20 April 2010

Coming up for air

It’s been a hectic few days to say the least. Private aviation booking requests have soared as a result of the restrictions caused by the volcanic ash cloud, and we have been working around the clock to help customers left stranded in Europe and further afield. The situation is changing all the time but as I write at around 14.00hrs GMT on Tuesday, all jet aircraft are still grounded in Northern Europe – some Scottish airports including Glasgow Prestwick opened this morning but closed again at 12.00. The closest airports open are Nice and Barcelona so we are arranging global flights to these locations and helping customers with their ground and sea transportation connections across France and into the UK. Click here for the latest update on travel restrictions from NATS.

One of the interesting angles of the crisis has been the number of requests we’ve had from customers who usually use fractional ownership models for private jet travel. Sources suggest that up to two thirds of NetJets’ fleet are grounded in Europe meaning they are unable to operate a normal service – even outside of the no-fly-zone. Yesterday we flew a customer who usually uses NetJets from Barcelona to New York on a Gulfstream GIV. We arranged a limo from London to take him to Barcelona and he was thrilled with the service – and surprised by how much less it had cost him by ad hoc charter. With many people using private jet charter for the first time as a result of the travel chaos, we have a great opportunity to showcase its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

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