Flying privately means users can schedule flights when they want to go and arrive 15 to 20 minutes before departure
Though celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Drake, and Taylor Swift have been attacked for their private jet usage, 52 pc of subscribers to private aviation buyers’ guide Private Jet Card Comparisons say they are or will still opt to fly privately more because of the current chaos and cancelations with the airlines and airports.
In addition to this, nearly all who started flying privately after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic are still continuing says the report. In terms of unreliable airline service, American Airlines, for example, is cutting 7,000 flights from its September schedule, as airports in Europe have seen delays of several hours to get through security, and at London’s Heathrow Airport, a shortage of ground staff has led many flights to depart without passengers’ luggage. FlightAware, a flight tracking platform, reported nearly 2,000 cancelled flights just on July 31.
“Subscribers are telling us they just can’t keep on missing meetings or arriving without their luggage. When airline flights get cancelled, they say it is often several days until they can get rebooked. When travelling with business colleagues and families, they are being told after their flights are cancelled that they must be split up and cannot travel together,” says Doug Gollan, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Private Jet Card Comparisons.
Gollan adds that in addition to this, airlines have been reducing flight schedules, and airport officials are saying it is not going to get better for months, if not until next year.
Flying privately means users can schedule flights when they want to go and arrive 15 to 20 minutes before departure as flights leave from separate, dedicated terminals. Passengers can sometimes even be driven directly to their airplanes on the tarmac bypassing the terminals entirely. Loss of luggage is less here along with being on their way in less than 10 minutes after landing. Since private jets can fly to thousands of airports not served by regular airlines, flying privately allows users to go from airports closer to where they are starting and going, often cutting door-to-door travel time in half.
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As part of the survey, nearly all private flyers that started since the Covid-19 pandemic say they are sticking around. As many as 96 pc say they are continuing to fly privately, with only 4 pc saying they have now stopped or plan to stop.
Though prices have risen, there is still an increased interest in private flights. The average hourly cost of fixed/capped rate jet cards with guaranteed availability increased 6 pc during Q2 after a 5 pc jump in Q1. Since December 2020, hourly jet card prices have been 28 pc higher and is now average USD 10,770.
Gollan notes that many sellers of jet cards, fractional ownership, and on-demand charter include options that allow customers to offset carbon emissions. “Subscribers view private aviation as a solution to a problem and feel fortunate they can afford it. They created their wealth – and many jobs – through hard work building and starting businesses. The analogy is if the bus or train is always delayed or doesn’t go where you need to go, if you can afford to have a car, naturally you use a car to get where you need to go,” says Gollan.
According to No Plane, No Gain, a transportation service provider in the US, private aviation usage is responsible for 1.1 million US jobs, and 42 pc of private aviation flights are to communities with little or no airline flights. Globally, business aviation operations make up only 0.04 pc of man-made carbon emissions. Private jets also make over 15,000 humanitarian flights per year and provide life-saving organ transplant flights, as well as bringing first-responders and resources after natural disasters, says a press release.
Regarding the recent attacks against the celebrities on the social media, Gollan points to the fact that without private aviation, it is unlikely these celebrities could maintain their schedules. However, if celebrities want to tell people about the need to protect the environment, then the people should be asking them to show proof they are using carbon offsets and buying Sustainable Aviation Fuel, which can reduce emissions by 80 pc.
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The Private Jet Card Comparisons survey results are from over 300 subscribers received between July 29 and July 31, 2022. It is being conducted as part of the upcoming Jet Card Report, which will be published later this year. Subscribers average 40 hours of private flights annually.
