Private Jet Card Comparisons - Know Before You Buy
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Argus TRAQPak’s forecast for the first four months is good news, relatively speaking. North American private jet flight hours are projected to increase by 21.6% in March 2021 on a year-over-year basis. In April 2021, Argus expects flight hours to surge by 194.9%
The latest Argus TRAQPak monthly report shows Part 135 charter operators are continuing to see the strongest recovery.
Data from Argus shows Part 135 private jet charters continued to push the recovery of business aviation last month. In October, there were 802,054 flights, 8.7% below 2019 levels. That includes 14 days in which traffic was higher than the same date last year.
You want to charter a private jet from New York to Aspen and you want a large-cabin aircraft. A Gulfstream GIV or something similar sounds nice. You want the lowest price, and you notice checking around there is a big variance. Quotes for GIV and G450 types vary by as much as $25,000! You see other large-cabin jets with prices for much less, and then you see prices double your Gulfstream quotes.
Here’s a big difference between the private jet market and the airlines. Just 10 airlines account for 90% of the domestic market for scheduled passenger traffic. Four companies – Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines – are responsible for two-thirds of U.S. flights.
Despite consolidation, business aviation remains fragmented. An analysis by Private Jet Card Comparisons of various reports from Argus TRAQPak and other data shows the 25 largest operators of charter and fractional fleets together account for just 25% of all U.S. flying.
Whether or not the rebound in U.S. private jet travel has crested or not remains to be seen.
After a surge during the July 4th holiday – WingX data showed a 5% year-over-year increase – Argus projects when all is said and done, private flights will be 17% behind 2019 for the month.
From the Wednesday prior to Memorial Day through Tuesday, the number of passengers who passed through TSA checkpoints hovered at just 12% of 2019 levels.
During the same period, fractional and charter operator flights surged to 58% of 2019 levels, continuing an upward trek. The data from Argus affirmed the rebound for private jet operators, which just last month had seen flying drop to just 20% of last year’s level as the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders ground travel to a virtual halt.
