The COVID-19 threat shows how useful private planes can be when commercial aviation options are reduced or eliminated in response to emergencies. Thus, the global threat of the coronavirus’ spread is being viewed as a catalyst for the rise in demand for reliable private aviation options and short-notice, on-demand charter. Being on the front line of the coronavirus crisis, we’re seeing greater demand due to the inability of commercial airlines to deliver safety and service, culminating in a jump to private aviation.
We are seeing a trend in businesses who traditionally flew their executives on first-class are now finding it safer and more economical to fly the same group of people on a private aircraft. Interestingly, we’ve seen an influx in new charter customers from people who would have normally flown commercially.
We are immediately seeing the effects from President Trump’s European travel ban. Just this week, we have arraigned several complex trips from the U.K. to the northeast of the U.S., which speaks the trust that clients place in us during times of uncertainty. We anticipate that transcontinental requests such as this will continue to rise. Additionally, since commercial airlines are suspending their routes and operations, we are inevitably going to see a spike in requests for northeast to southeast travel, which has historically been one of our most popular routes.
The safety, security and health of our clients is of the utmost importance to us. Magellan Jets has established a COVID-19 task force focused on the safety of customers 24/7. We are actively communicating with our operators to maintain top levels of safety and security for you and your loved ones.
Our members are seeing an added value from their memberships by being able to use their hours to bring clients to them and transport elderly or high-risk family members. With guaranteed availability, they know they can trust Magellan Jets to be a reliable source for all of their travel needs during this time. Some of our elderly members are specifically reevaluating their travel by opting to fly to their second homes or vacation properties to avoid large crowds.
Internally, we are working on promoting domestic travel and providing our clients with alternative spring break and summer destinations. We believe Latin America and the Caribbean will be popular destinations over the next few months, as well as travel within the U.S.
In an effort to continually educate and inform our clients and members, we’ve updated our resources to include a collection of frequently asked questions around the coronavirus crisis and flying private.
