October 30, 2024
From jet cards and memberships to fractional ownership, on-demand charter, and shared private jets, the 200 + page report is based on research directly from private aviation users.
New research directly from private aviation users being released next week shows nearly all flyers who started using private aviation since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic plan to keep flying privately.
The 200 + page report covers what users were looking for while in the buying process, from aircraft types to policies and amenities. It also tracks how much they spent, future flying needs, companies they considered, and who they ended up buying from, as well as satisfaction with current providers. There is also segmentation on jet sharing and, as industry consolidation continues, openness to working with boutique providers, plus much more.
According to The Jet Card Report 2022/23 by Private Jet Card Comparisons, highlights include that 94% of new private jet flyers since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 say they will continue to use private aviation in the future.
However, as the cost of flying privately rises, there was a significant drop in how frequently these new private aviation consumers say they plan to fly privately from last year’s survey.
– 94.4% of respondents plan to continue using private aviation post-Covid in the 2022 survey
– The percentage of new, since Covid flyers who say they will continue to use private aviation regularly dropped from 57.1% in 2021 to 39.9% this year
– At the same time, those new private flyers who say they will fly privately occasionally post-pandemic increased to 54.5% from 42.9% last year
– Only 5.6% of respondents said they have or will likely stop flying privately in a post-Covid world, although that was up from 0% in 2021
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| I started/re-started private aviation during Covid and will likely continue to fly privately regularly after the pandemic is over | 39.9% | 57.1% |
| I started/re-started private aviation use during Covid and will likely fly privately once in a while after the pandemic is over | 54.5% | 42.9% |
| I started/re-started private aviation during Covid, but will likely stop private flying after the pandemic is over | 5.6% | 0.0% |
More good news for the industry comes from private flyers who had used business aviation before the pandemic.
– 59.6% of existing private aviation users expect to continue to fly privately at the same level as prior to the pandemic
– 28.5% of existing private aviation users expect to fly privately more than before the pandemic, compared to 11.9% who expect their private flights to decrease
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| I was flying privately immediately before COVID and will likely continue to use private aviation for similar trips after the pandemic is over. | 59.6% | 65.1% |
| I was flying privately immediately before COVID and will likely increase the % of my flights using private aviation after the pandemic is over | 28.5% | 31.9% |
| I was flying privately immediately before COVID, but will likely decrease the % of my flights using private aviation after the pandemic is over | 11.9% | 3.0% |
However, it’s not all clear skies.
While 54.3% of respondents cited airline delays and airport chaos as pushing them to fly privately more often, 43.9% of those surveyed experienced delays, cancelations, and service lapses from their private aviation providers during the past year, a 108.1% increase from 2021 when private jet travel rose to record levels.
| 2022 | 2021 | % Change | |
| Yes | 43.9% | 21.1% | 108.1% |
| No | 56.1% | 69.1% | -18.8% |
| I haven’t flown privately in recent months | NA | 9.8% | NA |
The result is more than half (50.7%) are considering changing providers.
The biggest reason for considering a switch is Increased Prices (62.4%), compared to Flight Delays, Changes and Cancelations (33.6%), Overall Customer Service Declining (32.9%), Too Many Peak Days/Blackout Days (29.2%), Fuel Surcharges (25.6%), Poor Communication When Something Goes Wrong and Longer Lead Time To Book Flights (both 20.8%).
| All | Pre-Covid Flyers | New Flyers | |
| Increased Prices | 62.4% | 63.2% | 61.4% |
| Flight Delays, Changes, and Cancelations | 33.6% | 37.5% | 30.0% |
| Overall Customer Service Declining | 32.9% | 37.5% | 29.9% |
| Too Many Peak Days/Blackout Days | 29.2% | 27.1% | 30.7% |
| Fuel Surcharges | 25.6% | 26.4% | 27.2% |
| Poor Communication When Something Goes Wrong | 20.8% | 22.2% | 20.2% |
| Longer Lead Time To Book Flights | 20.8% | 22.9% | 20.2% |
| Longer Daily/Segment Minimum Charges | 16.8% | 17.4% | 16.7% |
| Higher Peak Day Surcharges | 11.7% | 11.1% | 11.9% |
| Changes To Caribbean/Mexico/Canada/Hawaii Rate Structure | 9.1% | 10.4% | 7.9% |
| Stricter Cancelation Policies | 7.3% | 9.0% | 4.4% |
| Reducing/Eliminating Trans-Continental/Long-Flight Discounts | 4.0% | 2.8% | 5.3% |
There were also fewer perks when joining or renewing programs. With record demand, the percentage of respondents who said they were able to negotiate Free Hours (from 31.9% in 2021 to 18.4% in 2022), Rate Locks (from 17.2% in 2021 to 2.0% this year), and Upgrades (16.6% in 2021 to 11.7% in 2021) fell.
| 2022 | 2021 | % Change | |
| Nothing | 49.8% | 43.4% | 14.7% |
| Free hours | 18.4% | 31.9% | -42.3% |
| Flight Credits | 12.6% | 10.2% | 23.5% |
| Waived membership fees (if applicable) | 12.4% | 9.9% | 25.3% |
| Upgrades | 11.7% | 16.6% | -29.5% |
| Catering Credits | 8.3% | 8.9% | -6.7% |
| Short-leg waivers | 6.5% | 4.0% | 62.5% |
| Destination waivers | 4.5% | 2.2% | 104.5% |
| Rate lock extension | 2.0% | 17.2% | -88.4% |
Reflecting increased costs, the average deposits made by Jet Card/Membership buyers increased 35.7% from $213,253 in 2021 to $289,398 in 2022. The percentage of respondents who spent over $400,000 increased from 8.5% to 18.2%.
Airlines and crowded airports are continuing to provide tailwinds for private aviation.
| All | Pre-Covid Flyers | New Flyers | Considering Private Aviation | |
| I am or will fly privately more because of what’s happening with thwhat’sines | 54.3% | 45.9% | 62.1% | 62.5% |
| It hasn’t impacted my use of private aviation aviation | 45.7% | 54.1% | 37.9% | 37.5% |
The Jet Card Report data is from over 800 submissions of paid subscribers to Private Jet Card Comparisons seeking a custom analysis of options while in the buying process and a subscriber survey with 571 responses. Results have a margin of error of +/- 2% at an 80% confidence level and +/- 3% at a 95% confidence level.
For the full results and the 200 + page report, visit The Jet Card Report by Private Jet Card Comparisons.
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