P L A N E ADVANTAG E
CLEAR SKIES Private aviation is benefiting from a pandemic pickup as Covid concerns continue to impact commercial travel. BY DALE BUSS
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TOP: Flexjet Global debuted a new rental program for its Gulfstream G650; ABOVE: CEOs are testing the private aviation waters with ondemand jet charter companies.
OSH MILLER TRAVELS MORE THAN 150,000 miles domestically each year as co-founder and president of Owen’s Craft Mixers. Recently, he decided to switch to private aviation rather than fight the headwinds still buffeting commercial air travel. “I wanted to reduce the stress and challenges of constant travel,” says Miller, whose cocktail-mixer company is based in New York City. “Private aviation provides you with full control over your trip and a level of comfort and ease that can’t be found in most airlines,” which remain “riddled with traditional travel challenges like overcrowded flights, long delays and other unexpected issues.” Miller joined XO, an on-demand jet-charter company, this year. He’s among the many CEOs and company owners joining private-plane rental outfits, including FlexJet and Wheels Up, for the first time. Other business leaders are opting to buy their first new or used aircraft to put the hassles of airline travel behind them for good. First-time charter clients for XO were up in June by 56 percent over a year ago. “We’re really seeing a change in behavior,” says CMO Lynn Fischer. “We’re seeing many first-time flyers who are choosing us for security, safety and accessibility. As
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we’ve had closure of regional airports and cancellations of commercial flights, this is providing a real solution and option.” High-net-worth individuals, private-company owners—and, initially, leisure rather than business travel—have driven the lateCovid boom in private aviation. “There hasn’t been as much pickup in corporate activity, but that’s coming,” says Janine Iannarelli, president of aircraft broker Par Avion. Pawel Chudzicki also foresees a robust pickup in corporate aviation in late 2021 and early 2022. “With the challenges that come with using commercial aviation, it’s only logical that U.S. companies are building or refurbishing their private fleets to carry executives from point A to point B as people are feeling more comfortable about having in-person meetings,” says the aviation partner at the Miller Canfield law firm. Delta-Driven Concerns
Business travelers are ready to re-ascent, but airlines have yet to restore the many shorter routes they junked at the beginning of the pandemic. “Regional jet service is still limited in a city like Lincoln, Nebraska,” says Craig Picken, managing director of NorthStar Group, an aviation-personnel search firm. “So now a CEO of a company
