Flying private has gotten a lot more popular over the last several years. The number of miles flown by private jets soared 53% between 2019 and 2023, while the number of private aircraft rose by 28%, according to published in Nature. Two big factors led to that spike in private flights: The pandemic and a spate of more affordable options for flying private.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, both commercial and private flights ground to a near-halt. But soon, private jet travel surged even as . While was down 27% in the US between 2019 and 2021, over the same period, business jet flights were up from about .
Many of those who could afford to avoid cramped commercial airline cabins — and the extra exposure to the virus that comes with that — . Meanwhile, fractional ownership of private planes, fly-share services, subscriptions to private jet companies, and other on-demand private flying options have also grown and . New services have made it possible to find and book private flights from a smartphone.
While purchasing a private plane costs millions of dollars, on-demand private flying through newer services like Blade can charge to jet . That's not much more than the of a typical first-class commercial ticket between those two cities. In the years since the COVID-19 outbreak, customers have a higher budget for travel and are more willing to spend big to make it luxurious.
These days, those who fly private say time savings and convenience are the biggest reasons, of private fli.
