Health and Safety when flying, focus on flexibility
Although celebrities, corporate executives and others in the ‘super rich’ bracket provide a common image of private aviation users, it’s not hard to see why they choose this option, and why other travellers are beginning to see private travel as a realistic option post COVID-19.
With global travel restrictions still in place and each country having its own schedule to resume operations, as well as individual national health controls, the efficiency and flexibility of private flight can be a major advantage to getting people to where they need to be.
Changes to travel restrictions and new developments regarding health controls (such as quarantine) occur daily and it’s the private aviation industry that has the flexibility to respond to these changes, in many cases with less than 48 hour’s notice. With the ability to re-route travel plans, minimise flight time between countries and the capacity to access a wide variety of aircraft, together with the extra health precautions and enhanced deep cleaning (see Series 1), travel by private jet offers numerous levels of flexibility over the commercial airlines.
The European Business Aviation Association has launched a COVID-19 Resource Centre that includes updated travel restrictions, as well as airline and quarantine information on a country-by-country basis, providing daily updates for the industry. Navigating through country-specific requirements (such as health declarations, diagnostic and quarantine requirements) and responding to the constantly changing nature of restrictions around the world with a flexibility that commercial airlines are simply unable to match, is something that private aviation has been doing throughout the pandemic crisis.
Whether flying for business or leisure, travellers define flexibility in a variety of ways and place different values on the experience - no layovers or delays in airports, avoiding crowds and tourist hotspots, personal service directly with the crew - making private air travel efficient, cost-effective and convenient. In the post-COVID-19 travel world, perhaps we can now also include a lower health risk. It has been reported that risk of exposure is 30 times lower on private flights compared to commercial airlines, helped by the use of private airline terminals and aircraft crew handling all luggage and guest interactions, minimising risk of transmission.
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 solutions to keep your travellers safe.
Our third Series – Focus on Choice – we will be looking closely at the benefits that private jet travel offers over the commercial airlines, both in terms of finance and risk.