Health and Safety when flying, focus on choice
Peace of mind, flexibility, and choice. Just some of the reasons why private air travel has grown in popularity over recent years and is being given preference over commercial flying post-COVID-19. While great business or first-class services are offered by many commercial airliners, they cannot compete on the choice that’s offered to customers flying by private aircraft.
The aviation industry is a key driver of economic recovery, yet commercial airlines are still experiencing cancellations or long delays, whilst private jets are able to withstand the pressures of daily changes around the globe and react at short notice. With businesses picking up the pace again, it’s the private jet industry that is able to keep in step, helping busy professionals meet tight schedules to attend vital engagements and events. Having been locked down for 3-4 months, there is a pent-up demand to get the global economy moving again. Whether it’s travel for business or pleasure, people just want to get on with it and the private aviation sector is meeting this demand head-on.
So, what are the key benefits of private air travel and how are they giving travellers greater choice over the commercial airlines? Here are our top 6:
1. Efficiency
For many corporate travellers, flying by private jet is not a preference for comfort and style but a business decision that delivers flexibility and efficiency that maximises a company’s bottom line. The private jet can be seen as an invaluable resource which saves a company valuable time across the journey period. Time efficiency translates directly into financial savings. Holiday travellers can experience similar savings on ‘hidden costs’ such as transit time and airport delays that impose on valuable leisure time, so people can make the most of the precious time they have to enjoy their holiday with family and friends.
2. Avoiding the crowds
Chartering a flight will often allow access directly to the plane, avoiding busy airport terminals, check-in lines, security hold-ups and long boarding processes...significantly reducing exposure to any potential risk of viral transmission. Baggage tends to be handled directly by the crew and the use of private, smaller terminals means that private jets can get travellers closer to where they need to be. With commercial airline travel there is certainly a heightened expectation of delays and problems and even passenger anxiety, resulting in a greater amount of time spent in crowded areas. An Austrian jet charter company suggests that the risk of coronavirus transmission is 30 times lower on private jets as personal interactions are so much less. They state in a study that there are 700 touchpoints on commercial airliners which have the potential to expose passengers to a health risk versus just 20 touchpoint interactions on a private aircraft. For people still self-isolating but desperate to get away, travel by private jet offers the choice of not having to see anyone! With direct ground to air transport and even jet to yacht transport, a private jet can deliver families in their own ‘safe bubble’ directly to their private villa or yacht, avoiding any stress of passenger conflict, a travel experience that many will be looking for post COVID-19.
3. Control of the schedule
Commercial airlines have set routes and schedules so if these flights are unable to meet busy schedules or transits, chartering a private aircraft can get people to where they need to be, when they need to be there, whether for business or leisure. Flights can be chartered at short notice, for single or multiple destinations, for a single day’s travel or more. Commercial airlines can add hours to both flight times and airport wait times, not accounting for different scheduled routes needed to get a traveller to their chosen destination.
4. Space and privacy
As well as the privacy from take-off to touch-down mentioned above, private air travel offers interior space where travellers can relax and stretch out, have a comfortable sleep, enjoy a drink at the bar and even have onboard meetings or entertainment. There is a choice of aircraft too, accommodating groups sizes of 6 to 8 passengers and up to 90 with different cabin configurations, choice of media entertainment and catering services. A far cry from the travel experiences offered by some commercial airlines.
5. Convenient and hassle-free
Private flight provides streamlined travel, flying direct to most destinations and avoiding layovers versus around 50% extra flying time and additional flights on commercial airlines. Although coming at a higher cost, the security and reliability that private aviation offers can go a long way to justify the expense, considering the training, safety systems, maintenance, crew and other investments that make up the high quality charter service.
6. Additional services
Choices don’t end with the flight itself. Private aviation drives expanding choices offered to customers adding services that they want such as personal security, ground transport and, from a corporate perspective, company branding.
On a final note, let’s not forget our environmental impact and the choice to limit this. The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) reported that as a whole, all forms of air travel accounted for just 2% of all fossil fuel related carbon emissions compared with 74% for ground travel. With innovation and advanced engineering driving the aviation industry, the development of more sophisticated and fuel-efficient engines is the primary focus for the new generation of planes.
As a private air charter and global tour specialist with over 50 years combined experience, Bartelings can advise about aviation operations and logistics, destinations or general health issues, particularly at a time when passengers have a heightened concern for keeping healthy and safe. Travelling by private jet could be the perfect answer to keeping corporate travellers on schedule, ensuring celebrities meet their multi-destination engagements or enable family and friends to reconnect safely.
Contact us for a conversation and see how we can match your needs with appropriate private air solutions to keep your travellers safe and on the move again.