From the push for greener aircraft to a passenger successfully landing a turboprop plane in an emergency, 2022 was an exciting year in the private aviation industry. As the year winds down and we all get ready to welcome new experiences and 2023 travel trends, let’s take a moment to look back on the incredible year we’ve had.
Here are three highlights from 2022, and three 2023 travel trends to look forward to in the new year.
We’ve always believed in putting the customer first, providing the safest charter, and delivering excellent customer service. That’s why, earlier this year, we launched an app that gives you immediate access to everything you need to successfully, and seamlessly, book your private jet charter.
“We created this app to provide clients with the best possible experience,” says Stratos CEO, Joel Thomas. “The tools we’ve developed support that effort through the enhanced simplicity of scheduling and planning the perfect flight, as well as sharing data with fellow travelers. It’s an extension of the high-touch service we already provide.
It was around lunchtime on May 10 of this year when a passenger jumped into the pilot’s seat and brought a Cessna 208 safely into Palm Beach International Airport. Moments earlier, the pilot told his two passengers that he wasn’t feeling well. Losing consciousness, he slumped against the cockpit controls and put the aircraft into a nosedive.
An unnamed passenger stepped up, took control, and asked for help. After reaching out to air traffic controllers at Palm Beach Tower, the runways at Palm Beach International Airport were cleared, and other aircraft preparing to land went into a holding pattern in the air. Emergency responders waited on the scene for the plane to descend.
Air traffic controller and certified flight instructor was on the airwaves and, after finding a picture of the plane’s cockpit, walked the passenger-turned-pilot through the landing.
Finally, at 12:27 p.m., the Cessna 208 was on the tarmac in front of awaiting first responders and a tower full of cheering air traffic controllers.
From Airbus’s work takingunmanned aircraft into the stratosphere to theSolar Impulse 2 becoming the first solar-powered plane to fly around the world in 2015/16, Aviation companies have spent years looking for greener ways to take to the sky.
While the future of electric and solar-powered aviation isn’t here yet, there are greener ways to fly.
At Stratos Jets, we partnered with TerraPass in 2007 to give our clients the option to offset their carbon emissions. Through the program, travelers purchase a carbon credit, which usually works out to about one per cent of the total quote. TerraPass then uses the carbon credit to fund carbon offsetting initiatives such as forestry, renewable energy, and landfill gas capture.
While we don’t yet know what great stories next year will bring, the new year is sure to bring exciting opportunities and new ways to experience private aviation. Here are three 2023 travel trends that might shape your year in the sky.
2023 travel trends
1. Surge in private aviation continues
Whether this year brought your first private jet experience or you’ve been flying private for decades, a 2023 travel trends study found that you’re likely going to continue using private aviation in the future.
According to a detailed 2022/23 report byPrivate Jet Card Comparisons, 94 per cent of travelers who started flying private since the beginning of the pandemic plan to continue doing so for years to come.
Many of these COVID-era travelers came to private aviation looking for a safer alternative to commercial aviation with fewer touch points and less risk to their personal health and safety. But, after flying private and experiencing the convenience of skipping the commercial terminal lineups and security checks, most have chosen to stay.
As an ARGUS-certified broker, we work with the best air carriers in the industry to ensure you always have a safe and comfortable flight.
2. Bleisure travel
‘Bleisure’ travel took the private aviation industry by storm in 2021 and 2022, and it looks like it’s going to become a 2023 travel trend as well. Named for the combination of business and leisure, more than 60 per cent of business trips in the US turned into bleisure travel according to 2022 statistics.
According toForbes, bleisure trips often start mid-week and see travelers seeking experiences like a flight to Bozeman for work before spending the evening and weekends in the mountains.
We looked atbleisure travel earlier this year and found a 40 per cent increase between 2016 and 2018. Typically, bleisure trips begin as flights to a conference or external meeting. These business trips last for nearly seven days on average, with business accounting for roughly 60 per cent of the trip.
With its massive growth over the past decade, bleisure travel is sure to remain a 2023 travel trend.
3. 2023 travel trends see Asia and the South Pacific as top destinations
Unlike 2022’s focus on London, Paris and Italy, international travelers have their sights set on Asia in 2023.
Kayak.com, a metasearch company that helps travelers find commercial flights and hotels, gathered search data from travelers across the globe. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam tops the list with searches up nearly 800 per cent over last year. Taipei City in Taiwan comes in second at nearly 300 per cent and Auckland, New Zealand fills out the top three at just over 250 per cent. Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Israel and two cities in Australia round out the top 10 destinations most likely to become a 2023 travel trend.
Make your travel plans happen with trip support
Whether 2023 brings more business trips, bleisure travel, or adventures overseas, ourTrip Support Team can take care of your on-board and on-the-ground needs. Trip support works with you and your private flight advisor to arrange everything from ground transportation to hotel reservations, corporate event venue bookings, meal planning, and car rentals.
Are you ready to charter a jet and make your own 2023 travel trends and memories? Reach out to our private flight advisors or call us at 888-593-9066 to learn more.
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