Catriona Taylor, group passenger operations director at global aircraft charter specialist Chapman Freeborn
With many countries throughout Europe still under partial or regional lockdown due to the resurgence of coronavirus, organisations are carefully considering the necessity of business travel. Where it’s deemed essential, they are then faced by the complexities of changing border closures and quarantine restrictions.
What is clear is that Covid-19 is not going to suddenly disappear, and businesses will need to minimise the risk of infection for those in their care. For this reason, the group passenger charter and private jet charter industries are seeing a rise in bookings as businesses weigh up their options.
Choosing to fly by private jet provides passengers with ultimate built-in social distancing. After all, it’s possible for a CEO to fly completely alone – on some aircraft even without cabin crew if requested – having departed from a private terminal reached by a private transfer.
A group passenger charter aircraft may be a more cost-effective option for businesses which need to send a group of employees to the same destination, however, and still provides many of the same benefits such as a private terminal at a regional airport and personalised sanitisation and hygiene regimes.
This is particularly useful for sports organisations such as football clubs needing to transport players under strict Covid-19 controls to international games, as well as companies that need to perform regular crew rotations. For instance, oil rigs booking round trip charters for on-signing and off-signing offshore workers.
Companies can also choose the date and time of a chartered flight, an important benefit as, thanks to Covid-19, there are not nearly as many scheduled commercial flights as there used to be.
Here I analyse the pros and cons of each method of business travel:
Scheduled airlines
Pros: Flight times are fixed and airlines subject to international regulation around compensation for cancellations and delays. Flights are offered by recognised airlines which often offer loyalty reward schemes, which are seen as a perk by business passengers. By booking early it is often possible to make cost savings because prices increase as the aircraft fills up. Some airlines offer flexible tickets which make last-minute changes possible – attractive for business passengers with an ever-changing schedule.
Cons: Not all scheduled flights are direct and some flights can quickly fill up if there is a major event in a particular destination. Scheduled airlines fly primarily to major international airports, so passengers may have a long transfer after disembarking. Flights may not always leave at the most convenient time for a trip and could lead to an extra night in a hotel.
Hygiene precautions: Face coverings are worn in all areas of the airport and on the plane, including by cabin crew. Aircraft cabins are sanitised before and after each flight, planes are boarded and disembarked row by row to aid social distancing, and queueing for onboard toilets is restricted.
Group passenger charter
Pros: It’s possible to fly to smaller regional airports, negating the need for a long transfer. Businesses can charter an entire plane to ensure only their employees are on board – and they can ask for the aircraft to be personalised, for instance by adding corporate headrest covers to seats or asking for other branding. Schedules and destinations are flexible and chosen by the customer. Charters are also flexible, with the option to make last-minute schedule or route changes and passenger changes. Cancellation policies may be flexible too, but always check.
Cons: Charter flights can be more expensive, depending on how many passengers are in the group. But they can also be competitive when extra costs involved with scheduled flights are taken into consideration – for instance hotels and transfer fees.
Hygiene precautions: Charter aircraft are subject to the same regulations as scheduled airlines but there is an opportunity to personalise hygiene measures. For instance, businesses can ask for some seats to be left empty to increase social distancing. They may even ask for health check-ups for passengers and pre-flight testing for crew. A Covid-19 kit, extra protective equipment and visors for the crew are all possible. Charter flights often have their own private terminal and check-in area, which keeps passengers away from crowded areas in the airport and provides peace of mind.
Private jet
Pros: Choose and design your own schedule – it’s your private aircraft for the trip so if a meeting overruns the jet will still be there waiting. If you need to travel immediately there’s no need to wait as last-minute bookings are often possible. You may also be able to reach destinations not open to scheduled planes during the pandemic. Passengers can travel in greater comfort and with more personal space. All types of personalisation are possible, from dressing the aircraft in a football club’s colours to providing personal gifts. Clients also have a great breadth of choice when it comes to catering, and can specify exactly what they would like to be served during their flight.
Cons: Expense is the obvious issue. Not all private jets can reach long-haul destinations without a stop (although journeys of up to 13 hours are possible). While cancellation policies can be strict, operators are sometimes willing to negotiate terms on a case-by-case basis.
Hygiene precautions: Private jets often fly from smaller, regional hubs which offer a private terminal and passenger lounge. In fact, passengers can board the plane without almost any interaction with the general public. It’s the ultimate social-distancing flight. On board, customers can ask for any hygiene extras they require, and aircraft are cleaned and sterilised after each and every flight too.