A new breed of flier takes off
The dark clouds of Covid-19 conceal a silver lining in the form of a new generation of clients, writes Kathy Leroy.
Luxury on a plate with an extra helping of Covid-19 safety and reassurance.
The global pandemic has been hugely difficult for the airline industry but it has also resulted in some unexpected implications for private jet travel, as high-net-worth individuals look for ways to reach destinations closed to others and for a method of travel with the least risk of infection.
For those who can afford it, choosing to fly by private jet provides passengers with ultimate built-in social distancing – after all they may be the only people in the cabin and have boarded from a private terminal at an executive airport. As a result, there has been at least a 15% increase in enquiries from passengers who have never considered chartering a private jet before.
This has ranged from CEOs needing an alternative to their regular commute to wealthy individuals looking to escape for a luxury holiday. Perhaps in the past they chose to travel first class on a scheduled airline to the Maldives, but they now fly privately to European hotspots such as Nice, Mykonos, Ibiza, Olbia, Croatia, Mykonos and Portugal. Or further afield to South Africa, which is opening its borders, or indeed anywhere else in the world.
This new class of client has had very little exposure to private flights in the past but is now seeing it as a necessity and as a new norm, especially as they seek to move between their global residences, leaving city living behind in favour of a more rural retreat.
There is no doubt that protection from the virus is a key part of this development too. It’s a trend which looks likely to continue as more countries announce travel restrictions or quarantine requirements.
The scenes of scheduled airline passengers around the world stranded overseas after their governments introduced quarantine measures and Covid-19 restrictions no doubt had an impact too. Private jet passengers were able to return on their own jet and without having to scramble for seats.
The fear of infection at a crowded airport, or on a full flight, has only served to make private jet travel even more attractive. Passengers are not only guaranteed privacy but given the option to personalise a range of hygiene measures. Those include visors for the cabin crew, testing of the crew, extra sanitisation or even asking for the flight to take place without cabin crew at all, which is possible on some aircraft.
It is possible for passengers to be checked in at a private terminal, wait in a private lounge and then board the jet without any contact with the public. That’s the ultimate social distancing.
As flight volumes for scheduled flights recover it will be interesting to see if private flights continue to become more widely adopted. But given the public’s concern about travel in a pandemic it is certainly a possibility.
“Private aviation is an excellent tool to protect passengers…”
Flying by private jet has always been a luxury industry, one where you expect to see musicians, pop stars, movie stars, footballers, television celebrities and other high net worth individuals. But this world is now opening up to a new breed of clients; those who previously flew first and business class and are now willing to place a premium on their health and safety by flying privately.
Covid-19 has demonstrated that private aviation is an excellent tool to protect passengers, their families, and friends from the virus, and that the associated premium is worth the mitigated risk. Now it is down to the industry to keep those customers through outstanding service.
