoid multi-day trips. - Members can share private aircraft with other Red Raiders. - The platform is meant to maximize time on campus and reduce travel friction. - REVUP creates revenue through memberships, charter activity and premium experiences such as by-the-seat Game Day Shuttles. - Texas Tech will integrate student-athletes as ambassadors to support NIL initiatives. - Andrea Tirey, senior associate athletics director for development, said the new opportunity enhances the game day experience while strengthening engagement and support for student-athletes. - Luis Garcia, founder and CEO of Game Day Private Jets, said REVUP captures new and existing demand for game day travel and turns it into recurring revenue for athletic program partners. - Texas Tech’s athletics department has 17 intercollegiate programs in the Big 12 Conference. - Texas Tech has more than 40,000 students and is based in Lubbock. - Texas Tech reports 43 all-time bowl appearances, four recent trips to the Men’s College World Series, a runner-up finish in men’s basketball in 2019, a runner-up finish in softball in 2025, and national championships in women’s basketball and men’s track and field. - Texas Tech says more information is available at its Game Day Private Jets site. - The company also provided social links for LinkedIn and Instagram.

Between the lines: - The partnership reflects a broader push in college athletics to package premium experiences with donor engagement and NIL-adjacent revenue. - By using travel as both a convenience and a fundraising channel, Texas Tech is testing whether fan access can be converted into recurring, program-linked income. - The first-school launch suggests Game Day Private Jets is positioning REVUP as a category, not just a single-school service.

What’s next: - Texas Tech and Game Day Private Jets will roll out the REVUP experience to donors and alumni. - The long-term outcome will depend on whether members adopt the charter model and whether the platform produces meaningful recurring revenue. - If the program scales, other schools could follow Texas Tech’s lead with similar travel-based engagement models.