The parent company of private jet travel provider Sentient Jet has purchased Scottsdale, Ariz.-based charter and aircraft management firm Southwest Jet Aviation for an undisclosed sum. According to a press release, Mass.-based Sentient Jet Holdings first became interested in Southwest Jet Aviation when it witnessed its competent handling of the heavy private jet traffic that descended on Phoenix during this year’s Super Bowl.

Sentient has been aggressively expanding its operations over the last several years. In January it bought Van Nuys, Calif.-based the Air Group, giving it a presence at one of the West Coast’s busiest civil aviation fields, as well as the aircraft management company TAG Aviation USA. Sentient followed this up in February with the launch of its online jet charter booking service PrivateJets.com. In 2007, the company merged with JetDirect Aviation, creating a charter card service that for the first time posed a threat to the big players in the fractional market.

Sentient’s purchase of Southwest Jet Aviation gives the charter card provider a presence in the frequently traveled Arizona area. Additionally, the introduction of Southwest Jet Aviation’s 14 planes to Sentient’s fleet, provides greater flexibility to both its charter card members and to its fledgling internet charter booking service, which is attempting to see off a strong challenge from Virgin Charter.