Are Traditional Perceptions of Private Jets Stifling Market Growth for Business Aviation?
This year’s EBACE was my second, and what an event it was! Having not been able to make the most of my first EBACE (as I had only be working within bizav for 7 days – no exaggeration) I was determined to immerse myself fully in all things ‘avgeek’ this time around. In between manning the Stratajet stand, seeing what the rest of EBACE had to offer and indulging in this year’s impressive static display, I decided to sit in on a few of the press conferences and panels. Hosted by the likes of Avinode, the steadily expanding AirClub Alliance and market intelligence provider WingX’s Richard Koe, I knew I was definitely in for some intriguing discussions and debates.
In addition to enlightening the bizav world in their companies’ latest developments (as one might expect from a press conference), the hosts welcomed panellists to discuss the private aviation industry’s hottest topics. One obvious matter that reared its ugly head countless times was that of the stagnant market. It was refreshing to hear that the market is ready to take a new approach to ensure a healthy future. The lack of ‘access’ and ‘transparency’ in the industry were blamed frequently for the slow recovery from 2008’s recession, but it was the discussion surrounding the portrayal and perception of flying privately that really caught my interest - and if online coverage is anything to go by, it also seems to have intrigued countless bloggers and the industry media. At EBACE’s ‘Business Aviation Across the World’ conference, NBAA’s COO, Steve Brown, addressed precisely this, stating that “The biggest challenge we face is the public acceptance of business aviation… It is not seen as a business tool, it’s seen as being excessive or unjustified”.
The hiring of a private jet to travel anywhere is typically perceived by the public as an over indulgence, where the jet is a status symbol, rather than a tool for efficiency and time saving. I can certainly testify to this; having been a true bizav outsider until relatively recently, I never really considered the use of private jets to be anything other than a show of financial and social prowess. I believe that both internal and external factors are to blame for creating this perception of a Champagne and caviar private members’ club. Marketing campaigns created by the industry portray extravagance, luxury and wealth, and the celebrity/media obsessed culture has further disseminated the opinion that private jets are solely for the rich and famous. Companies, both emerging and established, are frequently utilising celebrities to promote their services, which only strengthens preconceptions of inaccessibility and exclusivity.
Recent example of celebrity endorsement for private jets
This arguably narrow-minded view has created a negative stigma around flying privately, scaring businesses away from using private jets and benefiting from what they have to offer. The fact that private jets have great value-add in terms of saving time (and therefore money) and increasing response times and efficiency levels has been largely ignored until recently. In fact, top executives and CEOs who use private aircraft have been accused of over indulging with Shareholders’ money. Chartering a private jet for business use is continuously portrayed by industry-outsiders as being ostentatious and unnecessary; this needs to change. Admittedly, there have been a number of CEOs who have made a few unwise decisions (to put it kindly) when choosing their mode of transportation in certain contexts. Unfortunately, (though perhaps understandably), this type of publicity has been more of a hindrance than a help when trying to brighten bizav’s image.
Avinode’s press conference broached the subject on the first day of EBACE; they welcomed a range of charter operators from around Europe, and the typical topics of the health of the market, government taxing and the like were discussed. As a welcome change to the norm, conversation was then directed to the subject of whether or not all potential charter customers have been reached – to which the unanimous response was ‘no’. The universal stance seemed to be that the media portrays a negative and somewhat inaccurate image of the industry and that something must be done to alter this perception. (Though of course, the media can’t take all of the fall for this, as it tends to merely reflect how the industry markets itself.) Conclusions drawn, during this and other discussions, were that we would do well as an industry to focus more on efficiency and the other benefits of private aviation for business, rather than directing as much marketing towards leisure and luxury sectors.
Focus needs to be placed on business-relevant matters such as the ability to conduct private meetings on-board, reducing time wasted at airports and in transit, increasing the efficiency of those traveling (not relying on scheduled routes and timetables) and reducing the time it takes to react to deal-making (or breaking) developments. We need to shift the perceptions towards these efficiencies if we are to stimulate growth in other market segments within private aviation. If the industry continues to market itself as an excessive and exclusive means of transport, the press will continue to report it as such and business aviation will remain ever associated with that box labelled ‘business suicide’. However, if we work collectively to change the image of our industry, to crack through the reductive stereotypes, we will be able to open ourselves up to those companies who could take advantage of chartering private jets as tools integral to their business.
It is encouraging to see the industry as whole starting to make the right steps forward, bringing such discussions to the fore. Here’s to hoping that by my fifth EBACE, in 2016, we’re looking at the vibrant, competitive, efficient industry we know it has the potential to be!
Christina Hayes
Marketing Assistant