Private Charters not just for the 1%
The COVID Pandemic has been an economic disaster for many industries, but perhaps one of the hardest hit was airline travel. Even now, almost two years since the pandemic began, the commercial airline industry hasn’t recovered to pre-event levels despite billions of dollars in bailouts and loans. One air travel niche that has however taken off is private charters, for obvious, pandemic-relevant reasons of privacy and convenience. For those who can afford the steadily decreasing prices of charter bookings it has been about enormous convenience. Avoiding crowds, air-rage, security theater and other commercial airline hassles can be addictive it seems.
Flying private becoming more common
The industry stats back this up too. Recent findings by Robb Report show that first-time bookings for private leisure flights have skyrocketed by a whopping 300%. This is enough to more than compensate for corporate booking decreases of 80% due to global business travel slowdowns among executive fliers.
While charter flights have traditionally been more of an affluent-person’s niche, their attractiveness has made them much more attractive to a broader category of customer.
A simple fact behind this is that many charter flight companies offer custom schedules, comforts and conveniences that put even high-end commercial flights to shame.
With all that said, one thing remains unclear to many first time charter booking customers: How does the whole process work? If you’re one of these curious potential customers, here are a few essential details.
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Things to consider when flying private
For one thing, private aviation fliers generally bypass security screenings and other similar measures. Instead, they can usually drive or get chauffeured right up to their plane or to a convenient luxury waiting lounge from which they’re escorted to the flight itself. A valet is normally on hand to handle bags, car parking and other tedious necessities.
Departure times are of course much more flexible with private flights. Unless someone is accompanying another person’s booking, they’re the boss of their own time with charter flights. This means that they can schedule and depart at any time they’ve chosen in advance. Worries about late arrival can be minimal and there are no tiresome wait times because of having to reach an airport check-in counter hours in advance.
Flight destinations at the national level are infinitely more flexible too because many private flights involve smaller luxury planes. Thus, instead of taking a large commercial jet to a major airport, a private charter client can usually have themselves delivered to any one of thousands of smaller regional airports. These are either much closer to their ultimate destination or right in the same place where they’d like to go.
Luxury amenities offered
On the other hand, the typical movie image of elegantly dressed flight attendants handing out champagne and gourmet snacks during a private charter flight is often far off the mark. This is something that many private charters offer of course, but for reasons of price and flight time, most private flights won’t even require a meal time.
Luxury amenities do abound however. They can include freely usable internal WiFi, far more comfortable seating, sofas, dining or work tables and of course, space for stretching one’s feet. Gourmet meals and drinks are also available for longer flights.
Prices for different flight times on different-sized planes will of course vary and can indeed get quite expensive, but many customers simply focus on affordable convenience instead of luxury. The simple fact that a private charter flight can get anyone to their destination in a third of the time and with less than a third of the hassle of any commercial flight is a major bonus on this front.
The convenience and security of simply driving up to your plane, hopping onboard, taking off immediately and being flown right to your destination tends to trump many other considerations.
Where to book your private charter
If you’re curious about the details and prices for a private jet charter booking, getting the information you need for a potentially incredible new flight experience is easy. Contact FlexAir for a consultation on private flight features, pricing and available plane types. You might be pleasantly surprised.