As with nearly everything else in the Northeast, private jet travel has declined during the Covid-19 pandemic, but not by as much as one might assume.
Matt Hogan, a senior charter sales and acquisitions executive at evoJets based in New York City, said that in terms of Memorial Day trips to the East End of Long Island, "demand is looking a little different this year. A lot of people usually doing regular trips out there aren't doing them this year, but instead a lot of people who have to get their parents home or fly for essential reasons are using private flights."
Demand for charter flights is down, he said, but not drastically. Mr. Hogan said that reduced business travel from regulars is made up for by those who are adjusting their method of getting around the country due to Covid-19. "People might have a board meeting or some particular reason that they must meet in person. They aren't taking holiday trips; it's more people relocating. People are generally flying home, so a lot of East Hampton, Westhampton, New York City, Boston, and Bedford trips."
"We did a flight to the Hamptons yesterday and we have another flight leaving tomorrow, but there is definitely a lot less travel for sure," said David Gitman, president of Monarch Air Group in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Friday.
He too noted a shift in clientele: "There are also a lot of people who don't fly private flying private obviously for safety reasons. So we see a big shift from executives and those choosing luxury comfort to people who are concerned for their safety."
Besides crewmembers receiving regular Covid-19 tests, aircraft being sanitized regularly, and only essential crew on the planes, his operation does not look that different, he said. Mr. Gitman noted, however, that demand on some routes might be reduced as much as 40 percent.
The CARES Act removed a 7.5 percent excess tax on domestic air charters until December, which, combined with a drop in fuel prices and soft demand, makes it less expensive to fly private right now. Since air traffic is less and people are flying for safety, rather than comfort, demand for large-aircraft charters has been especially low.
"We see most of the movement being done in light and midsized aircrafts," Mr. Gitman said. He noted that charter fees for large jets have declined slightly, resulting in deals for the highest-end flyers. Since the super-luxury aircrafts are largely grounded with the reduction in business travel, charter companies want to offer competitive rates on the off-chance a client does opt to travel in a large aircraft.