As we navigate through this pandemic together, it is our number-one priority to provide our clients and colleagues a safe and an enjoyable experience at a time when flight volume is surging to record levels. As customer advocates, we’re honored to sit on the same side of the table as our valued clients. That’s why we’re providing our jet card owners, members, and charter customers with this important update on market conditions that are having an impact on private jet availability-and recommending steps they can take now to ensure the best private aviation experience possible through the busy months ahead.
Private Aviation Is Experiencing Unprecedented Volume-And An Extraordinary Availability Crunch
If you’ve flown in the last 90 days, you may have experienced the effects of the availability issues facing the market firsthand. June was aviation’s busiest month of the last 15 years, while July and August have exceeded formerly record-setting levels from 2019. Fleets that had normally been operating at 50-70 percent utilization are now operating at rates of 90 percent or higher, causing a strain on aircraft flight crews and operations as a whole. Global supply chain issues are impacting industries across the United States, and throughout the aviation industry, those issues are disrupting parts, labor, and resources. All of this is coupled with inflation rising to 4.9% in July. These issues, combined with historic flight volume levels, are resulting in increased delays and schedule changes across private aviation.
By now, you may have heard several other companies in aviation have either paused their programs or changed their contracts mid-term due to the issues we’ve mentioned above. Because Magellan Jets is committed to building long-term value with our customers, we are maintaining all existing programs at contracted rates, with zero blackout days and all of the other benefits you’ve come to enjoy. Through our robust safety management system, we are carefully monitoring all of our partners in the Magellan Jets Preferred Network, and even pausing any operators that are experiencing an increase in deviations.
In order to help provide the best experience possible, we are strongly urging our jet card owners, members, and private charter customers to do the following:
Schedule your flights through March 2022
If you’re planning any trips through the end of the year and even into next year, now is the time to book them. Work with your private aviation consultant to schedule any known private flight needs through March of next year as soon as possible, making sure to communicate the purpose of your trip and any time sensitivities that you may have around it at time of scheduling.
Don’t wait until the last minute
One of the benefits of our jet card and membership programs is the flexibility they provide-including the flexibility to cancel or make changes to your flight with a 72-hour window before your scheduled departure time, or a seven-day window if you’re flying on a high-volume day. We know that plans can change, especially when booking this far in advance. It’s better to book now and use your cancellation window than to wait and try to schedule at a later date!
Notify us of any schedule flexibility
If you’re currently planning to fly on holidays or peak travel days but have some flexibility in your schedule, we recommend altering your plans to fly on days that aren’t as busy. Inform your flight support team member, and they’ll be able to give you more perspective on what volume looks like on the particular dates you’re traveling.
As always, we truly appreciate your decision to trust Magellan Jets with your aviation needs through these unprecedented times. Please feel free to contact your personal private aviation consultant at Magellan, or call us at 877-550-5387 with any questions, comments, or feedback.
