Industry Experiences Record Charter Volume

Over the last year and a half, we’ve seen private jet charter demand increase along with prices as supply decreased largely due to pandemic-related behavioral changes. Many travelers and aircraft owners are opting to fly private to mitigate health risks and for flexibility.

In the recent Private Jet Card Comparisons article, “Jet broker predicts charter prices to increase up to 20%,” written by Doug Gollan, Dan Jennings, the CEO of whole aircraft broker The Private Jet Company (TPJC), shared his prediction that the increased demand for private jet charter – on-demand and through jet cards – could push up pricing by up to 20%.

Since April, the industry is seeing a 12% increase in charter activity as compared to 2019 (pre-COVID). The increase is especially pronounced at destinations like Scottsdale, AZ (KSDL) and Palm Beach, FL (KPBI), where volume is up more than 60%.

Large operators are unable to keep up with the overwhelming demand, creating an opportunity for small, independent operators. However, the challenge for many independent charter operators is the staffing coverage to respond to the volume of wholesale quotes necessary to take advantage of the demand. Operators must act quickly and generate hundreds of quotes, of which only roughly 2% will convert.

To help operators Fly Louie recently launched WholesaleFlex. WholesaleFlex supports Alliance operators by acting as an extension of their sales team, focused on generating wholesale quotes quickly and efficiently.

Fly Louie’s Director of Business Development, Dan Morrison, reports strong early interest. “We’ve met with several Fly Louie Alliance operators who are very excited to augment their sales capabilities with WholesaleFlex,” said Morrison. “The challenge for many independent charter operators is the staffing coverage to respond to the volume of wholesale quotes necessary to take advantage of the demand. This is just one more example of how Fly Louie supports Alliance members in our increasingly competitive industry.”