April 18, 2024
The Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. revealed interesting twists on how private jet flying is evolving. While global private jet flights for Week 47 were 22% above 2019 levels, they were down 11% from Week 46, according to WingX data.
Richard Koe, WingX managing director said, “November 2021 was comfortably the busiest November on record for global business jet activity…The monthly activity was only 30,000 sectors shy of October’s activity, which was the busiest month on record.”
He added private flying is “showing no impact at the aggregate level from the Omicron variant.”
A 15% decline led to the week-to-week dip in the U.S., where key markets were all down. Still, 23% of all fixed-wing flights in the U.S. during Thanksgiving week were operated by private jets and turboprops.
Texas private jet flights slipped 19% from the previous week, while California flights were off 12%. Florida’s long streak of gains ended with a 3% dip.
That said, the U.S. private jet flight activity was still 26% above Week 47 in 2019.
Florida private jet flights were 60% over the same week two years ago, before the pandemic. For the trailing four weeks, U.S. private flights are up 22% compared to pre-Covid levels. Florida flights are 49% above 2019 levels for the previous month.
Looking around the world, European private flights declined 6% week-to-week, although Switzerland (4%) and France (2%) saw gains compared to Week 46.
Compared to Week 47 in 2019 and the trailing four weeks, European private jet flights were 19% and 27% ahead, respectively.
South America private flights saw a 16% gain from week to week and were 108% ahead of Week 47 in 2019. During the past month, they have been 74% ahead of pre-Covid travel.
| Market | Last Week (Flights) | % Change vs. prior week | % Change vs. 2019 | Last 4 Weeks (Flights) | % Change vs. 2019 |
| Global | 66,556 | -11% | 22% | 283,311 | 20% |
| North America | 51,836 | -13% | 22% | 222,687 | 18% |
| USA | 46,549 | -15% | 26% | 203,415 | 22% |
| Florida | 7,594 | -3% | 60% | 29,657 | 49% |
| California | 5,078 | -12% | 22% | 21,325 | 20% |
| Texas | 4,638 | -19% | 14% | 21,718 | 20% |
| Europe | 10,363 | -6% | 19% | 44,275 | 27% |
| UK | 1,450 | -4% | 16% | 6,361 | 27% |
| Germany | 1,310 | -15% | -6% | 5,744 | 6% |
| France | 1,528 | 2% | 25% | 5,945 | 18% |
| Switzerland | 732 | 4% | 22% | 3,043 | 35% |
| Italy | 858 | -11% | 30% | 3,812 | 39% |
| Middle East | 1,154 | -9% | 31% | 4,983 | 44% |
| Africa | 669 | -9% | 69% | 2,645 | 56% |
| Asia | 1,874 | -4% | 8% | 7,348 | 12% |
| South America | 1,369 | 16% | 108% | 4,761 | 74% |
Perhaps due to blackouts, booking quotas, and the urging of providers that customers avoid peak days, fractional and charter flight hours were off 6% from Week 46 in the U.S, although Florida had a 2% gain.
Several Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers said their providers offered bonus hours or flight credits to shift flights earlier or later.
Still, the U.S. private jet flight activity was 43% higher than Week 47 in 2019 and the same amount for the past month.
In Florida, private jet flights last week – for the week ended Nov. 28, 2021 – were 73% ahead of 2019. During the past month, Florida flights spiked 70% compared to pre-pandemic.
The Sunshine State’s fractional and charter flights for the week (4,710) represented about 70% of Europe’s total (6,914).
| Market (Part 91K & Part135) | Last Week (Flights) | % Change vs. prior week | % Change vs. 2019 | Last 4 Weeks (Flights) | % Change vs. 2019 |
| Global | 35,671 | -5% | 36% | 146,050 | 37% |
| North America | 28,399 | -6% | 38% | 115,038 | 37% |
| USA | 27,127 | -6% | 43% | 110,788 | 43% |
| Florida | 4,710 | 2% | 73% | 17,674 | 70% |
| California | 3,322 | -11% | 36% | 13,658 | 39% |
| Texas | 2,181 | -14% | 23% | 9,664 | 35% |
| Europe | 6,914 | -4% | 32% | 29,463 | 41% |
| UK | 1,026 | 1% | 29% | 4,322 | 39% |
| Germany | 817 | -14% | 5% | 3,637 | 18% |
| France | 1,026 | 5% | 49% | 3,972 | 39% |
| Switzerland | 530 | -1% | 30% | 2,232 | 51% |
| Italy | 646 | -9% | 49% | 2,820 | 55% |
| Middle East | 441 | -7% | 62% | 1,966 | 67% |
| Africa | 140 | 21% | 43% | 526 | 22% |
| Asia | 207 | -14% | 20% | 966 | 31% |
| South America | 8 | -50% | -70% | 50 | -60% |
In Europe, despite a 4% week-to-week dip, charter and fractional activity was 32% higher than in 2019.
