[ad_1]
Premiership footballers are also fond of their “PJs”. Many clubs have their own jets – prompting accusations of waste. Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper was criticised after his side took a 20-minute flight to Blackpool in January.
Overall private jet use in Britain has soared by 75 per cent in recent years, with a flight taking off every six minutes from a UK airport last year, according to research conducted by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft. Some 90,256 flights took off from Britain in 2022, more than in any other European country. Six of the top 10 routes included London.
Uncertain times
What explains the boom in the UK at a time when inflation is rising, oil prices are high, stock markets are skittish and banks on both sides of the Atlantic are collapsing? Come boom or bust, Brits have always flown more than nationals of other European nations, because of our geography – we live on an island – and our weather. But not since the aftermath of 9/11 has commercial air travel been more uncertain or unpleasant. Strikes, staff shortages, and cancellations, notably on British Airways at Heathrow, can make going to the airport a lottery. The roads and ports are even worse. Luton has never looked more appealing.
Research from the private-jet booking app, TailHail, suggests that one in four wealthy Britons would be willing to share the cost of a private jet with friends and family to avoid long queues and potential cancellations
Increasing costs
High prices for commercial airlines are also tempting some to go private for the first time. A boom in upscale leisure travel means business and first class travel has rebounded far faster than airlines have been able to hire new staff to replace those laid off during lockdowns. “There hasn’t been enough capacity to meet demand and the only way demand has been controlled is through pricing, so you see very, very high airfares,” says Cameron McDonald, head of research and a transportation analyst at investment firm E&P.
Business-class tickets for flights leaving the US jumped 52 per cent between last year, a steeper increase than in economy and premium economy, travel manager TripActions says. Corporate travel management firm CWT and the Global Business Travel Association predict business class air fares will keep on rising this year because “demand is outstripping supply,” says CWT’s executive vice president Nick Vournakis.
The cost of two families of six travelling business class from London to, say, Nice on a commercial jet on a peak travel day at a peak time can be roughly comparable with booking seats on a new “shared” private yet offer from operators such as Aero. Its jets have 16 seats the cost of which is around 5 per cent of what it would cost to fly fully private.
[ad_2]
Source link