Most private jets from London are heading to Paris. Here's why
By Chandralekha Mukerji
It is no surprise that London is Europe's busiest private jet city, year-round. However, while you may picture A-list celebs and super-rich boarding these planes, they actually are the minority. So who is the average private jet flyer of London? Most likely a 41-year-old male taking a flight from London to Paris that costs £3,500 one-way. He will most probably pick an 11am jet on a Thursday and will be flying in a Citation Mustang, a small four-seater “air taxi” style jet. He will book the flight last minute, on the same day of flying and not depend on his secretary and make the booking using his personal tablet or mobile phone.
According to a 2016 customer report from PrivateFly, a charter broker based in the UK, the majority of their business comes from successful business owners, families, or groups looking for a better travel experience.
The majority of private jet customers are men, however 37% are women and this is a growing. 14% are kids under 16 years. Some of these high-flyers are treating their pets too, who make up 6% of the flights.
According to the report, the peak time to fly is 11 am on a Thursday, which accounts for 21% of all flights taken in a week. These bookings have a very high turnaround time, 44% of the customers make a booking the same day of their enquiry, another 20 percent within a day. Almost all bookings (90%) are made within a week of their enquiry. Interestingly, 40% of these booking search were done via a personal tablet or a mobile phone, not a company device.
The quarterly report also showed that from October to December 2016, the most popular route on a private jet is the £3,500 flight from London to Paris. Also, the most frequently flown jet is a tiny four-seater "air taxi" style Cessna Citation Mustang. Luton is the most popular UK airport for private jet charter for 2016-17, according to Q1 2017 report from Victor, another private jet charter provider operating in Europe.
However, according to a latest trend, high-flyers are ditching private jets for airborne taxis, reported The Times in March this year. The news report was based on the success of a private jet company, Vistajet, that has been dubbed the Uber of the skies. The company has reported a 28% increase in passenger numbers last year. As per the news article, this growth was driven by ultra-rich corporate clients who have given up owning their own jets. Hiring Vistajet at €16,000 an hour can prove cheaper than buying a private jet,” the report said.
According to Victor’s 2017, Q1 report, majority (59.5%) of the UK’s jet travels are on chartered planes while 39% is are privately owned aircrafts. Behind this trend are industry disruptors like JetSmarter, reports Forbes. This new player’s model aim to reduce the charted flying cost even further by utilising the “empty seats” that go on a scheduled flight. The business will work like a GoMore or Blablacar for chartered flights. The company will create a community of high-flyers and a platform where a member can schedule a flight on a premium as they are setting the schedule. These scheduled flights will then be offered to other members who can hop on at a cheaper rate.
