During the pandemic, travelers who didn’t want to catch COVID-19 were searching for better options. Travelers began flying private, and have ditched commercial airlines for good. The recent issues, such as the lack of staffing and available flights to key destinations, have kept those clients away from flying commercial.
Many CEOs and top executives decided that flying private was the best option to keep themselves and their families safe during the pandemic. However, the price for flying private may be increasing.
Why Choose To Fly Private?
According to a survey from Private Jet Card Comparisons, close to 94 percent of clients who have been flying private for the past two years plan to continue. They have been gotten accustomed to a new flying lifestyle and returning to commercial airlines is not an option.
The pandemic has made people apprehensive of being in large crowds and exposed to large groups of people. Spending long periods of time in close quarters, increases the chances of coming in contact with a variety of diseases. Flying private eliminates any anxiety that may come from being in large groups and increases the chances of people not getting sick.
“Users have seen firsthand how private aviation can save time, both at the airport and by using more convenient alternative airports,” Doug Gollan said in a statement.
As commercial flights are at designated times during the day, there are possibilities of arriving too early or too late to your destination. Flying private allows clients the option to arrive to locations at the exact times they need, which saves them the time they would spend waiting at an airport all day long.
Will These New Clients Fly Private at the End of the Pandemic?
While clients admit that they love flying private, respondents also indicated they might not be flying privately as frequently as they did before. According to the data of the survey, people who fly private regularly dropped from 57 percent in 2021 to 40 percent this year, and 6 percent of people claim they will stop flying private when the pandemic is over.
According to the data, there are still clients who will continue to fly private as often as they did before the pandemic, with 29 percent planning to fly even more in the future.
The Misfortune Of Flying Private
Although private aviation has an influx of customers, more than half of the current clients plan to switch to private jet companies. Respondents claim that the expense increase is making customers unhappy with flying private. Current companies also have been cutting down on their staff, which has a direct impact on the type of service clients have grown accustomed to.
The average deposit for members who purchased jet cards has all increased from $213,253 in 2021 to $289,398 in 2022, an increase of over $70,000 in a year. With that type of increase, customers are beginning to think twice before spending that amount of money.
Nearly 33 percent of the people who answered the survey are beginning to have issues with flight delays, changes and cancellations, which is why they are looking to become members of new jet companies.
With the demand just as high as commercial flying, those clients now have the same problems that regular airlines currently have. There’s also less perks than there was before, due to the high demand for private aviation. The private aviation industry could suffer a loss over time.
While the industry may be facing some issues, if a private airline company can maintain their first-class service and amenities, then it will continue to be successful throughout the industry’s highs and lows.
