As governments in the UK and parts of Europe impose second lockdowns and tighter travel restrictions, the business world continues to adapt to the virtual ways of working, but the need to travel for essential business remains. When the first lockdown began back in March, and throughout the months to follow, we have continued to see the need for critical business trips throughout the pandemic, with many turning to private travel as their preferred choice as businesses see the value of flying private.
The number of passengers choosing to travel privately for the first time, who previously would have travelled commercially in either first or business class, continues to increase, and with many scheduled services reducing availability, or cancelling flights as the second lockdown begins, we expect to see more companies turning to private jet travel for the first time for the added safety, flexibility and reliability private travel offers.
Flexibility when we travel has never been more essential. Private jet travel has always offered a great degree of flexibility, especially when it comes to business travel and the need for last-minute itinerary changes. Now more than ever, flexibility when flying private, compared to scheduled services, gives peace of mind if plans change at short notice. And with our JetCard membership programme, its members have the ultimate in flexibility, including guaranteed availability in 24 hours, no extra fees to amend or cancel your flight, an all-inclusive hourly rate, and many more member benefits. Available from 5, 10 or 25 hours, however frequent you might need to travel for business right now, there is a membership option to suit you.
Across all our suite of private jet services, we have added safety measures in place for each flight including PPE, deep-cleaning the aircraft and social distancing amongst the flight crew. When you choose to fly private you also get the added benefit of using private terminals, where the number of interactions and touchpoints from arrival to departure are limited. On occasions when it is more convenient to fly out of a commercial airport, you will be greeted upon arrival by an FBO private jet handling agent. They will escort you through the terminal, security and to your awaiting aircraft, avoiding any queues, and greatly reducing the potential exposure to the virus compared to flying on a scheduled service.
The second lockdown is due to end in the UK on December 2nd, during this time our team of aviation experts are here to assist with all your business travel needs, 24/7.