Is possible post-election unrest impacting private jet bookings?

In a January 2021 survey of Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers, 28.7% of you said civil unrest after the 2020 presidential election could lead you to increase the use of private aviation. Expressly, 15.4% of respondents agreed with the statement, “I may switch some flights to private aviation instead of using the airlines.” A further 13.3% agreed, “If there are continued incidents, unrest, or attacks, I may switch flights from the airlines to private aviation.” The majority – 71.3% checked, “It won’t change my mix of flights using private aviation and the airlines,” to our question, “How will the recent events in Washington D.C., harassment of elected officials in airports and on flights, and news reports of potential future unrest and attacks impact your use of private aviation for future trips?” So, with election day next week, is there a boost in private jet flight bookings?

Looking back, in addition to the January 6th riots, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was confronted by a group who screamed at him as he walked through Reagan National Airport.

Earlier this week, two passengers were removed from a British Airways flight bound for Austin, Texas, before it departed from London’s Heathrow Airport.

According to the report:

One of the women demanded the red baseball cap — with Republican US Presidential nominee Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan on it — was taken off. When the Trump supporter refused punches were exchanged in front of passengers in Terminal 5. The row continued on board the plane bound for Austin, Texas, with the pair, both in premium economy squaring up in the cabin. The captain called for assistance and cops escorted them both off the aircraft — while they continued to exchange obscenities.

The flight was delayed by two hours.

More than a half dozen private aviation flight providers tell us they don’t see anything unusual regarding bookings.

Avinode, an online directory of charter aircraft used by brokers, tells Private Jet Card Comparisons, “Looking at the coming four weeks, it is almost the same number of requested trips in the U.S. versus the same period last year.”

Covid avoidance and lacking airline schedules caused private jet usage to rise to record levels in 2021 and 2022.

Unruly passenger reports rise

However, several private jet flight providers say that if there are airport or airplane incidents after the election, it could spur some flyers to choose private jets.

The number of reports about unruly passengers has been on the rise anyway.

From 544 incidents reported in 2017, FAA data shows 889 in 2018, 1,161 in 2019, a dip in 2020 to 1,009, and a spike to 5,973 in 2021 driven by confrontations around masking rules.

Unruly passenger reports dropped to 2,455 in 2022 and were down to 2,076 last year.

Through October of this year, the FAA received 1,748 complaints, putting numbers on track to be roughly equal to 2023.

Still, that’s nearly double the pre-pandemic 2019 numbers.

Avoiding airports and airlines

Our most recent subscriber survey shows that 88% split their flights between scheduled airline flights and business aircraft.

42% of those respondents who split their choices between airlines and private jets agreed with the statement: I am or will fly privately more because of what’s happening with the airlines.

54% of respondents considering private aviation said poor airline service and the airport experience are key drivers in their decision.

However, disruptions or incidents at major airline hubs could cause delays or cancelations.

Atlanta, Charlotte, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Phoenix are all in crucial swing states.

European flight providers often see an increase in bookings leading up to strikes by airline, airport, and air traffic control workers.

READ: The top 10 reasons for choosing private jets over airline flights