A survey of subscribers to Private Jet Card Comparisons shows the demand surge for private aviation will continue for the foreseeable future.

Some 69 per cent of current private aviation users expect to fly more post-COVID than before the pandemic, with 28 per cent saying they expect to fly privately at similar levels. Only three per cent said they would be making fewer private flights in a post-COVID world.

Half of the current private aviation users said they had started or re-started private flying due to COVID, and 100 per cent of these new private flyers say they plan to continue after the pandemic. More than half (53 per cent) said they would fly privately regularly even after the pandemic, a 29 per cent increase from 41 per cent who said they would continue private flights regularly in a January survey of subscribers.

“If the question is, will new users stick with private aviation even in a post-COVID world, the answer is a unanimous yes, with many saying they will now use private aviation regularly,” says Doug Gollan, founder, and editor-in-chief of buyer's guide Private Jet Card Comparisons.

The survey also revealed a strong pipeline of potential new private jet customers. Of the over 225 respondents, 90 per cent are currently private flyers, and nine per cent said they are now considering private aviation. Subscribers pay $250 to compare private aviation options by more than 65 variables so they can identify the best choices for their unique flying needs.

In terms of types of travel, 54 per cent said they use private aviation for personal/vacation travel only, 43 per cent use it for a combination of personal/vacation flights and business needs, and three per cent said they use private flights exclusively for business.

New users are more likely to be using private aviation strictly for personal/vacation travel (64 per cent), whereas 52 per cent of pre-COVID private flyers said they use private aviation for a combination of personal/vacation and business travel, with 44 per cent only using private aviation for personal/vacation trips.

Of current private aviation flyers, 81 per cent use jet cards, 35 per cent charter on a flight-by-flight basis, 11 per cent ride on the private jets of friends, seven per cent own their private jets, six per cent use by-the-seat or shared jet solutions, five per cent hold fractional shares or leases and three per cent use company-owned aircraft from companies they don't own or control. Over 50 per cent of respondents said they have more than one private aviation solution, including jet cards from multiple providers.

More than eight in 10 (82 per cent) said they had bought or renewed a jet card in the past 18 months, with 92 per cent making a deposit and eight per cent using pay-as-you-go options. The average deposit was $237,267.

Of those who are new to private aviation since COVID and had purchased jet cards initially, 18 per cent had already renewed after using their initial hours.

A significant number of respondents said avoiding the hassles of commercial airlines is a primary reason for continuing to fly privately. However, 19 per cent said they had experienced service lapses on their private flights in recent months as private jet flying surges to record levels. Typical were delays, generally around two to three hours.

In terms of satisfaction with current providers, 77 per cent rated their performance as excellent or very good, eight per cent said average, with two per cent reporting below average/poor performance. Some 13 per cent said it's too early to tell.