@Miscellaneous, they're not selling flights - they're putting people with compatible requirements in touch with each other and taking a commission on that process. This is a common enough business model and is not aviation-specific.
You may feel that this is not an appropriate state of affairs and that they ought to be viewed by the appropriate authorities as selling flights and either regulated as such or prohibited from trading. You're entitled to that view.
At the moment though, what you would like to be the case is not the case. The CAA have even gone as far as to say they have no problem with this particular company.
The rules allow a PPL to cost share.
The rules allow a PPL to carry passengers and give them the discretion to choose for themselves who those passengers might be.
I don't believe either of those rules should change.
Is there any evidence to suggest that PPLs are making poor go/no-go decisions because of newly-found pressures resulting from flying with relative strangers, or that they are planning and flying trips beyond their abilities? Have there been any accidents or incidents?
Whenever anyone posts a link to an advertised flight with the clear implication that they think it's a bad idea, I always wonder what in particular they're objecting to. The cost is usually quickly established as reasonable enough with reference to typical aircraft hire rates.
So then I wonder if it's the trip itself.... are they saying a <100hr PPL (or whatever) should not attempt to fly to Jersey (or wherever)? I certainly crossed the channel with well under 100hrs, several times. The forumite posting the link almost certainly does not know the pilot concerned, so what position are they in to comment on whether someone should make a particular trip or not?
Even before the Wingly debate emerged I always felt there was a significant feeling among the more established pilot population that new PPLs should serve a significant apprenticeship flying club PA28s on <1hr burger runs to well-known airfields and rack up a few hundred hours of this before attempting anything more interesting.
As soon as I had 45hrs and a licence I bought a share (TB10), did the IMCr and started venturing further afield including across the channel. My choices did attract comment from instructors and established PPLs at my home base, and I feel that part of the sentiment in this debate is much the same thing.
I've never used Wingly and have no plans to.
N264DB is irrelevant to the Wingly debate.
Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.