As the coronavirus pandemic runs its course many passengers have sought to tailor their travel plans around avoiding large groups of people. This has brought about growth in the private jet industry and more demand for charter flights. Private charter flights offer the opportunity for passengers to avoid crowded airport terminals, enjoy more privacy, have more flexible plans, and overall enjoy a safer flight. Also, hygiene is much easier to manage when flying privately and passengers are able to be flown to smaller airports that are closer to their final destination.
Despite the growth that the pandemic has brought to private flying there is still a hygiene concern. As a result, there are several COVID protocols that are performed between each flight. Similar to commercial airlines, private charter operators think about the entire flight for maximum safety, including hygiene. Ozone cabin treatments have now been made regular. With the use of Ozone generators, we can naturally disinfect the air and surfaces within the aircraft cabin. This eliminates all germs, pollutants, viruses, microbes, and also meets EPA standards.
PermaSafe is used in the air ventilation systems to eliminate 99.9% of viruses and germs. Additionally, applying the permanent surface protectant provides continuous protection against microbes. The PermaSafe antimicrobial agent chemically reacts with and bonds molecularly to any surface it is applied to becoming a part of that surface. This dramatically increases the cleanliness of our aircraft. Lastly, all of our flight crew are required to wear a mask on all flights and each aircraft is deep cleaned between each flight meeting all CDC guidelines.
At the beginning of the pandemic demand for travel dropped significantly, especially airline bookings with the lowest demand being in April. However, demand is now returning positively with some jet charter businesses experiencing an 80% increase in inquiries. Interestingly, more than 60% of those inquiries are new customers who have never used private jet charters. Travelers have recognized the advantages that private flying offers during a pandemic. Private charter activity is up to 70% while airlines are between 15-17% according to data. Airlines are recovering slowly while private jet charters are experiencing a growth in business mainly from new customers.
Strictly adhering to our COVID protocols while experiencing this growth in demand offers us the opportunity to provide safe and efficient private air travel to our discerning passengers and confidence to anyone who will be flying with us for the first time. Most importantly our private charters allow us to help those who have a high-risk loved one to travel without increasing the chance of contact with large groups of strangers. If you would like to learn more about our COVID-19 travel updates more info can be found here.
