While many airlines are going through hard times due to the corona crisis, another branch of the airline industry is still doing well. Companies offering flights with private jets say the phone is ringing off the hook.
“It all has to do with the coronavirus,” said CEO Richard Zaher of the American Paramount Business Jets. He estimates that the number of people inquiring about flights has increased fourfold. The number of bookings would have increased by 20 to 25 percent.
“Our regular customers still fly as they always have. But we are now also seeing an increase in new customers who in most cases have never flown privately,” says the CEO. The new customers often have a personal emergency, according to Zaher, and are unable or unwilling to take scheduled flights. He mentions the example of a woman who wanted to move her mother in the US. “The mother was given oxygen and had to be flown from one coast to another.”
Price tag
The use of a private jet often comes with a hefty price tag. A return ticket London – New York can just cost $ 150,000. However, more customers also register with other companies.
MayJets in Hong Kong reports that the number of bookings has tripled since the outbreak of the epidemic. Customers would avoid scheduled flights because they don’t want to be in an enclosed space with hundreds of people.
Daniel Tang of MayJets expects that his sector will not escape the consequences of the crisis either. “As more and more countries tighten border measures, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fly. Even with private jets.”
