Private jet flight activity hits new records in October

October 7 and 8 were the 9th and 10th busiest days on record for private jet flight activity in North America, according to Argus TraqPak

The tsunami of demand for private jet flights is continuing through October.

Most providers report limited business travel even as private aviation continues to be swamped with record flight levels.

According to Argus TraqPak, October 7^th and 8^th become the 9^th and 10^th busiest days on record, with both topping 12,000 flights.

October 7^th recorded 12,191 flights in North America and October 8^th beat that with 12,229 flights.

“Private aircraft demand is clearly at levels we haven’t seen before. We previously viewed 12,000 flights as a number that was associated with 2007 and 2008 as we were happy with 11,000 flights per day pre-pandemic,” says Argus vice president of market intelligence Travis Kuhn.

He notes, “We have now crossed this threshold three times in 2021 and October 2021 is currently forecasted to see over 311,000 business aviation flights which would make it the busiest month on record.”

With the peak holiday travel periods ahead, a number of jet card programs have stopped accepting new members. Flexjet was the latest, announcing the move last night.

NetJets, Sentient Jet, Executive Jet Management, Jet Linx Aviation, and Priester Aviation have all halted card sales to new members.

At the same time, close to 50 providers are still offering fixed or capped rate programs that guarantee availability.

Wheels Up earlier this week reiterated it intends to accept new members. FlyExclusive announced a revamped program last week.

Several providers are expected to make program changes in the coming days.

Still, two large operators tell Private Jet Card Comparisons they will be launching their first jet card programs.

With soaring demands, private flyers are facing a new normal as disruptions impact the system.