US businessman Rick Shermer says he and his family ‘feel safe’ when traveling in private jets.
“Flying in a private jet means our family is able to avoid the airport security experience, airport crowds, flight rage, and (airport) people,” says the Los Angeles-based marketing boss. surrounded by people who often don’t wear masks properly.’
Although most of us have never experienced a private jet, Rick Shermer’s point is easy to understand.
It’s a luxurious and exclusive world where you can escape the hustle and bustle of big airports and other travelers. And you don’t need to be punctual or rushed to check-in. Because when you fly, this fake plane flies.
Also, in many cases you don’t even need to visit the terminal building. Instead, a large car like a limousine takes you right to the plane on the tarmac. Where a smiling flight attendant offers you a glass of champagne as you settle into a comfortable, soft leather chair.
Another recent benefit of private jets was seen recently during the global pandemic covid-19 when you rent it, like a usually very expensive flying taxi, instead of buying it.
So even when airlines stopped operating over the past two years, the ultra-rich and business leaders were able to travel because they knew they were in their own Covid-19 bubble.
This has resulted in an increase in the use of private jets, particularly seen in the year 2021. Therefore, the company Wing X, which researches the statistics of civil aviation, says that last year there were 3.3 million such flights worldwide, which is a record in itself.
This figure is seven percent higher than the previous record seen in 2019 and has a higher share from the US and Europe.
But now that the world is convinced that it has left the pandemic behind, will the use of private jets decrease? And should their use be justified given the significant environmental impacts they cause?
Ian Moore, chief commercial officer of private jet business VistaJet, says: ‘More and more people are looking for travel solutions that offer a controlled, flexible experience that cannot be provided by commercial flight. .’
Vista is headquartered in Malta. The global company has 73 aircraft, and Mr Moore says demand from customers in Europe grew by 26 per cent last year and by 21 per cent in the rest of the world.
He added that 71 percent of the requests the firm receives are from passengers who were not regular private aviation passengers before. He said: ‘And we expect the number of first-time private travelers to continue to grow in 2022 and beyond.’
The same is the case with Jaitley’s portal, a new online booking platform for private jets. It says it has received 15,000 applications from around the world.
Meanwhile, sister companies JetIt and JetClub say they are struggling to get enough new planes to meet demand.
“We need more aircraft, but our OEM [original equipment manufacturer] partners are not able to produce enough jets,” says Vishal Hermuth, co-founder of both brands and chief executive of Jet Club.
However, rising fuel prices may be the main problem in dampening demand for private jets. Passengers are being burdened by a large increase in aviation fuel prices as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Jet fuel prices are currently more than double compared to the same period last year.
Jaitley chief executive Justin Crabbe says: ‘Unfortunately, we don’t yet know how high they [prices] will go, but we believe they will have a significant impact on the market.’
However, it is also true that private jets have never been cheap. And often customers put them into their company’s expenses instead of paying them out of pocket.
Asking how much it will cost to rent currently is like asking ‘how long is a piece of string?’ However, let me tell you this much that the cost of flying six people from London to and from the Mediterranean island of Ibiza by the end of this month will be around $28,000.
Aviation industry analyst and Midas Aviation’s John Grant expects that some people who have started using private jets in the past two years will continue to do so.
He says: ‘With the increasing range of scheduled flights and highly competitive fares on offer with many airlines, passengers will be reluctant to accept a scheduled service with less flexibility but lower cost.
‘However, a small proportion of first-time private jet users in the past two years will see the benefits as value and continue to use such operators where possible.’
To make the world of private jets more affordable for mere mortals like us, many providers are now offering an option called ‘semi-private jets’.
These private jet services use larger aircraft (private jets typically seat six to 20 people), but you may be traveling with passengers you don’t know. . And its services are offered only for limited locations.
Benjamin Kaufman, a spokesman for JSX, a US company that provides similar services, said the company had “seen a gap in the airline market” and claimed that their minimum one-way fares would start at $199. Is.
He added that the company “offers significant savings to passengers with many benefits for private flying.”
However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of private jets. According to the Cleaner Transport campaign group Transport and Environment, private jets emit five to 14 times more pollution than commercial airlines on a per-passenger basis.
Private jet operators deny this. She says she encourages passengers to carbon offset, and some companies are also moving to use biofuels, and they are looking into electric, hydrogen and other hybrid fueled aircraft.
‘At a time when we need to do everything we can to reduce emissions, we have to wonder if private jets are a suitable mode of transport,’ he asks.
He says, ‘No offsetting scheme can replace the huge (carbon) emissions generated by private flights. Trees take a long time to grow, while flight is instantaneous. The most reliable and easiest way to reduce emissions from flights is to fly less.
‘Flying in a private jet is a great privilege, and as humanity faces a climate crisis, we must not use our privilege to harm others.’