Do you really know how much it costs to fly on a private jet?
TailHail – a private flight-hailing app – is launching in the UK to redefine the exclusive world of private aviation. In what has undeniably been the most challenging two years for travel – and consequentially – the aviation industry, the arena for private air travel has presented a viable alternative to commercial flights; one that is now not solely the preserve for the uber-wealthy. The UK-born technology is revolutionising the travel sector by affording greater accessibility to private planes and helicopters, using highly sophisticated location technology that enables passengers to hail private flights to their locality.
TailHail provides an industry-first “sky-scanner” of flight paths, empty legs and carriers, meaning passengers are able to see routes that are either empty or available for sharing with private requests. The result of the web and device led innovation means that passengers have the ability to keep a centralised view on the ever-evolving flight paths offered through private aviation operators. The greater accessibility to private flights and the empowerment to hail journeys to your nearest locality, is helping to overturn the age-old assumption that private air travel is exclusively for the upper-echelons of society.
Heralding this shift towards greater accessibility, the price points of private jets have become far more affordable for a wider critical mass. An executive turboprop such as a Pilatus PC-12 would typically cost £5400 on a route from London to Paris, with the flight lasting an hour through a traditional charter. By utilising the TailHail platform, customers have been able to secure the same journey for a decreased price of £2200, working out to £315 per person, should the jet carry seven passengers at maximum capacity. In addition to this – with the average flight that takes advantage of an empty leg costing around 40% less – passengers flying from Ibiza to London on a Citation CJ2 only paid £4,750, compared to the industry-standard price of £11,260, equating to £790 per person at maximum capacity.
Worldwide, the number of private jet flights in action has increased by 16% compared to pre-pandemic levels, whilst the number of flights in 2021 represented a 54% increase on those seen in 2020, with the key catalyst sparking this change in consumer behaviour being the COVID 19 pandemic. As private aviation becomes increasingly prevalent in the wake of the pandemic, TailHail is changing the way that people travel for good including more affordable pricing plans and accessibility to all,