Could my private jet flight be cancelled due to COVID-19?

COVID-19 and Private Jet Charters

Travel disruptions have reached a whole new level in 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to thousands of flight cancellations worldwide as airlines struggled to cope with low demand and travel bans across various countries. Today, at the dawn of a new season, we are sure that the development of the pandemic will inevitably shape our future travels. As travel restrictions keep adjusting, long-term travel planning is still infeasible.

As we write this article, for example, countries like Italy and Switzerland are issuing stronger measures for travellers coming from seven of the most high-risk French regions (those being: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Corsica, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Île-de-France - the region that includes Paris). Italy requires COVID-19 tests for passengers coming from France, Malta, Spain, Greece and Croatia. Tests are free of charge and can be taken up to 48 hours after arrival in Italy.

While travel regulations change from country to country with stark differences in COVID-19 negative test requirements and general hygiene measures, we are helping you navigate all changes thanks to our Travel Regulations Map.

How do cancellation policies for private jets work?

Today, private jet travellers are not booking much in advance.

At GlobeAir, for example, we have registered an increase of 42% more overnight bookings compared to last year. Whereas it is normal for private jet operators to see plans change fast, COVID-19 has certainly added more complexity.

Our operations team is working day and night to accommodate our passengers’ requests despite all changes now happening in travel regulations worldwide. As soon as you book and pay for your private jet, the operator starts planning the entire fleet plan around your flight taking care of both aircraft availability and flight feasibility – which includes airport and crew availability as well as possible NOTAMs.

Schedule specialists arrange flights like a complex puzzle making sure that you can depart at your preferred time and from your desired location. You can benefit from the most competitive prices whenever the flight schedule has been arranged diligently, taking into consideration scheduled maintenance as well.

“Our COVID-19 crisis team ensures that we can react fast to all disruptions. To streamline the decision-making process, every day we appoint one of our operations managers as coordinator on duty. The coordinator is on duty 24/7 and is responsible for taking the final critical decisions. Since the implementation, we have seen an increase in efficiency and speed when it comes to tackling sudden changes of plans,” VP Business Operations, Ricardo Santana

The high complexity of this scheduling process makes it necessary for private jet companies to add detailed cancellation policies in their contracts.

GlobeAir's cancellation policy, developed before the spread of COVID-19, contains three main clauses. Frequent flyers owning a private jet card with GlobeAir gain more advantages when it comes to cancellations. You can read all details on our private jet card dedicated page.

In the event of a flight cancellation, GlobeAir shall retain the security deposit in accordance with our cancellation policy as follows:

• Within 168 hours (7 days) but more than 48 hours (2 days) before the scheduled departure time, a cancellation fee of 30% of the total Charter Price (invoice plus any non-refundable costs) shall be applied.
• Within 48 hours but more than 24 hours before the scheduled departure time, a cancellation fee of 50% of the total Charter Price (invoice plus any non-refundable costs) shall be applied.
• Within 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, or in case of a no-show, a cancellation fee of 75% of the total Charter Price (invoice plus any non-refundable costs) shall be applied.

I am forced to cancel my private jet trip due to COVID-19, what happens to my money?

Lately, passengers are forced to cancel their flights more frequently than before.

Imagine the following scenario: “You have booked a private jet flight from France to Austria, and now you are obliged to get tested upon arrival and spend 14 days in quarantine.”

Not extraordinary – we hear about cases like this one every day.

What happens if you then decide to cancel your private jet flight? Technically, in such a scenario, your flight can still be performed with no restrictions. When you consciously refuse to honour your booking, the operator can do nothing but apply the cancellation policy clauses.

Another story would be if your desired destination were to suddenly stop accepting passengers coming from your departure country. If something similar should happen after you have booked and paid for your private jet flight, GlobeAir is committed to refunding the cost of your flight due to force majeure circumstances.

GlobeAir’s last-minute cancellation insurance helps passengers safeguard their journeys for an investment of only € 500. Passengers can purchase the insurance before signing the contract and therefore finalising the booking. Your dedicated travel manager at GlobeAir is ready to answer all your questions in case of doubts or queries.

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