Online charter broker and jet card seller PrivateFly says customers are spending more and booking closer to their travel date in 2017 than during the same period last year.
According to PrivateFly’s own statistics, there were over 1.3 million flight searches on its website and app last year. During the first quarter of 2017, PrivateFly is reporting:
- Average spend per flight was up in every aircraft category against the same period in 2016, and by 26% overall. The average small jet customer spent £9,090 and the average long range jet customer £62,910.
- Customers are flying faster, with 63% booking to fly in under a week, versus 57% in 2016. Almost a third flew within 24 hours.
- PrivateFly’s three most popular flight routes in Q1 were London to Nice; Los Angeles to Las Vegas; and London to Paris.
- The most popular aircraft was an 8-seater Cessna Citation XL.
Carol Cork, marketing director and co-founder of PrivateFly said, “2017 has brought an encouraging 5% increase in flight movements so far to the whole business aviation industry, in both Europe and the US, after several flat years. Travelers are beginning to choose private aviation with confidence again, and others are flying for the first time. Our own findings this year certainly reflect this, with more clients flying for longer, and some starting to trade up to bigger aircraft.”