NetJets activity surpasses 2019 levels

Average flights per day are up to 541 so far this year compared with 380 per day in 2019, according to NetJets data supplied to Corporate Jet Investor. An unprecedented post-pandemic opening up of the market has left the largest US operator “cautiously optimistic” about the rest of 2021 and beyond.

June 2020 set a new record for new owner relationships and in December, NetJets more than doubled the number of new customers it welcomed in June. Over the course of last year, the firm saw more than three times as many new customers as in any recent year, up approximately 350% from 2019.

As of March 2021, the firm was experiencing daily flight volumes higher than pre-pandemic. Given the untapped market of people who can afford to fly private but did not before the pandemic, NetJets expects to see more people turning to private aviation for their leisure travel needs.

NetJets has also seen more people staying for longer periods of time with most travellers booking for the July 4th holiday from 2nd July to 11th July. Whereas in prior years NetJets has seen many more three-day long weekends.

Delays have also been more widespread as activity climbs, with NetJets  reporting  about 10 times more flights delayed due to ATC (air traffic control) in June this year compared with June 2020. This means a NetJets owner was five times more likely to experience ATC delay this June just gone compared with June 2020.

Meanwhile, kitchen labour has been in very short supply across the US with many kitchens being understaffed, according to NetJets. As owners travel outside  traditional high-volume catering network locations, the need for  for ferry point (FPC) catering has risen sharply, said the firm. FPC orders averaged 260 per month pre-pandemic compared with 380 per month post-pandemic. The  number of orders has increased 100%, as a percentage of total flights, from 2% to 4%.