The Coronavirus pandemic has brought panic all over the world, yet the business of private jet operators became more in demand.
Flying privately seems to be a safer option for individuals and families nowadays. More and more people are inquiring to private jet companies because they do not want to fly commercially with co-passengers who might have already acquired the virus.
There is an increasing demand for private jets in recent weeks. This is brought about by companies who take employees out of infected places as well as travelers who want to prevent themselves from going to public places like airports and commercial flights. The demand is expected to further increase as major airlines continue to cancel and ban flights going to Asia and Europe where the pandemic have already spread drastically.
Justin Crabbe, the founder of Jettly Inc. noted that their company has never been as busy as now. Notably, Jettly Inc. operates out of New York and Toronto. It functions like an Uber, the only difference is that private jets are what the customers rent.
Jettly Inc.’s booking requests have already doubled. They have been receiving about 6,000 requests per day and as a response to this influx, the company has already tripled its flight support staff. The increasing demand to fly on private, even if these people have to pay on an hourly basis, is brought about by the fact that commercial flights are being canceled and public airlines are imposing travel bans.
COVID- 19 Spreads Continuously
The Coronavirus has already spread across Asia and Europe, which lead commercial flights to be canceled and travel bans to be imposed. This is the reason why bookings poured into Jettly along with other jet charter companies. The demand for private jets is tremendously increasing that some wealthy customers are willing to triple their payment ($15,000 per hour) just to book last-minute flights.
On the other hand, Steven Orfali, who runs JetSet Group Inc., a private jet operator company based in New York, noted that the demand for private jets is so strong that their bookings increased to 25 percent in the recent weeks. Similarly, there is a 40 percent increase in private jet inquiries in the past five days.
According to Orfali, the inquiries come from people who have never flown private before. These people are avoiding to mingle with people in a public airport or do not want to be on a plane with 300 passengers that can possibly be carriers of the virus.
There are families who have hired private jets in order to prevent their elderly family members from acquiring the virus or to avoid connecting through different cities. There was a couple who hired a private jet to return home to the Channel Islands directly from Spain because they do not want to stopover in London when they take a commercial flight.
On the other hand, a film studio based in Los Angeles recently rented a private jet to take 50 individuals out of Tokyo when the proliferation of the Coronavirus in Japan became so serious. Even surgical masks, protective suits, and medical gloves fro healthcare workers were transported for private jets.
Private Jet Charter: The New Normal
Renting a private jet is not a cheap option. A jet that can carry eight passengers costs approximately $5,000 per hour. On the other hand, a sixteen- seater private jet costs about $12,000 per hour while a flight from New York to Los Angeles using a fourteen-seater can cost about $30,000. Furthermore, Orlafi said that the high prices do not stop customers such as families from booking flights on private jets after their commercial flights are canceled.
However, the increasing demand for private jets has made it more difficult for some operators to find private planes and crews. Most private jet companies rely on a global network of planes and pilots to approve short term bookings. According to Crabbe, the biggest factor for the increasing demand for private jets is the shortage of aircraft and crews on places affected by the Coronavirus. He also said that there are cases when they find it difficult to look for a crew that can willingly fly into a potentially unsafe zone to pick up passengers. Most aircraft crews are fearing that they might put themselves or their families at risk of infection.
However, the demand for private jets that come from business clients could decrease if the Coronavirus pandemic would cause a downturn all around the globe.
Adam Twidell, the chief executive officer of PrivateFly, a private jet company based in London, said that while their company is receiving additional requests, there are also clients who are changing or canceling their travel bookings. In addition, he noted that there is now a highly complex operational logistics for flying in and out of areas affected by the pandemic. The availability of aircraft and crews is also making it more of a challenge to accept booking requests in some areas or making longer turnaround times than the usual.
Furthermore, operators of private jets have to make sure that the passengers that they will pick up have not yet traveled to other regions affected by the virus. Flight crews also have to be screened to ensure that they have not been infected. Some operators also expressed their concern that private jet passengers might not be able to face health screening that they can get from commercial flights since private jets have smaller airports.
Wrap Up
As of now, private jet companies are enjoying the extra boost in their business. Still, they are hoping that even if the pandemic is short-lived, they will be able to turn their new customers into regular ones.
Orlafi said that new private jet customers are somewhat trying out their service and seeing what is the difference of flying privately from booking a commercial flight. Orlafi further added that they are hoping that these new passengers will continue booking private flights and make it a habit.
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